Governments across the world have taken a renewed interest in online safety, and age-based restrictions are often the default solution. As a parent, online safety is an issue that I care about. It is also a constant source of frustration, as tech companies and regulators often miss the mark on matters that would actually improve safety online. Worse, some of these measures actually make kids less safe.

If online safety is a topic that matters to you or if you just want to understand the issues being discussed in the news, we’re going to walk you through the good, the bad, and the ugly of age verification systems.

How do you verify age on the internet?

If you’ve been on the internet for a while, you probably know that anonymity, for better or for worse, is a core feature of online interactions. There’s a good chance the obnoxious posters in your comments section are typing from an office building in St. Petersburg while they try to make their quota, and those emails in your spam box are definitely not from a Nigerian prince.

If a platform wants to verify your age, there are a few different ways it can do it. It can collect your government ID, it can perform biometric scans, it can try to analyze your behavior on the platform, or it can employ a third-party digital ID company to handle your data.

Regardless of the method, age verification requires users to hand over much more information than just their age. This causes a lot of additional problems, not the least of which is the fact that none of these approaches is foolproof. As such, every verification method is a balancing act of the potential benefits it could provide vs. the potential harms it could cause.

The utility of age restrictions

Despite being controversial, there are some situations where most people agree that some form of age verification is a net positive. A good offline example of age verification is the MPAA movie ratings. Movie ratings were initially introduced by the Motion Picture Association of America in 1968.

While there is still plenty to criticize about the ratings system, it provides a useful shorthand for understanding the content of a film for both parents and audiences more generally. And while it prevents kids from seeing content that might be inappropriate for them, it ultimately leaves the decision with parents. If you want your 15-year-old to be able to see Oppenheimer or Deadpool in theatres, you just have to go with them. The ratings give parents information, but parents get to make their own decisions.

Another important aspect of the current movie ratings system is that it replaced the restrictive Hays Code, which had a long list of banned topics. The ratings system allowed filmmakers to create movies that wouldn’t have complied with the code’s censorship rules (such as Oppenheimer and Deadpool). Good digital solutions should also prioritize freedom of expression and respect internet users’ First Amendment rights.

An ineffective approach

While age restrictions can be a useful tool in some situations, they often fail to achieve their stated goals. For one thing, it’s impossible to break down content into age brackets that everyone agrees with. Even with broadly accepted systems like movie ratings, you can probably think of some decisions you disagree with. Did you remember that Frozen was slapped with a PG rating for some reason? Compare that to movies like All Dogs Go to Heaven that did get a G rating before going on to traumatize a whole generation.

Age appropriateness is a very subjective measure, and trying to quantify it typically yields appropriately silly results. In 2006, for example, researchers tried to quantify the amount of violence in popular video games and concluded that the most violent games ever made included the likes of Pac-Man, Dig Dug, and Galaga. This dubious research was even presented as evidence in congressional hearings.

These are just some of the issues that come up even when you assume that all parties involved are acting in good faith. Things get a lot more complicated when people try to exploit these systems for personal gain. In the 2010s, people realized that one of the best ways to make money on YouTube was to manipulate the site’s algorithm with low-quality, and often disturbing, content directed at children. The problem was so severe that YouTube had to completely overhaul its policies toward kids’ content.

Legal issues with age verification

Age verification is a rather ineffective framework for developing online tools, but it’s a terrible idea as a legal framework. Unfortunately, there has been a recent surge of governments trying to write online age restrictions into law. Besides just not working very well, such laws in the U.S. usually come into conflict with the First Amendment.

In 2025, both Arkansas and Louisiana passed laws requiring social media companies to verify users’ ages using official documents. In both cases (Arkansas and Louisiana), the laws were found to be unconstitutional, noting that the First Amendment does not give the government the ability to choose what kinds of speech children can and cannot access.

When age verification doesn’t work

Despite these laws being struck down, political discussions about online safety often don’t get beyond blanket age restrictions. But if we want to know how such laws would work, we only have to look to Australia, which actually implemented age restrictions on social media.

