几十年前，孩子们围着电视机看动画片，或者和父母一起去电影院看最新的大片。随着互联网和智能手机、平板电脑和笔记本电脑等不断变化的技术带来的数字时代，现代孩子不再需要等待他们最喜欢的电视节目或电影在特定时间播出。
只需轻触孩子智能手机或平板电脑上的按钮，他们就可以访问和观看几乎任何电视节目或电影(watch almost any TV show or movie)、听音乐、玩视频游戏等等。
然而，所有这些便利的背后都潜藏着网络攻击、网络欺凌以及暴露于露骨或令人不安的内容等形式的危险，这对任何父母来说都是一个问题。
值得庆幸的是，您可以使用免费的家长控制软件阻止网站，并防止您的孩子遇到他们不应该访问的网站和应用程序(apps that they shouldn’t access)。继续阅读以了解如何在您孩子的设备或家庭网络上执行此操作。
什么是家长控制软件？(What Is Parental Control Software?)
家长(Parental)控制软件通过限制屏幕时间、阻止不需要的内容以及限制他们使用任何有风险的网站或应用程序，帮助您让孩子更安全地使用他们的设备。
它们还帮助孩子们了解(help kids learn)良好设备习惯的价值。但是，重要的是让他们知道您为什么要在他们的设备上实施此类软件，以便他们知道您尊重他们的隐私。这样，他们就不会在他们的小工具周围寻找方法来绕过您为阻止网站而设置的任何保护措施。
以前，家长控制是通过家庭计算机上的一个实用程序设置的，以确保孩子们更安全、更高效。今天，家中连接设备的数量，从智能手机到平板电脑、笔记本电脑、游戏机等等，对于父母来说可能是不堪重负的。
一些家长控制实用程序能够在无限数量的设备上工作，但并非所有设备都免费提供此功能。另外，如果您不能在家中的每台设备上实施它们，您可以使用更广泛的全网络解决方案，如Open DNS等。这些设备在路由器级别过滤内容，以便您的设置应用于家庭网络上的所有设备。
但是，您不会像使用家长控制实用程序那样使用OpenDNS对每台设备进行精细控制和详细监控。(OpenDNS)
如何在 Windows 10 中使用家长控制阻止网站(How To Block Sites With Parental Controls In Windows 10)
如果您的孩子可以使用 PC，Windows 10的家长控制可让您阻止网站并限制 Web 访问，同时监控电子邮件交换、查看详细日志和聊天功能。
通过Windows 10中的(Windows 10)Windows 家庭安全(Windows Family Safety)区域，您可以创建帐户或登录现有帐户，访问任何Windows设备，并创建您可以监管和监控的子帐户。
该功能附带的一些家长控制包括应用程序或游戏使用情况的活动报告、网络搜索、浏览器历史记录和屏幕时间、内容限制、阻止不适当的应用程序和网站、跟踪孩子购买的东西甚至他们的位置。
如何设置和使用 Windows 10 家长控制(How to Set Up and Use Windows 10 Parental Controls)
单击Start > Settings，然后选择帐户(Accounts)。
在“帐户(Accounts)”窗口的左侧窗格中选择家庭和其他用户。(Family & Other Users)
如果您的孩子在您的计算机上没有帐户，请单击添加家庭成员(Add a Family Member)。
如果孩子有电子邮件帐户，请在下面的电子邮件字段中输入该帐户，然后单击“下一步”(Next)。如果孩子没有电子邮件帐户，请单击为孩子创建电子邮件地址链接(Create an email address for a child link)，然后单击下一步。 (Next. )
按照说明为每个孩子创建一个帐户。输入电子邮件地址、密码、国家和出生日期等所需信息，然后单击下一步(Next)。您将收到该帐户已创建的确认信息。单击关闭(Close)。
您的孩子将被添加到您的家庭成员列表中，状态将显示为Child。您现在可以使用该帐户，因为已启用家长控制，因此让他们登录其帐户以完成该过程。
注意(Note)：如果您的孩子已经有一个电子邮件帐户，并且您在上述步骤中输入了该帐户，系统会要求您登录并使用发送到邀请电子邮件的说明。帐户状态将为Child、Pending，因此他们必须登录才能完成帐户设置。
如何在 Windows 10 中更改家长控制设置(How to Change Parental Control Settings in Windows 10)
此步骤可帮助您验证您在上述过程中设置的家长控制是否满足您的需求。
单击Start > Settings > Accounts，从左侧窗格中选择家庭和其他人，然后选择(Family & Other People)在线管理家庭设置(Manage Family Settings Online)。
如果出现提示，请登录，然后从家庭成员帐户列表中找到您孩子的帐户。单击管理权限(Manage Permissions)并将活动报告(Activity reporting )开关切换为开/绿色以激活屏幕时间(Screen Time)限制
使用每日时间表和下拉列表调整默认设置。
单击“内容限制”(Content Restrictions)选项卡，对您的孩子可以访问的网站、应用程序、游戏和媒体设置限制。
启用阻止不适当的应用程序和游戏并阻止不适当的网站(Block Inappropriate Apps and Game and Block Inappropriate Websites)设置以阻止您不希望他们访问的网站。您可以添加要允许或阻止的任何网站或应用程序，并选择年龄分级。
注意(Note)：当您使用 Microsoft Edge或Internet Explorer浏览器时，您可以阻止不适当的网站。这适用于Windows 10、运行Microsoft Launcher的(Microsoft Launcher)Android设备和Xbox One。
如何开启网页浏览限制(How to Turn On Web Browsing Limits)
要打开网页浏览限制， 请单击内容限制(Content Restrictions)，向下滚动到网页(Web)浏览，然后打开/关闭阻止不适当的网站(Block inappropriate websites)设置。如果您希望始终阻止特定网站，请在“始终阻止(Always blocked)”部分添加它们的URL 。(URLs)
