Filtering plan to protect your family from pornography for FREE

To strengthen our families, I feel that staying away from the emotional and spiritual damage of pornography is crucial. Most of us have quite a few internet-connected devices in our home, which can make filtering out pornography seem overwhelming. I want to explain what I've done to make the process more simple. I am not a computer expert so if you see any errors I've made or have any suggestions, please comment below!

FIRST: What is your purpose behind filtering? If it is to avoid accidental exposure, the following tools may be what you need. If someone really wants to access pornography though, they will find a way, so keep that in mind.

Plan to filter all your devices for free

(Should be able to use most in tandem)

1. ROUTER: Set up FamilyShield from OpenDNS. This should filter all devices that use wi-fi in your home. However, for it to work you need to adjust settings (configurations) in your router and in each device. Because it's a little more complicated to override blocked sites you want to unblock, you can set your filtering settings more lenient here and narrow in with the following options.

2. LAPTOP/DESKTOP: If you have a Mac, go to System Preferences --> Parental Controls to set site/app/time limits/and other controls. For computers without built-in parental controls, download K9 Web Protection from BlueCoat on all your laptops or desktop computers.

3. CELL PHONE and other MOBILE DEVICES: Set up controls on EVERY internet-connected device as another layer of protection. This is especially important to me because my Nexus 5 smartphone operating system isn't compatible with OpenDNS or K9.

• Set parental controls with your cellular provider to filter browsing on data.
• If you have Apple products, go to settings --> general --> restrictions to set site/app/and time limit controls. This may eliminate the need for some of the tools below.
• Monitor/control apps and browsing. Choose one or more of the following:
• BEST BET: Filtering, App and time restrictions, monitor multiple kids from one dashboard: OurPact for Android; Apple. 100% free and monitors up to 10 devices.
• Second tier options: 
• Control apps for young kids: Kid's Mode by Zoodles: Android; Apple version may not be available anymore.
• Control apps for young kids: Kids Place: Android; Apple version is simply a filtering browser
• A separate browser you download to filter browsing: Mobicip Safe Browser: Android; Apple version
• A separate browser you download to filter browsing: K9 Web Protection Browser: Android; Apple. 
• A separate browser you download to filter browsing, monitor remotely, time limits for browser (not entire device), geolocation: Qustodio Safe Browser: No Android Version; Apple version. I'm not sure if you can use multiple safe browsers in tandem or that you would really want to).
• Filters content regardless of browser you're using, set time/call/texting restrictions, monitor activity breakdown remotely, geolocation: Qustodio Parental Control App: Android; Apple version. (Free for only one device). Additional features like managing apps that have already been downloaded to a device only available in paid version. This is what I'm using on my Nexus 5.

4. Adjust settings for Instagram, Netflix, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Google, Minecraft, YouTube:
http://www.internetsafetycheatsheet.com/

5. Set up gaming system parental controls

If you utilize the tools listed above, you will have a safer web experience at home. See this presentation I made to understand the features of these tools better and the pros/cons (slides 13-18).

For tighter filtering and more peace of mind, create layers of protection. You can set your router filtering with more lenient settings, and then narrow in with your browser filtering.

Things to be aware of: Don't fall into a false sense of security. YouTube, Google Image Search, and app marketplaces (like Google Play store and Apple App Store) are notorious for bypassing the free filtering because of the images present which are harder to identify and filter out. The only way to completely avoid those images are to block the websites completely through your filter settings so they need permission from the person with the password to access.

What if you want to monitor multiple kids' devices remotely? 
OurPact, 100% free.

Multiple-device monitoring options which cost money:

Monitor unlimited amount of devices at once:

• Qustodio (about $33.95/year)  OR
• Mobicip ($39.99/year)

Net Nanny (For five devices: $74.99 or ten devices: $119.99)

Accountable2You ($5/mo. flat rate). Seems to be designed to help adults remain accountable in their internet use. Incognito mode browsing is recorded.

For more, see a comparison of filtering softwares done by a Be Web Smart here and CNET here

Filtering and monitoring through your router seem like such a convenient, sweeping option for your home wi-fi and can be more economical in the long-run for monitoring home wi-fi internet use. Here's a comparison between a paid and free option:

Since my kids are young and I layer my filtering with K9 which allows quick admin bypassing of sites you want to override (unlike OpenDNS) I like using OpenDNS as a router-filter for now. Maybe when they're a little older I'll look into something like Luma (see below):

More router or home-wide solutions:

BEST BETS:

Circle ($99.00) Small wireless device (not router) to monitor/filter/time restrictions for all devices using home wi-fi. No subscription. Inserts Disney commercial content into your child's online activity.

Luma router ($99) No subscription. Filtering, monitor users activity, time limits, grant/deny access to new devices in home trying to use wi-fi.

Some other options:

Clean Router ($99.00 for up to seven devices plus $19.00/mo. subscriptions fee or $199.00 for over seven devices plus $19.00/mo. subscription fee.)

Torch router ($199) No subscription. Filtering, monitor users activity, time limits.

Most importantly, develop strong emotional bonds with your children. Cultivate a safe emotional relationship so they will feel comfortable coming to you with their concerns and experiences. Talk openly about sexuality and answer their questions honestly and simply. Teach about the atonement and how Christ can ease the burden of accidental and intentional exposure to pornography. Linda Reeves' talk is a great one to study on that. Don't shame! Prepare yourself for their disappointing and even disturbing revelations and love unconditionally. Teach healthy stress coping mechanisms! Help your children know what to do with their time when they are bored, lonely, angry, stressed, tired. Have hope! 

 "I used to be afraid of the dark until I realized I was the light and the dark is afraid of me."   -D.R. Silva

Missionary Map

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints many serve a mission which entails spending 18-24 months of your life proselyting and serving others full-time. Missionary work began as soon as the church was organized and continues as a pillar of the church's purpose today. Many of my ancestors and relatives have served missions and I wanted to display that visually on a map. I've mounted it on my son's wall so he can look to the men and women in our family who have served before him as an example of faith. I included immediate relatives of my child (aunts/uncles) and then grandfathers/grandmothers, and earlier ancestors beyond that as well.

You can make your own too! I bought the map on Amazon, then I found the ancestors' pictures through my family tree in FamilySearch. The hardest part for the earlier ancestors however, was finding out where they served.  I was able to figure it out by scrolling through their life histories which can often be found on FamilySearch. However, a really awesome new tool is now available which would have made my search so much quicker: Early Mormon Missionary Database 1830-1930. Enter in your ancestor's name, mission, or keyword to come up with details about their baptism, priesthood office, and missions they served in during what years.

For a Family Home Evening we talked about the person in the picture and where they served as my kids took turns attaching them to the map. Something else I want to do is to revisit this map with mission stories of these ancestors which I will be able to dig out as I read more about their life stories in FamilySearch. I hope this map will be a lasting reminder to my kids of the importance of the gospel of Jesus Christ.