Although Australian politicians touted the law as a landmark piece of legislation, it took kids less than five minutes to bypass the ban. In contrast to systems like the MPAA ratings, the Australian law does not give parents the ability to make choices about their children’s social media use. Unsurprisingly, a poll found that despite its apparent popularity, only 29 percent of parents planned to enforce the ban on their own children. Another poll found that a third of parents intended to help their children bypass the restrictions.

After three months of the Australian social media ban taking effect, a survey found that more than 60% of kids who were social media users before the ban still had access to social media.

Creating effective age verification software has always been an elusive goal, and it’s only going to get less attainable in the future. After the messaging app Discord started using face-scanning software to enforce age restrictions, frustrated users created a free tool to bypass the system using a 3D model.

When age verification makes things worse

While age verification systems often fail to bring the benefits they promise, they can also do real harm. They are a privacy nightmare, not just to children, but to all users who give their personal data to these systems, whether willingly or not. Major data breaches are increasingly common among platforms like Discord that are collecting age verification data and third-party companies that specialize in identity verification. Requiring users to surrender personal data, especially government documents, puts them at a massive risk of identity theft. To quote Jason Kelley of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, “online age verification is incompatible with privacy.”

The ease of circumventing these systems also tempts their proponents to pass even more dystopian measures to prop them up. In order to force internet users into their own age verification system, the Utah lawmakers are trying to restrict VPN use. Not only is this law impossible for the state to enforce, it’s impossible for site owners to reasonably comply with the law, even if they wanted to.

Even if these deeply flawed systems could be made to work as intended, the results are often still bad. The Australian social media ban, for instance, kicked millions of kids and teenagers out of their YouTube accounts, forcing them to use the site while logged out. If you’ve ever tried to use YouTube when logged out, then you probably know that the default algorithm is a cesspool of ragebait, AI slop, and misinformation. Instead of recommendations based on their interests, Australian kids had to wade through the worst of YouTube until they or their parents figured out a way to circumvent the new law.

These problems should not have been a surprise for anyone. Writing for the Guardian, Samantha Floreani noted that the Australian government ignored experts in fields including digital wellbeing, digital rights advocacy, and youth mental health when writing the law. Despite internal doubts and an awareness of the lack of evidence supporting it, the government pushed the ban forward with predictable results.

Furthermore, many of the biggest online threats to children are in the spaces ostensibly created for children. Online predators don’t hang out on adult sites waiting for kids to come to them; they go where children already are. Spaces like Roblox, an online game platform geared toward a younger audience, have had massive issues with child abuse and exploitation.

Look at the platform, not the content

When people think of the dangers of social media and how to mitigate them, they often focus on the content of social media. After all, this is the way that we’ve tried to crack down on movies, comic books, heavy metal music. There are two main problems with this approach. First, attempts to control content, as in these past examples, always end up infringing on people’s First Amendment rights, and are thus are deemed unconstitutional.

Second, the most harmful aspects of social media platforms are often not the content, which the companies do try to moderate, but the design of the platforms themselves. Companies like Facebook have been caught rolling back their privacy protections,  performing psychological experiments on their users, and optimizing users’ engagement at the expense of their mental health. Even if every post on these services were nothing but sunshine and rainbows, the platform itself would still cause harm.

In March 2025, a jury in California ruled against Facebook and YouTube in a civil suit, finding that the platforms were defective products that were designed to exploit the developing brains of children. The argument was not that any of the content on these platforms was objectionable, but that the platforms and the algorithms they employ are the source of the harm.

While content moderation is still an issue that parents are right to be concerned about, it’s these systemic problems that are much more problematic that we often overlook.

Better ways to improve online safety

Age verification software is a clumsy, invasive, and lazy solution to online safety that infringes on constitutional rights, takes power away from parents, and distracts from more effective approaches. So what are some better ways to protect your kids online? The best tool is always to be involved with your kids, communicate with them about their online activity, and teach them digital literacy skills.

It’s also important to understand how parental controls and other content settings work on your kids’ apps and devices. There are also lots of parental control tools you can use, though many of these also rely on simple age gating by default. When looking for good parental control tools, look for those that give parents a high degree of customization and those that are applicable to the kinds of online activity your kids engage in.

