Tech Solutions
Protect yourself and your loved ones from threats of sexual exploitation and from pornography’s harmful reach. There’s now help for computers, televisions, tablets, smartphones and more.
By Category
Almost all systems and platforms have some sort of built-in parental controls that we encourage you to turn on. For example: iPhone or Android restrictions, using Safe Search on Google, parental controls on videogame systems, restricting mature rated content through your cable/satellite provider, etc.
Learn about the built-in protective measures provided by many of the popular systems used today:
- Google’s Safety Center – https://www.google.com/safetycenter/families/start/
- Apple’s Parental Controls – https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201304
- Snapchat Safety Center – https://www.snapchat.com/safety
- Facebook Safety Center – https://www.facebook.com/safety/resources
- Instagram Safety Center – https://help.instagram.com/377830165708421
- Twitter Safety Center – https://about.twitter.com/en_us/safety.html
- Music.ly for Parents – https://support.musical.ly/knowledge-base/for-parents/
- Xbox 360 Parental Controls – https://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-360/security/xbox-live-parental-control
- Nintendo and Wii Parents Guide – https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Support/Parents/Parents-642522.html
- Comcast & xfinity – http://parents.xfinity.com/tv/parental-controls.html
- Neftlix Help Center (You’ll have to dig for specific questions) – https://help.netflix.com/en
- Amazon Prime Video Parental Controls – https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201423060
- Verizon Smart Family – https://www.verizonwireless.com/solutions-and-services/verizon-smart-family/
Here are how-to guides on how to turn these on for different systems.
Here are third-party systems that may also be a help to you and your family:
- Covenant Eyes – http://www.covenanteyes.com/
- Circle by Disney – https://meetcircle.com/
- Google WiFi – https://store.google.com/gb/product/google_wifi
- Net Nanny – http://www.netnanny.com/mac
- Total Net Guard – http://afo.net/
- K9 Web Protection – http://www1.k9webprotection.com/(This is a free program)
- Safe Eyes – http://www.internetsafety.com/
- Cyber Sitter – http://www.cybersitter.com/
- Pure Sight – http://www.puresight.com/
- Cyber Patrol – http://www.cyberpatrol.com/
- iShield – http://www.guardwareinc.com/ishield
- WebWatcher – http://www.webwatcherkids.com/
- OpenDNS – http://www.opendns.com/
Please check our resources page on Technology Solutions and Tools for a more comprehensive and a constantly updated list.
Safety Centers by Social Media or Digital Tools
- Google’s Safety Center – https://www.google.com/safetycenter/families/start/
- Apple’s Parental Controls – https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201304
- Snapchat Safety Center – https://www.snapchat.com/safety
- Facebook Safety Center – https://www.facebook.com/safety/resources
- Instagram Safety Center – https://help.instagram.com/377830165708421
- Twitter Safety Center – https://about.twitter.com/en_us/safety.html
The following organizations regularly feature Internet Safety updates as well as other parenting tips on their blogs:
- Educate and Empower Kids Blog – http://educateempowerkids.org/
- Protect Young Minds – https://protectyoungminds.org/
- Covenant Eyes – http://www.covenanteyes.com/blog/
- National Center on Sexual Exploitation – http://endsexualexploitation.org
- Protect Young Eyes – https://protectyoungeyes.com/
- eChildhood – https://www.echildhood.org/
- Culture Reframed Parents Program – https://parents.culturereframed.org/
- Enough Is Enough – http://www.enough.org/
- iKeepSafe – http://www.ikeepsafe.org/
Other Internet Safety Resources:
- National Center for Missing and Exploitation Children’s Net Smartz – https://www.netsmartz.org/Home
- Stop Cyberbullying http://www.stopcyberbullying.
org/ - Make a Difference for Kids http://www.
makeadifferenceforkids.org/ - Cybersafety Prevention 101 http://www.datehookup.com/
content-cybersafety- prevention-101.htm - Facebook for Parents http://facebookforparents.
org/ - Be Smart, Be Safe! http://www.edmondschools.net/
cheyenne/MediaCenter/ InternetSafety.aspx - Internet Safety Resources http://www.txssc.txstate.edu/
K12/internet-safety - Online Predators and Their Victims http://www.apa.org/pubs/
journals/releases/amp-632111. pdf - Common Sense Media – http://www.commonsensemedia.
org/ - Internet Safety 101 – http://www.internetsafety101.org/
Google’s Safety Center – https://www.google.com/safetycenter/families/start/
Apple’s Parental Controls – https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201304
Snapchat Safety Center – https://www.snapchat.com/safety
Facebook Safety Center – https://www.facebook.com/safety/resources
Instagram Safety Center – https://help.instagram.com/377830165708421
Twitter Safety Center – https://about.twitter.com/en_us/safety.html
Music.ly for Parents – https://support.musical.ly/knowledge-base/for-parents/
Xbox 360 Parental Controls – https://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-360/security/xbox-live-parental-control
Nintendo and Wii Parents Guide – https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Support/Parents/Parents-642522.html
Helpful apps available in Google Play and App Store
Learn about Google’s Safety Center here.
