Top Internet Providers with Parental Control Options

Last week I received an Amazon delivery at my doorstep. I spent a good 10 minutes contemplating what could be inside the parcel as I munched down cereal at the breakfast table. With so much on my plate the past few months, I could barely make a guess. When I opened the parcel with my name, it turned out to be a Unicorn Toddler Camera. My 5-year-old had self-ordered a present scrolling down on my phone. Thank God, it was only $23.99!

That’s when it occurred to me to set up parental controls on my home internet. With such easy access to the internet, technology, and devices, it is ever more important to monitor and set limits on the type of content children should be exposed to.

After thorough research with my team at LocalCableDeals, we have come up with a list providers that offer the best parental controls. Here’s all of them at a glance:

Internet Parental Control Features to Look Out for

Since the internet has become such a big part of social life, it is impossible to completely cut it out of your child’s life. However, what you can do is monitor their online activity and exposure. That is where parental controls step in.

• Block inappropriate websites or apps
• Filter specific content
• Monitor online activity
• Set time limits for Wi-Fi access on devices
• Access to Real-time location
• Block access to cameras
• Restrictions on in-app purchases
• Block or restrict unknown email IDs
• Get notified on active users within your home network

While you may not get all the above-listed features in one provider, chances are you will get the most in a good provider. You can decide which provider will work best for you based on your child's age, their online exposure, and their need for the internet.

Let's categorize our recommended providers with internet parental controls based on their top features:

Which Provider’s Parental Control Features Are Best for You?

As discussed above, top internet providers offer several parental control features. What suits your household’s requirements depends mostly on your child's age and online activity. We have broken down these categories into toddlers, preschoolers, and early teens.

Best Internet Parental Controls for Parents of Toddlers

For parents with toddlers who might use the internet for streaming videos or playing games, you might require an internet provider that offers website and content blocking, restricting online payments, and filtering age-appropriate content.

Providers that offer the following parental control features and are good for streaming and gaming include:

1. Xfinity

Xfinity Internet powered by Norton Security Suite offers advanced parental control features that allow you to:

• monitor Wi-Fi access
• pause internet access
• set bedtime mode
• block inappropriate keywords
• and block websites to restrict your child’s internet activity

With internet speeds of up to 1200 Mbps (availability may vary from area to area), your child can enjoy HD streaming and gaming with a smooth connection.

2. Kinetic by Windstream

Kinetic by Windstream is another high-speed internet option ideal for HD streaming. You can manage Windstream parental controls through their Go Kinetic app that allows you to block access to adult websites, and set time limits for daily internet access to your child’s device. You can also establish a bedtime and customize it for weekdays and weekends.

Kinetic by Windstream offers internet speed of up to 8 Gbps in select areas, ideal for large families with multiple users who need extensive internet all day.

Best Internet Parental Controls for Parents of Preschoolers

For preschool parents, your internet requirement may range from streaming HD content on multiple devices, using the internet for learning activities or playing games. At this stage, your child may be using a device independently more often, so you need to pay more attention to curating their online experience. For this, you need an internet service that offers parental controls that help you restrict and filter content, and set time limits for a healthy routine.

Providers best suited for this category are:

1. Optimum

Optimum’s security features allow you to restrict and block harmful websites and limit access only to age-appropriate content for your child. You also have the option to track your child’s location for safety purposes and set time limits on their internet usage so they have a healthy and balanced routine. With internet speeds of up to 8 Gbps in select markets, Optimum is ideal for large families with extensive internet usage, HD streaming, and more.

2. Cox

With Cox Wi-Fi app, you have complete control over all the devices connected within your home network. You can get:

• reports of online activity
• create user profiles
• schedule downtimes
• restrict inappropriate websites and content
• and set time limits on internet usage for specific user profiles

These features are ideal for parents who may have kids of different age groups and might want to create different user profiles for each.

With speeds of up to 2000 Mbps, Cox is a great choice for families with multiple internet users.

Best Internet Parental Controls for Parents of Early Teens

For early teens, you might want some extra parental control features. At this age, your child’s access to the internet increases due to schoolwork. Children usually have their independent mobile devices, tablets, or laptops that need monitoring regularly for their security.

For this category, we recommend the following internet providers:

1. AT&T

AT&T Secure Family® app offers extensive parental control features that range from blocking and restricting inappropriate content to setting time limits, filtering content, and tracking their location. With frequent outings in early teens, the location-tracking feature can be highly useful.

You can add frequently visited or trusted locations on the app for places your child regularly visits and receive real-time notifications of their movements.

As it may be difficult to set time limits on early teens, you can set up the countdown feature on the app to alert them of their daily usage time. This will also help them learn how to manage their time online every day.

Your child’s internet requirement would also rise in this age with schoolwork, research, and more. For this, AT&T Fiber plans are a great choice to keep your increased internet needs fulfilled.

2. Spectrum

Spectrum is another top choice for early teen parents. Spectrum parental controls help you regulate your child’s online activity by blocking harmful websites. Your child may have their own email ID at this stage for schoolwork or social accounts.

With Spectrum parental controls, you can block spam email IDs and domains to filter their inbox and keep it safe for use. You can also set bedtimes and pause internet activity to restrict usage times every day.

Spectrum internet plans offer speeds of up to 1 Gig that work best for families with multiple users.

Overall, these providers offer easy-to-use parental controls for kids of all age groups. Here is a quick overview of all providers and their parental control options:

Best Routers for Parental Control

Alternatively, you can also get a router to set up parental controls at home. A good router with parental controls will allow you to create user profiles and add restrictions to users. If your router does not create separate profiles, you must manually set up restrictions, block websites and content as you want, and schedule downtime.

After extensive research, we tested a few routers with parental controls within the team. Here are the top ones on our list for you!

Why Use Internet Parental Controls?

Parental control features allow you to provide a safe online environment for your kids to access the internet. Internet Technology has become such a major part of our lives that keeping your children away from it is almost impossible.. Whether it is for entertainment, learning, communicating with family and friends, or attending online school, children require the internet and devices in their daily lives. Thanks to the parental control feature these providers offer, you can easily regulate, monitor, limit, and control the access of it as required.

However, what is most important is to have an open conversation with your family about online safety. Make sure you talk to your children and make them understand the dos and don’ts of using the internet. Talk to them about spam links, harmful content, not sharing personal information online, or in my case, ordering toy cameras from Amazon!