On a broader, societal level, we don’t need a scan of our face and a copy of our social security card sitting on the servers of every tech company we interact with. What we do need is better content moderation and more responsive customer service so that unwanted behaviors can be blocked or prevented. We need laws that give parents more control over deciding what’s appropriate for their children and that give us more recourse against tech companies that act recklessly with our kids’ safety and privacy.

Kids have a tendency to figure out how to use technology better than their parents, which can make reining them in a challenge. Voice controls add a new angle to this problem, since your kids don’t even need to know how to read to get a surprising amount of control over their devices.

Fortunately, voice controls like Google Assistant have parental controls you can put in place to help manage your kids’ access. We’re going to show you the basics of setting up parental controls for your Assistant-enabled Android device.

Setting up parental controls on Google Assistant devices

Google has a lot of different parental control systems across different devices and apps. Many of these systems overlap and can work together, which is both helpful and, at times, very confusing. This method is specifically for setting up parental controls on devices like phones, tablets, and smart displays that use Google Assistant voice controls.

To get started using voice commands, follow these steps:

1. Activate Google Assistant by saying “Hey, Google” or through the appropriate button, tap, or gesture.

2. Say “Open Assistant settings.”

3. If the parental control settings aren’t visible, tap on View all settings.

4. Scroll down toward the bottom of the list and tap Parental controls.

5. At the bottom of the screen, tap the Set up button.

At this point, you can sign into your kid’s account if you’ve already set up a supervised Google Account, or you can set up a new one. Only one Google account can be active on a device at any given time, so you will be signed out, and the kid’s account will be signed in.

The app will then guide you through the process of creating an account or setting up the controls. Be aware that although you are not technically signed in on the device, you will be prompted to enter your password at several points to confirm changes being made to the supervised account.

If you’re going to continue using the device yourself after setting up parental controls, remember to log out of the supervised kids account and sign back into your own.

What can you control through Google Assistant?

Once you’re into the settings for the supervised account, you can place a number of different restrictions:

• Requiring parental permission for purchases and downloads (if nothing else, you probably want this one)
• Blocking mature content on the Play Store
• Adding filters for mature sites on Google Chrome
• Enabling SafeSearch for Google Search

Although these are pretty basic controls, there are a lot more settings and tools you can use to manage your kids accounts on Google devices using other Google apps, such as Family Link.

The bottom line: Google Assistant parental controls are easy to set up, but work best with other apps

It’s really easy to set up some basic parental controls using Google Assistant. Even if you have to create a new supervised account, the process should take less than five minutes. So, at the bare minimum, you should turn off purchases on your kids’ devices before you discover that someone has accidentally spent $200 on PokéCoins.

The downside is that the controls you can access through the Google Assistant are pretty basic, so you’re probably going to want to download the Family Link app and set up additional controls, and set up parental controls on sites like YouTube.

The content filters are actually better than most. The first option is to “Try to block explicit sites,” which is just a blanket block of anything that could be inappropriate for kids. Like any one-size-fits-all solution, these approaches generally throw the baby out with the bathwater (while also spilling quite a bit of bathwater inside).

Age restrictions assume that all content exists on a linear spectrum from most to least appropriate. So you can’t, for example, restrict an obnoxious kids’ show without also blocking educational content geared toward older groups. Fortunately, you also have the option to whitelist sites by making a list of exactly what you, as a parent, want your kids to see. And if there’s something that you and your kids think should be on that list, you can simply add it, regardless of whether or not an algorithm approves.

The only downside is that the whitelist must be made using the Google Family Link app, which means a few extra steps. While I think Google probably could have designed this system to be a bit easier to set up, the customizability that Google provides parents is well worth jumping through a few hoops.

Related content

• How To Use YouTube’s Parental Controls
• How To Get Started With Family Video Calls
• Google Nest Wifi Review
• How To Use Apple’s Parental Controls

Amazon Prime is one of the biggest subscription services in the U.S. While many people subscribe for the free shipping, it also comes with access to Amazon’s streaming service, Amazon Prime Video.

There are a lot of good kids’ shows on Amazon Prime, plus it does have slightly more robust parental controls than some other platforms. The only tradeoff is that they aren’t the most straightforward to set up. But not to worry, we’re going to walk you through how to set up parental controls so you can get the most out of your Amazon Prime subscription.

