How to Protect Your Kids from Porn with a Gryphon Router

Did you know that 54% of kids have seen pornography by the age of 13? It’s an uncomfortable truth, but the internet has made accessing porn easier than ever—even if it’s not a child’s intention. 30% of kids have come across porn accidentally, usually by clicking on an unassuming link, sometimes by stumbling across a new video on their feed. Tools like safe search and other built-in “parental controls” just aren’t comprehensive enough to filter out all inappropriate content.

Historically, keeping children safe has not been a high priority for tech and software companies. Social media platforms fail to verify users’ ages or provide filtered content. Sites are filled with perpetual ads and addictive algorithms. Video streaming platforms, including YouTube and TikTok, are lax about regulating violent and sexual content. Parental control tools are minimal or nonexistent. 

Policies are slowly changing across the nation in order to protect children’s safety and privacy, but these will take years to make a real difference. Meanwhile, technology is becoming a bigger and bigger part  of our daily lives. It’s not possible to cut kids off from the internet completely. So what can parents do to protect their kids on the unregulated internet? 

This is where Gryphon’s story begins. CEO John Wu was inspired to make the online experience safer for children after his young daughter tried to search for “princesses” on her tablet and immediately came across pornographic content. John sought to create a device that would block pornography and other inappropriate content at its source, and Gryphon parental control routers were born.

What is a parental control router and how does it work?

If you’re a parent, you know about parental controls. Almost every device, app, website and platform has a small selection of their own built-in parental controls. Instagram and Snapchat have the Family Center. Apple devices allow for some website blocking and screen time limits. Androids have Family Link. But these parental controls all have severe limitations and usually require you to have the device in your hand in order to change the settings. Trying to use them all at once is complicated and ineffective.

A Gryphon parental control router works by filtering all internet activity regardless of which device, website, or app you’re using. Basically, the parental controls are inseparable from your network! If the Gryphon is on, content is being filtered across all your kids’ devices. If the Gryphon is unplugged, the WiFi shuts off completely. There aren’t any workarounds or loopholes. 

Gryphon aims to have the most comprehensive, all-inclusive parental controls on the market. The following award-winning parental controls are included free with every Gryphon router: 

• Create individual user profiles for each family member
• Assign multiple devices to each user
• Filter content based on user age
• View web browser history
• Whitelist & blacklist specific websites
• Schedule bedtimes & homework time
• Suspend the internet

All these parental controls can be managed from one hub: The Gryphon Connect app on your mobile device. Here, you can also remotely manage requests for additional screen time! No need to set up individual parental controls on a dozen apps and devices. Gryphon will do all the work for you. 

There are several types of Gryphon routers to fit the needs of different households. All of them feature built-in parental controls. The Gryphon AX is ultra-efficient and features the newest in WiFi technology. The Gryphon Tower is a fast, robust all-around option for most homes. And if you want to install parental controls without replacing your current router, you can simply add a small Gryphon Guardian onto your home network.

How does a parental control router protect my child from porn?

What makes Gryphon different from most parental control systems is that it is not connected to your router, it is your router. As the source of your home network, all online activity is automatically filtered through it, making it impossible to disable. It won’t slow down your network at all—in fact, Gryphons are designed to have faster, more efficient WiFi than most routers. 

Gryphon’s comprehensive content filtering and enforced safe search will protect your kids from porn more effectively than any platform’s built-in parental controls. It will greatly reduce the risk of your kids coming across porn accidentally, and will also help block inappropriate searches. In addition, limiting your children’s screen time will reduce the risk of them coming across porn while mindlessly browsing. 

With access to your kids’ web browser history, you’ll be the first to know if your kids have been exposed to any pornographic content—or if they’re starting to get into dangerous territory. 

Because all internet activity is filtered through your WiFi router, a router is your very first line of defense against inappropriate content. In fact, two of the most important things to filter are your WiFi network and your individual devices. Having multiple layers of protection will ensure that your kids are as safe online as possible. 

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How do I protect my child when they’re away from the home WiFi? 

You might be asking yourself: If a parental control router monitors my home network, what do I do when my child is away from that network? This is exactly why Gryphon developed HomeBound, which routes all your child’s internet activity through a VPN and allows you to manage your parental controls from anywhere. This feature is available through Gryphon Premium Protection and compatible with your kids’ smartphones. 

Also included in Gryphon Premium Protection is firewall-level cybersecurity that will block malware, viruses, and ads. Many ads and ad pop-ups contain sexual content, so this goes a long way in protecting your kids from accidental pornography exposure.

What if my child sees pornography even with parental controls?

Having parental controls installed on the router and device level will significantly reduce the chance of your kids seeing pornography. Installing remote parental controls reduces this risk even further. Unfortunately, the internet is still saturated with porn. Not to mention your child will have access to devices away from home, like school computers and friends’ smartphones.

So even with thorough parental controls at multiple levels, there is always the possibility that your child will come across a pornographic image, video, or website. This is why the third most important filter to keep in mind is your child’s internal filter. 

An internal filter, which you as a parent can help instill in your child, is what allows them to reject pornography in case they do come across it. This is the filter that allows them to click away or come to you as soon as they see something that makes them feel uncomfortable. 

You can help your kids develop this filter by having a frank conversation with them about pornography. This conversation should begin at a young age. If your kids know what pornography is, why it’s harmful, and what to do when they see it, then they are much better prepared to reject it. They will turn to you instead of exploring pornography further, which is unhealthy for young minds. We know this conversation can be hard—books like Good Pictures, Bad Pictures make it easier.

If you have Gryphon parental controls, you can help bolster your kids’ internal filter by explaining exactly why you’re choosing to limit their web access and screen time.  You can have a discussion about why certain websites are blocked. You can show them the similarities between screen time addiction and pornography addiction, and how both will make them feel bad mentally and physically. 

Gryphon allows you to see your kids’ web browsing history and even their YouTube browsing history, making it difficult for them to keep secrets about what they have seen online. If they do come across inappropriate content, you’ll be the first to know, and can intervene with a conversation early on. 

Block pornography at the source with Gryphon routers

In this day and age, it’s probable that your kids will see pornography at some point in their young life. But instead of being afraid of what might happen and when, you can be prepared with the right resources. You can teach your kids what’s healthy and what’s harmful, and make sure they come to you before anyone else. And you can install a first line of defense with Gryphon today.