Browsers forum: How do I block access to porn sites from my PC?

1) Install anti pornographic software (search through Google)
2) Go to internet options in internet explorer and change the settings for parental control.
3) If possible, monitor him/her while surfing. Seat near him/her and do your hobby work.

what is DNS?
what is DHCP server?
I have no idea what you are talking about.

FINALLY
!
until shashinka's answer
the answers were all over the place

YES
as a parent
YOU control your router
YOU control the DNS setting!
in fact you can leave it as automatic (your ISP just passes the requests through)
or
you can set it to point at a DNS service that YOU [the parent] can subscribe and
then
you can tailor the service to your needs

its a complex topic but easy to set up

ask your local IT professional for help

there are a number of better services than OPENDNS "free"
but this service is a good starting point

"Domain Name Service"
its the "lookup" table
the thing that translates www.___.com to a "dotted quad notation" (internally)

if you point the ROUTER WAN settings at a specific service
(*even Google has a service*) that is customizable
you could "control" the "look up" of addresses to prevent browsing
and
theoretically
"block" or "erase" adult sites

you can also invest in controls at your kids PC with some heavier tools (not free)

however
how about good parenting
how about dialog with the kids
what about placing the pc in the living or other public access area?

yes, a 13yr old is fairly savvy and they talk to each other on workarounds

IN fact, the corporation that I work for does this all the time using the VPN
or Virtual Private Network I must connect to

the point is that the best way to filter is by using a PROXY of some kind
and the DNS idea is the simplest form of this

Is there any way thagt you can block a cellphone from accessing porn or similar x rated sites? With kids having phones that give them access to the net controlling what they view is a problem.
???

As others have hinted it is almost impossible. Most 13 years olds are pretty computer savvy, and they will find a way round most of your attempts to block them from such sites. They can also use lap tops and iPhones these days. My personal opinion is that openly discussing these sites with them is probably the best way forward. Don't make them into some forbidden territory - cause what intelligent child would not become even more curious.

We are so paranoid about pornography, when actually it is a pretty boring subject. `People allowed free access soon get fed up with it and turn to more interesting subjects. Ban something and it always arouses interest. My mother told me ludicrous tales about were babies came from. Then, after spending hours in the local reference library I discovered the truth and promptly lost interest until I was much older.

If you really and truly want to stop junior from looking at such things then take the computer away. But remember that his mate will probably have one.

The program is Windows Live Family Safety. You can get more info at

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Protecting-your-kids-with-Family-Safety

I hope it solves your problem.

OpenDNS, as posted by shashinka, is the first answer. After that you can try any number of (free or paid) parental controls. Ultimately it comes down to education (read information.) Any 13-year old is bound to be, or get, curious enough to bypass any obstacles you put in his way. It's a good idea to protect him from the gross stuff, and be sure he understands the difference. Good luck!

your setting up accounts for each grandchild is a must, provided you set yourself up as Administrator. You will choose their user name and their password, they will not be able to change their password and block you. Any site they visit that requires a password (i.e. facebook, etc) you will be able to see that password while you are logged in as Administrator. You will then be able to see any/all conversations that have taken place. They will not be allowed to install any software on the pc without the administrator giving the ok (that includes all software that comes from visiting a website).

Setting this up is not an invasion of privacy, it is your home.

Using the Family Safety Feature and software like net nanny is also needed. it is important to remember, that yes the grandchild might already know of an existing site and enter the url. You will want software that deals with 99+% of those url's by software that is constantly updated similarly to anti-virus software.

It is also estential to remember that:
1) many (most) porn sites do not use xxx in the url
2) most porn sites use words that the search engine with identify, your grandchild types "disney" in the search engine, and the porn sites apears in the search results, usually in the very first 20 results and in the search results do not say anything about porn, the child clicks the link and is confronted with graphic porn that they did not even seek

As others have said OpenDNS is one of the best options.

I would just install the Trend Anti-virus and set up the parental controls for your Great Grand child's account. When he is using the computer it can be set to block all kinds of sites automatically and if a site is blocked that you need, you can use a password to allow access. It is updated along with the virus pattern and if you use a mail program like outlook it will filter e-mail spam as well.

www.opendns.com allows you to replace the domain name service (DNS) supplied by your ISP with one that allows you to configure what types of sites they will block. You can do it just for your computer, or you can configure your router to use OpenDNS so any request from within your home network - a URL typed in or a link followed from within an email or from a web site - will be checked against the types of sites you have blocked plus the specific sites you have either specifically blocked or unblocked - and automatically control access. Honestly, my biggest problem with it is not with bad sites slipping by, but with what I consider legitimate sites being blocked - and they were easy to unblock.

It is free and easy and effective. There are no perfect solutions but this one comes darn close.

Roger

is that you don't need DNS to view a site. Just type the ip-address in your browser address bar and enjoy.
One example out of thousands: 69.55.53.96 (warning: that's an adult site).

If that boy is smart enough (and I guess he is) to know about InPrivate browsing (that's what it's called in IE, other browsers have the same feature) there's no trace left at the PC.

I like the suggestion to put the computer in the living room much more.

Kees

Due to the nature that a new site appears nearly every millisecond on the net and the amount of sites on the internet, and the various ways to access them, to actually block every single porn website, without also blocking out other information that he may need to access, such as for homework and stuff, would be absolutely impossible.

When I was at University they tried this tactic on our network and it absolutely infuriated some students who'd been blocked from sites that they really did need access to, just because the University thought it might contain porn or other illegal content.

Most security software does have a parent control system on it to allow only sites from a whitelist through and to block all others, however this would not block 100% porn.