How to set up a Prime Video account PIN

To use the parental controls on Amazon Prime, you must first set up a PIN for your account. The account PIN works like the administrator password to your entire account, allowing you to do a number of things:

• Lock access to your profile.
• Bypass restrictions on any profile.
• Override PINs on other profiles.
• Restrict creation or deletion of profiles.

To set up your account PIN, follow these steps:

1. Open a browser and sign in to your Amazon Prime account.
2. Click on your profile picture in the top right corner of the browser.
3. Select Manage Profiles.
4. Click the Edit Profiles button and select the primary account holder’s profile.
5. Click the Manage button.
6. Find the option that reads Prime Video Account PIN and click Create.
7. Enter your new PIN and click Continue.

How to set up viewing restrictions

You can set up age-based viewing restrictions by following these steps:

1. Click on your profile picture in the top right corner of the browser.
2. Select Account & Settings.
3. Select the Permissions tab.
4. Scroll down to the Viewing Restrictions section and select the level of restrictions you want on your account.

Once you’ve selected the minimum age restrictions, any video with a higher rating will require the account PIN before you can watch it. This applies across all profiles, though you can choose which devices to apply the restrictions to. This means that, for example, if your kids always watch Amazon Prime on their iPads, you can apply viewing restrictions to just the iPads while allowing unrestricted access through web browsers and the living room TV.

The bottom line: Amazon parental controls are flexible, if a bit unwieldy

Amazon Prime Video’s PIN system adds some extra steps, but it can be remarkably flexible once you get the hang of it. As long as you remember your PIN, you can always watch or buy anything you want on any device with only a slight inconvenience. Just make sure that your kids don’t memorize your PIN as well, or you might find eleven seasons of Paw Patrol charged to your account.

As with most parental controls, the system still revolves around age-based content filters, which is not ideal. Age restrictions assume that all content exists on a linear spectrum from most to least appropriate. So you can’t, for example, restrict an obnoxious kids’ show without also blocking educational content geared toward older groups.

The nice thing about the account PIN is that as long as you’re around to enter the PIN for them, restrictions are easy to bypass if an appropriate show gets accidentally blocked. And if different people in your household use different devices, you can streamline the process even more by only restricting the ones that kids will be using.

So while Amazon Prime Video still doesn’t give parents the most granular controls, it does give them more control than most. And with a bit of finesse, it can become a pretty flexible way to manage what your kids watch online.

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• When Will Amazon Leo Be Available?

Using a VPN (virtual private network) slows down your internet connection. According to our research, you can see Wi-Fi speeds drop by as much as 77% as soon as you sign onto a VPN—but don’t fret, there’s a way to decrease the chances of your speeds dropping so drastically.

You can maintain reliable Wi-Fi speeds if you get a quality, subscription-based VPN. And you can keep your internet running smoothly as well if you keep your router updated and placed in a centralized location in your home.

Here’s a quick guide on how a VPN impacts internet bandwidth. We’ll explain why your speeds get slower with a VPN and recommend the best VPNs to maintain fast speeds.

Why does a VPN slow down your internet?

A VPN slows down your internet because it adds multiple extra steps to the process of getting data from your home internet network to your internet provider and back.

VPNs work by letting you sign on to a separate server—usually located in a different state or foreign country. This creates a virtual tunnel that masks your online activity, IP address, and location, keeping you safe from hacking and online surveillance and giving you access to websites that you might not be able to visit otherwise (like foreign versions of Netflix).

But encryption takes up bandwidth, routing a VPN through a foreign server increases latency (especially if it’s a server located in a distant state or country). A VPN’s own server bandwidth and efficiency can also impact your speed. If a VPN server is crowded with other users, it can lead to slower speeds and a less reliable connection.

On the flip side, a VPN can also combat speed throttling from an ISP, as it masks the kind of data you use. So if your provider, say, caps video streaming at 5 Mbps, using a VPN could potentially improve your speed. Let’s take a look at the best VPNs you can get to maintain fast internet speeds.

How much speed do you need?