如果有您明确允许的网站并希望您的孩子只看到这些网站，请检查始终允许(Always allowed)部分。
如何控制孩子们可以在 Xbox One 上访问的网站(How to Control the Websites Kids Can Access On Xbox One)
如果您的孩子使用的是Xbox One，您可以设置 Web 过滤来控制他们可以在主机上访问的网站类型。为此，请使用您的帐户（成人）登录控制台，按Xbox按钮打开指南并选择System > Settings > Account > Family。
选择要添加 Web 过滤器的子帐户，然后选择Web 过滤(Web filtering)。
单击下拉菜单以获取更多选项，然后选择所需的 Web 过滤级别。您无法在Xbox One上添加具有 Web 过滤功能的特定网站；它只能添加到 Windows 系列的始终允许(Always allowed)列表中。
第三方家长控制软件(Third-Party Parental Control Software)
虽然Windows提供了不错的家长控制选择来阻止网站，但在您孩子的移动设备或游戏机上设置它可能具有挑战性。但是，您可以使用一些免费或付费的家长控制软件程序来阻止这些设备上的网站。这里有一些提供额外的功能和灵活性，以确保您的孩子安全上网(keep your kids safe online)。
这是一款流行的家长控制软件，适用于Windows、MacOS、Android、iOS、Kindle和Nook。它提供了一整套工具，可用于阻止不需要和不适当的应用程序或网站，并确保孩子们上网安全。
它的界面易于使用、直观，可让您管理从应用程序、游戏和互联网使用(internet use)的时间限制到社交媒体监控以及跟踪孩子设备上的通话和短信等所有内容。
该应用程序具有实时互联网过滤器，即使在隐身/隐私浏览模式下也能检测和阻止不适当的网站。
提供免费版本，但您只能在单个设备上使用它，并且其大多数强大功能（如位置跟踪、短信(SMS)监控、每个应用程序控制、社交媒体监控或游戏阻止）都被锁定在付费墙后面。
这是一款免费的家长控制软件，可自动跟踪程序或应用程序的使用、网络历史记录、击键并保存在您孩子正在使用的计算机上捕获的屏幕截图。
您可以将它安装在智能手机上，它会记录所有拨打的电话，包括联系人姓名和电话号码等详细信息，并记录WhatsApp消息。
跨平台应用程序与父母可能想要监控的Instagram和Discord兼容。(Discord)该服务会不断更新，提供更多兼容性选项。它还有一个声控录音机，可以记录在线对话的音频。
提供免费版本，但功能有限且仅涵盖一种设备。如果您想要更多保护，您可以获得付费版本，它提供更多功能，包括收听Skype通话和静默监控WhatsApp对话。
OpenDNS是一个免费的全网络解决方案，在路由器级别运行，并自动阻止在现成的阻止列表下标记为色情、性和其他不当内容等标题的域。
FamilyShield选项会阻止整个家庭网络上的域，因为它在计算机、移动设备和路由器上运行，以过滤通过它的流量。您需要做的就是从控制面板更改 DNS 服务器设置(change the DNS server settings)，并过滤网络上的每台设备。
保护孩子免受黑暗网络的侵害(Protect Kids From The Dark Web)
在您选择特定的家长控制软件之前，请检查它是否与您家中的所有设备兼容以及可以使用的设备数量。
上面提到的大多数应用程序和程序都支持主要的操作系统，并且可以根据您选择的设备与多种设备一起使用。有些是在有限数量的设备上免费提供基本保护的，而另一些则提供免费和付费版本。
如果您的孩子只使用智能手机，请查看我们对最佳移动家长控制(best mobile parental controls)的综述。
How To Block Sites With Free Parental Control Software
Α fеw decades back, kids gathered around a telеvision to watch cartoons or go to the cinema with their parents to catch the latest blockbuster movie. With the digitаl age brought about by the internet and ever-chаngіng technоlogies such as smartphones, tablets and laptopѕ, modеrn kids no longer haνe to wait for their favorite TV shows or movies to be airеd at a specifiс timе.
At the touch of a button on the kid’s smartphone or tablet, they can access and watch almost any TV show or movie, listen to music, play video games, and so much more.
However, danger lurks behind all these conveniences in the form of cyber-attacks, online bullying, and exposure to explicit or disturbing content, which presents a problem for any parent.
Thankfully, you can block sites with free parental control software and keep your kids from encountering websites and apps that they shouldn’t access. Read on to learn how to do this on your child’s device or your home network.
What Is Parental Control Software?
