Websites to Block for Your Kids and Employees

The internet is a valuable resource, opening up a world of information and opportunities. But is also needs careful navigation, especially when it comes to protecting children and ensuring productivity among employees.

Unrestricted access to websites can lead to various challenges, from exposure to inappropriate content to distractions during working hours. Today’s article brings you some guidance as to what websites to block on your kids’ phones or computers, as well as your employees’ company-owned devices.

Websites to block for kids

As a parent, you know the internet can be a double-edged sword for children. While it offers educational content and entertainment, it’s also full of inappropriate, harmful, or just plain distracting sites. Here are some specific websites you should consider blocking for kids.

• Adult content websites: Websites like Pornhub, YouPorn, and XNXX are explicitly inappropriate for children and can impact their understanding of healthy relationships and sexuality.

• Social media platforms: Depending on your child’s age, you might want to block or limit access to social media. Platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok can be used inappropriately and may expose children to online bullying or predatory behavior.

• Online gaming sites: While some gaming is harmless, many online games, such as those found on Roblox or Fortnite, include chat functions that can expose children to inappropriate language or manipulative players.

• Video streaming sites: Websites like YouTube and Netflix can distract or expose kids to unsuitable content. Parental controls can be used to manage these, but you might want to block them entirely for younger children.

• Chat rooms and forums: Sites like Reddit and Omegle can include adult content and offer little in the way of safeguards against inappropriate interactions.

Websites to block for employees

For a business, maintaining productivity is key, and unrestricted access to distracting or potentially harmful websites can impact work performance. Here are some specific websites to block on company devices.

• Social media platforms: Employees might spend excessive amounts of work time on personal social media. Blocking or restricting access to sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can help maintain focus.

• Streaming services: Platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube can be significant time-wasters during work hours unless their use is required for work purposes.

• Shopping websites: While online shopping might seem like a harmless break, it can reduce productivity significantly if not managed. Sites like Amazon and eBay might be good candidates for blocking during work hours.

• Gambling sites: Websites like Bet365 and PokerStars not only distract but can also lead to bigger issues, including financial problems for employees which might affect their work.

• Explicit and violent content sites: These are risky in the workplace due to the potential for creating a hostile working environment, whether accessed deliberately or accidentally.

How to block inappropriate websites on Android

Blocking websites on Android devices can be done in several ways, including methods suitable for parents and employers working remotely through monitoring apps.

Directly on a device 

• Using built-in parental controls: Many Android devices come with built-in parental controls that allow you to block specific websites. This can be accessed under the settings menu and can be tailored to the age-appropriateness of content.

• Safe bowsers: Installing a browser like ‘Safe Browser’ which automatically blocks adult and other unwanted content can be an easy solution.

Remotely – on someone else’s device

For parents or employers who need to manage website access on the target device(s) remotely, phone monitoring apps can be a vital tool. In fact, Phone Monitor lets you do this quite easily, along with a wide array of other features. You simply have to install the app on the target device and you can access everything (included in the subscription you chose) from an easy-to-use dashboard. 

Then you can use the convenient website blocking feature to eliminate access to as many sites as you want on the target device. 

What about blocking websites on a computer?

Yes, more than half of the world’s global traffic comes from mobile devices. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t need to keep an eye on your kids’ or employees’ browsing activity on computers. It’s actually quite the opposite. Workplaces still rely a lot more on computers than phones/tablets for most tasks, and kids still have enough time for unsupervised computer use.

So what can you do about it? You can use our PC Monitoring Tool to block websites on your children’s or business-owned laptops/desktop computers. It’s pretty much the same app as Phone Monitor, only adapted to fit the goal of PC supervision. Install it for free and give it a try.

Conclusion

In this ever-evolving digital era, taking steps to manage internet access is crucial. For kids, it’s about protecting their development and safety, while for employees, it’s about enhancing productivity and maintaining a professional environment.

By blocking specific websites and monitoring access, you can ensure a safer and more focused use of the internet, whether at home or in the workplace. With a range of tools available at your disposal, implementing these strategies can be straightforward and effective.