Not everyone needs the fastest internet in the world—but having fast internet definitely helps ensure a smooth connection even when a slow VPN is in play. Use our “How Much Internet Speed Do I Need?” tool to see what bandwidth is best for your home setup.

Best VPNs for fast internet speeds

You can get a massive discount from most of these VPNs by signing up for a longer subscription. Most range from 6 months all the way up to 26 months. If you plan on using your VPN long-term, we highly recommend going with a longer subscription that can help you save on the monthly cost.

NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark consistently rank as the fastest VPNs among reviewers and experts—and they’re generally considered the best VPNs for privacy and other features, too. All three use efficient, up-to-date encryption protocols and have enough servers so you’re less likely to experience major network congestion when you sign on.

Private Internet Access, Hotspot Shield, and CyberGhost are also well-known VPNs and have performed excellently in many speed tests. Private Internet Access also boasts the most servers of any VPN in the world, giving you more options to choose from. Hide.me isn’t as fast, but it’s a great free VPN service that doesn’t eat as much bandwidth as most free VPNs.

Want to see how a VPN impacts your speed? Take a speed test

Take our speed test to see if your VPN is slowing down your internet.

Even the best VPN speeds can fluctuate daily. Your internet speed can also easily be impacted by a range of other factors, including your internet provider, the connection type, your plan, and the router you’re using. But a speed test gives you a ballpark estimate of how different VPNs impact your bandwidth.

Here’s a quick rundown on how to do it.

How to test VPN speed

Step one: Run a speed test with your VPN disabled. Write down the results.

Step two: Turn on the VPN and run the test again. Write down these results as well.

Step three: Compare the two speeds to see how they are different.

Step four: Repeat the process a few times throughout the day to see how the numbers differ.

How can you make a VPN faster (or at least not as slow)?

It’s hard to predict just how much a VPN may slow your internet speed because a lot of factors play into the speeds you’re getting. But there are a few things you can do to make sure you’re getting the most out of your VPN, speed-wise.

Avoid free VPNs

Free VPNs might work if you’re on a budget, but they typically don’t perform as well as subscription-based VPNs. They have fewer servers, so you have to share a single server with more users, and some are also loaded with malware that drains your bandwidth or even hijacks it for nefarious purposes. Also, some lesser VPNs collect your user data and sell it to make money, which is another good reason to avoid them.

To ensure the best speeds—not to mention the best security and other features—stick to a well-vetted VPN that costs a monthly or annual subscription.

Switch your VPN server location

The best VPNs host servers all over the world. Some servers may perform better than others, depending on where they’re located and how many users are on each one. Try picking a server close to you to reduce the amount of time it takes to route your data to and from the VPN server.

Use the WireGuard protocol

Although OpenVPN is the most common and best-respected VPN protocol in use today, a newer protocol called WireGuard has been drawing positive attention since it launched in early 2021. Speed tests show it to be faster and more efficient than OpenVPN—although the latter still remains stronger for privacy.^{1, 2}

Most top-rated VPNs allow you to switch between different protocols, and NordVPN specifically supports WireGuard. You can switch between protocols on your VPN by going to the settings menu. Also, you can adjust the protocol settings to make your speeds faster.

Get a better VPN

Of course, if you’re experiencing consistent speed issues on your VPN, you can always try a new VPN to see if it fares better. NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark are often the top-rated VPNs, but there are plenty of others worth trying. See our guide to the best VPNs for recommendations.

Sources

1. JP Jones, TopVPN.com, “Wireguard vs. OpenVPN,” March 11, 2022. Accessed April 14, 2022.
2. Sven Taylor, RestorePrivacy, “Wireguard VPN: Secure and Fast, but Bad for Privacy?” January 10, 2022. Accessed April 14, 2022.

More about VPNs and internet speed

• Best VPNs
• Fastest VPNs
• How Can I Tell If My ISP Is Throttling My Internet?

Internet issues are just a way of life. There’s always something disrupting your dancing cat videos. Network troubles on your provider’s side. Storms blowing down lines. The speed woes of a tired old router. Kids downloading super-sized game updates. Something.

But what if every device you own loads the same website no matter what you type into the address bar? Or, even worse, you sit at your computer, utterly speechless, as a “ghost” seizes your mouse and opens your bank account?

