Parental controls

This article is about parental controls in general. For the software included with Windows Vista and Windows 7, see Windows Parental Controls.

TimeKpr
TimeKpr, a Linux app controlling how long the computer can be used per day.

Parental controls are features which may be included in digital television services, computers and video games, mobile devices and software that allow parents to restrict the access of content to their children. These controls were created to assist parents in their ability to restrict certain content viewable by their children.[1] This may be content they deem inappropriate for their age, maturity level or feel is aimed more at an adult audience.[2] Parental controls fall into roughly four categories: content filters, which limit access to age inappropriate content; usage controls, which constrain the usage of these devices such as placing time-limits on usage or forbidding certain types of usage; computer usage management tools, which enforces the use of certain software; and monitoring, which can track location and activity when using the devices.[3]

Content filters were the first popular type of parental controls to limit access to Internet content. Television stations also began to introduce V-Chip technology to limit access to television content. Modern usage controls are able to restrict a range of explicit content such as explicit songs and movies. They are also able to turn devices off during specific times of the day, limiting the volume output of devices, and with GPS technology becoming affordable, it is now possible to easily locate devices such as mobile phones. UNICEF emphases the responsibility of parents and teachers in this role.[4]

The demand for parental control methods that restrict content has increased over the decades due to the rising availability of the Internet. A 2014 ICM survey showed that almost a quarter of people under the age of 12 had been exposed to online pornography.[5] Restricting especially helps in cases when children are exposed to inappropriate content by accident. Monitoring may be effective for lessening acts of cyberbullying within the internet.[6][7] It is unclear whether parental controls will affect online harassment in children, as little is known about the role the family plays in protecting children from undesirable experiences online.[8] Psychologically, cyberbullying could be more harmful to the victim than traditional bullying.[9] Studies done in the past have shown that about 75% of adolescents were subjected to cyberbullying.[10][11] A lack of parental controls in the household could enable kids to be a part of cyberbullying or be the victim of cyberbullying.[12][13]

  1. ^ "What is Parental Control Software? - Definition from Techopedia". Techopedia.com. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Inappropriate content: protecting your child | Internet Matters". Internet Matters. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  3. ^ Baumrind, Diana. "Effects of authoritative parental control on child behavior" (PDF). University of California. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  4. ^ General comment no:25 2021. Children's rights ohchr.org [dead link‍]
  5. ^ "BBC Three survey reveals one in four young people first view porn at age 12 or under". Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  6. ^ "Cyberbullying". Gale Student Resources in Context. 2016 – via Gale, Cengage Learning.
  7. ^ Malo-Cerrato, Sara; Martín-Perpiñá, Maria-de-las-Mercedes; Viñas-Poch, Ferran (1 July 2018). "Excessive use of social networks: Psychosocial profile of Spanish adolescents". Comunicar (in Spanish). 26 (56): 101–110. doi:10.3916/c56-2018-10. hdl:10256/15553. ISSN 1134-3478.
  8. ^ Khurana, Atika, et al. "The Protective Effects of Parental Monitoring and Internet Restriction on Adolescents' Risk of Online Harassment." Journal of Youth and Adolescence, vol. 44, no. 5, 2015, pp. 1039-1047.
  9. ^ Dooley, J., Pyzalski, J., & Cross, D. (2009). Cyberbullying versus face-to-face bullying: A theoretical and conceptual review. Zeitschrift fiir Psychologie/Journal of Psychology, 217, 182–188. doi:10.1027/0044-3409.217.4.182.
  10. ^ J. Juvonen, E.F. Gross Extending the school grounds?—Bullying experiences in cyberspace Journal of School Health, 78 (9) (2008), pp. 496-505, 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2008.00335.x
  11. ^ Close C. Katzer, D. Fetchenhauer, F. Belschak Cyberbullying: Who are the victims?: A comparison of victimization in internet chatrooms and victimization in school Journal of Media Psychology: Theories, Methods, and Applications, 21 (1) (2009), pp. 25-36, 10.1027/1864-1105.21.1.25
  12. ^ Close D.L. Espelage, K. Bosworth, T.R. Simon Examining the social context of bullying behaviors in early adolescence Journal of Counseling & Development, 78 (3) (2000), pp. 326-333, 10.1002/j.1556-6676.2000.tb01914.x
  13. ^ J.S. Hong, D.L. Espelage. A review of research on bullying and peer victimization in school: An ecological system analysis Aggression and Violent Behavior, 17 (4) (2012), pp. 311-322, 10.1016/j.avb.2012.03.003