Learn about Apple’s Parental Control Features here.
Many of the filtering companies now provide filters for smartphones and tablets. We recommend Covenant Eyes and Net Nanny, but check out a list of filters here.
Tool to allow parents to monitor their children’s texts, calls, social media, location and more. The blog has helpful information about many of the dangers they face in the digital world.
Many of the devices that we use daily have built in controls to manage what type of content the user is able to access. Here are how-to guides on how to turn these on for different systems.
Info coming soon
- Porn Harms Research – NCOSE’s archives offer the most comprehensive look at available research on pornography, with an easy to search database.
- National Center on Sexual Exploitation’s Talking Points Webpage – Find summarized talking points backed by credible research and surveys, along with video presentations led by experts, on the topics of pornography and addiction, marriage, brain science, impact to children, links to sex trafficking and prostitution, increased violence and more.
- Fight the New Drug – This organization targets teens and young adults and provides clear education, tools, and resources to avoid and overcome pornography addiction.
- Your Brain on Porn – This site will help you understand exactly how today’s extreme Internet porn can alter the brain. In our view, porn use isn’t a moral issue. This site grew out of a decade of research analysis on the effects of sex on the brain, and six years of listening to recovering porn addicts.
- Pink Cross Foundation – This web site contains large doses of truth about the sex industry for purposes of education… Men and women addicted to porn need to hear it straight from the women who were there.
- Covenant Eyes – This website has resources about the consequences of pornography and it regularly updates its blog to help provide understanding on latest information and dangers.
- Internet Safety 101 from Enough Is Enough – Provides updates and help to adults for protecting children online. Site exists to educate you about the dangers; to empower you with the ability to recognize the warning signs and with helpful ways to discuss Internet safety with your kids; and to equip you with the safety resources you need.
- Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation – A loose-knit coalition of multi-disciplinary NGOs and advocates collaborating and sharing information to end sexual abuse and exploitation.
- Reboot Nation – Reboot Nation provides a community for those who struggle with porn addiction and/or porn-induced sexual dysfunctions.
- National Center on Sexual Exploitation – Founded in 1962, National Center on Sexual Exploitation is the leading national organization opposing pornography by highlighting the links to sex trafficking, violence against women, child abuse, addiction and more. NCSE works to expose the seamless connection between all forms of sexual exploitation.
Other Tools
Updates
TikTok Safety Tools Are Turning Off After 30 Days and Putting Kids in Danger
With more than 500 million active users worldwide, TikTok is a social media video app for creating and sharing short videos and the app is well known for being popular with minors. TikTok has been placed on the 2020 Dirty Dozen List due to lack of moderation and insufficient safety controls, which put minors at risk of exposure…
Progress Report! Comcast Improves Streaming and Internet Tools to Better Protect Families
We have an exciting update from the National Center on Sexual Exploitation’s recent meeting with top executives from Comcast here in Washington DC. Right away they told us about how they took our feedback and concerns from our meeting last year and how they have made key improvements based on that feedback! While we are…
Progress Alert! Netflix Takes Step Forward on Parental Controls, Still Needs to Improve Content
After 10,397 emails were sent to Netflix by grassroots supporters through NCOSE’s campaign demanding that Netflix institute better parental controls and content warnings on their platform, they took a step forward! Netflix, the household streaming service with over 150 million users, has had a problem with making itself safe for families of all ages and…
Video Urges Parents to “Parent Up!” and Talk to Kids About Porn
In June 2019, our allies at Culture Reframed released a sneak peek of their new animated video titled, “Parent Up! Talk to Your Son About Porn.” The video was released just in time for Father’s Day in the United States, which was timely and relevant as the video focuses primarily on the father-son dynamic and…
HOW-TO GUIDE: Turning on Google’s SafeSearch and Restricted Mode
Without a third-party filter or at least utilizing built-in search features like Google’s SafeSearch mode, kids searching innocently on the Internet to better understand the world around them, will be exposed to hardcore pornographic images. A search of the term “sex” in Google Images yields hundreds of thousands of hardcore pornography images, depicting sex acts…