Addons to Add Internet Parental Control to Firefox

Protecting your children from all of the explicit content that’s floating around the Internet these days can be a hard task, especially if you don’t have a pop-up blocker. Even though your children or younger relatives are swimming in a pool of adult content every time they surf the net, it isn’t impossible to set your own standards for parental control.

Children are prone to learning inappropriate things whether in school or the outside world, however you have the control over what they may learn in your home. Explore the following two preventative Firefox applications to add Internet parental control to your favorite browser. Choose the one that can aid you and your family the best.

FoxFilter

This first app is a powerful filter that blocks access to inappropriate content because of its pre-defined set of rules that are instantly triggered when an individual visits a site that may contain explicit groups of keywords (i.e. Adult Content, 18+, erotic, etc…)

Configuration & Options

As you’ll note the resemblance in its name, FoxFilter is a Firefox add-on that’s compatible with Mac, Linux and Windows operating systems. In order to modify your version of FoxFilter and edit whitelist/blacklist preferences you’ll need to login to your account settings.

You can do this by double-clicking the FoxFilter icon at the bottom of your Firefox browser. If a URL is whitelisted it’s because it has been previously blocked and believed to be a legitimate site by you. Whitelisting is easy, all you have to do is access your account settings.

Suricate

This Firefox add-on collaborates with a global group of sites that have been flagged by previous Suricate users. Not only does it use this list to deny access to users on your PC, but it also blocks the sites you select as well.

How it Works

The way it works is if you come across a site that Suricate didn’t initially block then you can click the site banning button at the top left hand corner of your browser and it will immediately block the site, add it to your blacklist and notify the Suricate central site that the URL you’ve just banned isn’t appropriate for children in general.

With these options you have the control to customize Suricate by banning the sites you want and allowing whichever ones you prefer.

This is a shot of me configuring Suricate:

FoxFilter vs. Suricate

When it comes to deciding which of these two applications best suit your parental control needs you should take into account the simplicity and basic uses of the apps. FoxFilter is easy to use, however it is a bit more difficult to configure when compared to Suricate due to the extra settings.

Although in order to access your account all you need to do is click on the FoxFilter button, some detest the idea of having to travel to another site, while with Suricate you can just configure it by selecting the options button in the add-ons window.

In regards to effectiveness, both applications are fast as they work to immediately blacklist or ban a URL and instantly make it seem as though it’s been wiped off the face of the Internet.

Thus with this being said, FoxFilter and Suricate are both similar applications and either one will aid you on your quest to successful parental control.

Which app do you use to restrict your child’s access to the internet? Please let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.