There is nothing more important than protecting your family from the things beyond your front door. Computers give children access to the information they need to finish their homework, learn new things, and explore the world around them. Of course, it also allows for things you wouldn’t normally be comfortable walking through the front door. Not just you, parents everywhere want to learn more about online safety. That’s why learning how to block porn sites is worrisome.
In Windows 10 you actually block porn sites for the same reasons you block any site. There may be things that your child isn’t ready to see or learn yet. You want them to be emotionally ready before they do. In this way, these sites are no different than blocking Facebook or Twitter. In an always connected, always shared world, it’s good to control as much as possible the information flowing to them.
Here’s how to block porn sites in Windows 10.
Here’s how to block porn sites in Windows 10.
Blocking Porn Sites Using Bing SafeSearch
Search makes it easy to find anything online. Forget browsing through a bunch of different sites, Bing and Google let you find what you want as quickly as possible. This is one of the reasons why your quest to block porn sites in Windows 10 started with them.
Microsoft’s Bing Search engine has a feature called SafeSearch that lets you prevent your kids from finding things they shouldn’t use. Sign in to the Windows 10 laptop or tablet on which you want to block porn sites. If it’s a device the whole family uses, simply open a web browser. If your child is a little older and has their own account on a laptop, desktop or tablet, sign in to their account on their device.
Open a web browser and navigate to: bing.com.
Tap or click the menu button in the upper-right corner of the Bing website.
Now look for it in the list of options. If it shows tight, you’ve already configured it to its highest settings. If it shows Medium or Off, tap or click on it.
Change the SafeSearch setting option at the top of your screen to .
Tap or click at the bottom of your screen.
You should now be back to the Bing homepage.
Note that this will also block inappropriate content when using the search bar built into the Taskbar along the bottom edge of your screen.
How to Block Porn Sites Using Google SafeSearch
The same SafeSearch key is also available in the arguably more important Google Search. It is the world’s largest search engine. He may try using it to search for content you don’t want your child to see.
With that, you’ll want to log into their Google Account if they’re big enough to have a Google Account. If this is a family computer and doesn’t have a Google Account, don’t worry. You can turn on SafeSearch for anyone who isn’t signed in.
Open a web browser and navigate to: google.com/preferences.
Select the checkbox.
If you’re signed into their account, tap or click You’ll be prompted to sign in with a Google Account for this.
Click the button after logging in.
The problem with using SafeSearch on Bing or Google is that it’s not foolproof. In other words, Microsoft and Google are mindful that this certainly won’t stop your child from finding things they shouldn’t. Moreover, they only block search results. They do not prevent your child from going directly to an inappropriate website.
How to Block Porn Sites Using Microsoft Family
To actually block porn sites in Windows 10, you need to use a feature called Microsoft Family. Microsoft Family is Windows 10’s dedicated parental control tool. It is embedded in the operating system and the website of the Microsoft Account.
To use Microsoft Family effectively, your child will need their own Microsoft Account. You can create them for free.
Click or tap the icon in the Taskbar. Find the app in your list of installed apps listed under S.
Inside the Settings app, tap or click .
Select it from the menu on the left side of the Settings app.
We have already created a child account for this tutorial. It is listed here. You can use the + sign to add a child.
Choose what type of account you want to add and provide the email address for existing Microsoft Accounts. Make sure you click the link that says “The person I want to add doesn’t have an email address” if it doesn’t already exist. It will guide you to create one for them.
When you’re done providing account information, tap or click online.
Find their account from the list of subaccounts and select .
Flip the unlock button for the block.
You should now see all kinds of new options available to you. checkbox that says Only See Allowed Websites in the List lets you list all the websites you want your child to access. They cannot load any site that you have not added to the list on this page. By default, this key is unchecked so your child doesn’t always have to come to you to access a new site.
At the bottom of the page, you will find a second list of sites. You can add sites to this list so that Windows always blocks when your child tries to access them. This option is only available when the See Only Allowed Websites in List option is turned off.
Other companies have solutions for trying to block porn sites and questionable material on a PC. You may already have one installed. Microsoft Family won’t cost you anything. Moreover, it deals with some of the problems that occur with the blocking of sites.
Blocking things this way only works in Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge. Therefore, Microsoft Family will prevent your child from trying to install other web browsers to bypass the block. It sends you automatic reports of what your child is doing online. You can also gift them money to buy things from the Windows Store. Screen time is a big concern of modern parents. Microsoft Family lets you decide how much time to spend on any laptop, desktop, tablet or Xbox One from a single website.
Good luck trying to block porn sites on Windows 10.