Parental control software helps you keep your kids safer on their devices by limiting screen time, blocking unwanted content, and restricting them from using any risky sites or apps.
They also help kids learn the value of good device habits. However, it’s important that you let them know why you want to implement such software on their devices so they know you respect their privacy. This way, they won’t poke around their gadgets to find ways around any of the protections you’ve put in place to block sites.
Previously, parental controls were set through a single utility on the family computer to keep kids safer and more productive. Today, the number of connected devices in the home, from smartphones to tablets, laptops, gaming consoles, and many others can be overwhelming for parents to keep up.
Some parental control utilities are able to work on an unlimited number of devices, but not all of them offer this for free. Plus, if you can’t implement them on each device in your home, you could go with a broader, whole-network solution like Open DNS and others. These devices filter content at router-level so that your settings are applied to all devices on the home network.
However, you won’t get granular control and detailed monitoring on every device with OpenDNS like you would with a parental control utility.
How To Block Sites With Parental Controls In Windows 10
If your kids have access to a PC, the parental controls for Windows 10 lets you block sites and restrict web access along with monitoring email exchanges, viewing detailed logs and chat functionality.
Through the Windows Family Safety area in Windows 10, you can create an account or log into an existing one, access any Windows device, and create a child account that you can regulate and monitor.
Some of the parental controls that come with the feature include activity reports for app or game usage, web searches, browser history, and screen time, content restrictions, blocking inappropriate apps and websites, tracking what your kids buy and even their location.
How to Set Up and Use Windows 10 Parental Controls
Click Start > Settings and select Accounts.
Select Family & Other Users in the left pane of the Accounts window.
If your child doesn’t have an account on your computer, click Add a Family Member.
If the child has an email account, enter it in the email field below, and then click Next. If the child doesn’t have an email account, click the Create an email address for a child link and click Next.
Follow the instructions to create an account for each child. Enter the required information such as email address, password, country and date of birth, and click Next. You’ll get a confirmation that the account has been created. Click Close.
