Computer Tricks and Secrets

Short answer: you can block websites and set healthy limits without buying anything, using the parental controls already built into Windows, phones and most home routers. The old advice about blocking specific sites is outdated, the modern approach is account-level controls that follow the child across devices. Here is what I set up. 1. Account-level controls (the best starting point) Google Family Link for Android and Apple Screen Time for iPhone let you filter content, set app limits and see activity, and the settings travel with the child's account on any device. 2. Block sites on the Windows PC Windows lets you create a child account with content filtering through Microsoft Family Safety. For a quick manual block, an administrator can add specific domains to the hosts file, though account controls are easier to maintain. 3. Block at the router (covers the whole house) Most routers have parental controls or let you set a family-friendly DNS. Pointing your router to a f...