How parents can block pornography on children’s devices

DR has published a guide with Miriam Michaelsen, chair of the Media Council for Children and Young People, explaining how parents can prevent children from accessing pornography online.

There are many pornography websites on the internet, and children who are old enough to use a browser search function can easily find them. DR has recently reported that children as young as eight have been exposed to hard pornography online.

Early exposure can affect a child’s understanding of boundaries, bodies and sex. The guide below explains how to restrict access on Apple and Android devices. The names of functions and buttons may vary between devices.

Block pornography on an iPhone or iPad

To block inappropriate websites on an iPhone or iPad, first add the child’s Apple account to your family group. Then turn on content and privacy restrictions.

Open the Settings app, scroll down and select Screen Time. Select the child’s name under Family, then choose Content and Privacy Restrictions. Enter the Screen Time passcode if requested.

Select App Store, Media, Web and Games, then choose Web Content. You can select Limit Adult Websites or Allowed Websites Only.

With Limit Adult Websites, you can add specific pornography websites that the child will be unable to access. With Allowed Websites Only, the child can visit only websites that you have approved.

Block pornography on an Android device

For an Android device, use the Google Family Link app. The app can be downloaded to a parent’s phone, whether it is an iPhone or an Android device.

Open Google Family Link and create a Gmail account for the child. Select the child’s profile, then choose Controls followed by Google Chrome and Web.

From there, you can block specific pornography websites by selecting Add a website.

You can also choose one of three broader settings under Google Chrome and Web. Allow all sites lets the child visit every website except those you block. Try to block explicit sites attempts to block websites containing sexual content. Allow only approved sites limits access to websites that you have approved.