Your child will be added to your list of family members and the status will read as Child. You can now use the account as parental controls have been enabled, so let them log in to their account to complete the process.
Note: If your child already has an email account, and you entered it in the steps above, you’ll be asked to sign into it and use the instructions sent to the invitation email. The account status will be Child, Pending, so they’ll have to sign in to finish setting up the account.
How to Change Parental Control Settings in Windows 10
This step helps you verify that the parental controls you’ve set in the process above meets your needs.
Click Start > Settings > Accounts, choose Family & Other People from the left pane, and select Manage Family Settings Online.
If prompted, sign in and then find your child’s account from the list of family member accounts. Click Manage Permissions and toggle the Activity reporting switch to On/green to activate Screen Time limits
Adjust the default settings using the daily timelines and drop-down lists.
Click the Content Restrictions tab to set restrictions on what sites, apps, games and media your child can access.
Enable the Block Inappropriate Apps and Game and Block Inappropriate Websites settings to block sites you don’t want them to access. You can add any websites or apps you want to allow or block, and choose the age rating.
Note: You can block inappropriate sites when you use Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer browsers. This works on Windows 10, Android devices running Microsoft Launcher, and Xbox One.
How to Turn On Web Browsing Limits
To turn on web browsing limits, click Content Restrictions, scroll down to Web browsing, and switch on/off the Block inappropriate websites settings. If there are specific sites you want always blocked, add their URLs in the Always blocked section.
If there are websites you’ve specifically allowed and want your child to only see those sites, check the Always allowed section.
How to Control the Websites Kids Can Access On Xbox One
If your child is using an Xbox One, you can set web filtering to control the kind of websites they can access on the console. To do this, sign in on the console using your account (adult), press the Xbox button to open the guide and select System > Settings > Account > Family.
Choose the child account to add web filters to and select Web filtering.
Click the drop-down for more options and select the desired level of web filtering. You can’t add specific websites with web filtering on Xbox One; it can only be added on Windows Family’s Always allowed list.
Third-Party Parental Control Software
While Windows offers a decent selection of parental controls to block sites, it can be challenging to set it up on your child’s mobile device or gaming console. However, there are several free or paid parental control software programs that you can use to block websites on those devices. Here are some that offer additional features and flexibility to keep your kids safe online.
This is a popular parental control software that works with Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, Kindle and Nook. It offers a full suite of tools you can use to block unwanted and inappropriate apps or websites and keep kids safe online.
Its interface is easy to use, intuitive, and lets you manage everything from time limits for apps, games and internet use, to social media monitoring, and track calls and text messages on your kids’ devices.
The app has a real-time internet filter that detects and blocks inappropriate sites even in incognito/private browsing mode.
A free version is available but you can only use it on a single device, and most of its powerful features like location tracking, SMS monitoring, per-app controls, social media monitoring, or game blocking are locked behind paywalls.
This is free parental control software that automatically tracks program or app use, web history, keystrokes and saves screenshots captured on the computer your child is using.
You can install it on a smartphone and it’ll log all the phone calls made including details such as contact name and phone number, and record WhatsApp messages.
The cross-platform app is compatible with Instagram and Discord, which parents may want to monitor. The service is constantly updated with more compatibility options. It also has a voice-activated sound recorder that records audio from online conversations.
A free version is available, though it has limited features and covers only one device. If you want more protection you can get the paid version, which offers more features including listening to Skype calls and silent monitoring of WhatsApp conversations.
OpenDNS is a free, whole-network solution that runs at router level and automatically blocks domains that are flagged under ready-made block lists with headings like pornography, sexuality and other inappropriate content.
The FamilyShield option blocks domains on your whole home network as it runs on computers, mobile devices and your router to filter the traffic passing through it. All you need to do is change the DNS server settings from the control panel, and filter every device on your network.
Protect Kids From The Dark Web
Before you settle on specific parental control software, check whether it’s compatible with all the devices you have in your home and how many devices it can work with.
Most of the apps and programs mentioned above support the major operating systems and work with multiple devices depending on the one you pick. Some are available for free with basic protection on a limited number of devices, while others offer free and paid versions.
If your child only uses a smartphone, check out our roundup of the best mobile parental controls.