Even if you only access the white list some sites on that white list also contain sections of an adult nature - for example Facebook seems like a good site, many kids have access to this (even though there is supposed to be an age limit on it), even groups like The Scout Association use it to send information to their members, so you'd think it would be 100% porn free. Facebook do attempt to keep certain things off their site (including an Irish town called Effin which they deem too offensive despite allowing F---ing in Austria!), but with new groups being created every day, and people constantly finding ways around their restrictions this is not entirely possible.

And things like Google image search, there is a safe search but you any tech-savvy kid could easily figure out how to change the safe search options.

Another option would be to change the hosts file on the computer and redirect the web browser to another site for example if you put the following into a hosts file

www.porn.xxx www.crayola.com

then anyone trying to access www.porn.xxx would be redirected to www.crayola.com .

However unfortunately the hosts file does not allow wildcards so therefore to block every single possible porn website using the hosts file you'd need to type each one in on a separate line. That could take quite a long time and quite a bit of research! Also most hosts files can be modified easily with someone who is tech savvy - Windows files even with permission protection on, this can quite often be bypassed through a Linux live CD and the file edited in Linux.

Your other option is to set up your own DNS server in the home that all internet requests go through using something like Bind. Using the DNS server you can set wildcards and set it to block access to the entire .xxx domain name, a DNS server can be set up quite simply with a Linux box in between the internet and the rest of the computers, it can also be quite secure, again though this isn't going to block access to all porn material on the internet because some sites distributing porn don't use the .xxx domain name. Things like Google image search with safety off, or torrent websites offer porn movies for download and many of these are not on a .xxx site.

You could use browsing history every so often to check what has been browsed and then have a word with your son if you notice anything inappropriate on there, however this is unlikely to work either as if he goes into private browsing or incognito mode then a browsing history will not be kept.

Probably the best way is if you can trust your grandson, just trust him, explain to him that there are adult based websites on the net and that you trust him not to attempt to access them. If however you catch him accessing such sites you can then inform his parents and encourage them to take some kind of action - such as barring him from accessing the net. Under this state of trust the best way to check up on him is to install some kind of VNC software on the machine like TightVNC and then every so often login from another PC and see what is displayed on screen to keep an eye on him, if you check with VNC you can see the computer screen from another PC in the house quite easily and he doesn't have a clue you are checking on him, otherwise if you went into the room to check you'd probably find he would have closed down anything he's trying to access before you get to it.

Configuration of browsers, plug-ins, and (most difficult but hardest to circumvent) proxy servers are useful to protect children (and others) from objectionable material (you may want to visit sites like 'Uncle Fester's cook book' to see if there are not other content that may not be appropriate).

HOWEVER, the most important method is talk to your young man.

Tell him you know that 13 year old boys are interested in sex. You were for crying out loud. Let him know that you know that the internet is full of porn, religious intolerance, bigotry, bad advice, drug use, and videos of people doing stupid/risky thing. Also, mention that chatting and setting up a date with ez_hotbabe_17 in the park after dark may be an unpleasant surprise.

Tell him that you are happy to share your computer, and point out some of the great things you think he can do.

Let him know that you have expectations that he wouldn't visit sites he would avoid when you were looking over your shoulder. Ask him what he knows about internet chat and social media. Ask him what he thinks about internet porn and other objectionable subjects. Ask him what on-line activities and sites he thinks should be out of bounds. Make it very clear that you know that adolescents are curious about 'adult' topics, and you expect him to come and talk to you about these before hitting 'search'.

If you monitor his activities, be transparent and let him know that you are very concerned about him, and part of your responsibility is to keep tabs on what he is up to. Let him voice concerns for his privacy. Talk about 'flame Ward's, 'trolling', and cyber-bullying.

The key isn't technology. The key is the discussion about limits and balancing his need to explore and his need for privacy with your need to help keep him from inappropriate content and high-risk behavior. Don't think you are off the hook after your initial discussion. As uncomfortable these discussions can be, you need to follow up periodically.

As he matures, the content he can process will mature. Four years from now he will be able to process information quite differently (we all hope!). Obviously Jr. high is a time where a lot of guidance and limits are needed.

These are tough discussions for all parties. They will strengthen you relationship as well as helping avoid problems. They are also more effective than any of the technical measures you also need.

"As uncomfortable these discussions can be, you need to follow up periodically."...

What could possibly generate discomfort when a parent discusses the human sexualities with his/her child(ren)?

I suggest the ONLY reason is that the PARENT feels some combination of guilt and shame, as he/she was TAUGHT.

If we all weren't "interfered with" by religious nonsense and bizarre cultural traditions it's my view that most kids would discover the mysteries of their sexuality either alone or with partners and feel NOTHING BUT PLEASURE and ADVENTURE.

Yes... these days, kids need guidance as to the predators who lurk online and elsewhere, the HUGE responsibilities if and when a pregnancy results and, of course, those deadly sexually transmittable diseases. But PLEASE PARENTS don't lay nonsensical, fear-mongering guilt trips on your kids in order to control their behavior (you know, like the crap that was laid on me that I'd grow hair on the palms of my hands or go blind if I masturbated... what kind of insane and immature society would spout that garbage? OURS, thats what.) It's my bet all you'll do is to nullify their pleasure and replace it with fear and guilt... just like YOUR parents and society did for you. Just tell them, without all the gobbelygook and hocus pocus, the FACTS and YOUR experience and your wishes that they use good sense, stay safe and avoid having their lives ruined.

Other than locking them in a stainless steel room from age 10 to 20 that's all a parent can do to "protect" offspring from the horrors that abound in this world. And when you unlock the doors after a decade of "protection" the kids will be completely UNprepared to deal with reality. Thanks a lot, parents!