Not fun.

Those two scenarios alone are good signs of a hacked router. But don’t worry: I’ll clue you in on how to recognize a hacked router, how to fix it, and how to make sure it never happens again.

There are many signs of a possible router hack that can throw up a red flag. Some are general and could apply to other router-related issues. Others are a sure sign that someone else now controls your network.

Sign #1—You can’t log in to your router

First, let’s be clear that your inability to sign in to your router or gateway doesn’t always mean you’ve been hacked. There have been plenty of times when I returned to a router I previously tested, and it (rather rudely) denied me access to the settings. This is not an uncommon problem. It usually means you’re entering the wrong password, you misspelled the password, or something on the router side is corrupt. Case closed.

With that said, there’s also the slim possibility that someone hacked your router. The attacker may have figured out the credentials, logged in, and changed the password to lock you out. After that, the attacker has free reign to change additional settings and make your life miserable.

But why did the attacker target you? Perhaps you clicked on a clever email or message link, and now the hacker has full control of your home network. Hackers also probe the internet for vulnerable routers they can use to create botnets, steal your bank login info, and so on.

Welcome to the modern-day World Wide Web.

So, whether you’re hacked or just having password issues, the only remedy is to reset your router to its factory defaults.

Sign #2—All internet browsers lead to the same site

Browser hijacking is a sure sign that you have a hacked router or gateway.

In this case, a hacker logged in to your router and changed its Domain Name System (DNS) settings—the system that matches numeric IP addresses with the alphanumeric ones we see and easily remember, like google.com.

By doing so, the hacker can redirect all your internet traffic to a malicious DNS server. This server will lock you to specific websites that can steal your information and install malicious software on every internet-connected device you own.

Sign #3—There’s strange software on more than one device

If you see new, unfamiliar software on more than one device—especially if you didn’t download it intentionally—there’s a good chance someone hacked your router and remotely installed malware onto your devices.

Strange, uninvited software includes browser toolbars, fake antivirus clients, and other programs that will generate random popups on your screen or within a browser.

If you have multiple computers, this uninvited software may be on all of them. Malware can replicate on a single device and spread across wired and wireless connections, similar to how a virus spreads from person to person.

Sign #4—You receive a ransomware message

Ransomware messages can be a sign that you have a hacked router. These attackers can seize control of the router and demand money in return for its release. The message may appear in the form of an email, instant message, text, or a popup generated by uninvited software installed on your device.

But also remain skeptical. Ransomware messages don’t always mean you’ve been hacked. Some are designed to instill fear and convince you of a hack that never happened. But if you see popup threats on your screen or your mouse suddenly opens your bank account, then yes, you’re under attack.

Sign #5—You see unrecognized devices on your network

You can use the router’s web interface or mobile app to see a list of devices connected to your home or office network. For example, the Linksys Smart Wi-Fi interface provides a network map—just click on a device to see its assigned address.

When you look at the map, all local devices have a derivative of the router’s private IP address. If your router’s address is 192.168.1.1, for example, then all device addresses should start with the first three numbers (192.168.1).

However, a device remotely accessing your router won’t have an address that matches the first three numbers of your router’s private address.

Sign #6—You can’t control your device

If you sit in front of your computer and watch an uninvited, unseen guest move the mouse and access your banking information, you definitely have a hacked router.

In this scenario, the hacker has remote access to your device and can open any file or online account using the passwords you store in the operating system or browser.

Sign #7—Your internet speeds are slower than snails

Slow internet speeds aren’t uncommon. There may be issues with your provider, too many devices downloading at one time, and so on. But if you experience extremely slow speeds along with other symptoms on this list, chances are you have a hacked router.

Your speeds could be slow because the hacker seized your full bandwidth for the following:

• Botnet activity
• Distributing malware to other networks
• Remote connections to your devices
• Cryptojacking
• General internet piggybacking

How to fix a hacked router or gateway

You can easily and quickly fix a hacked router. There’s no need to throw it out the window and purchase a new one.

Step 1: Disconnect the router or gateway

If you have a standalone router, disconnect the Ethernet cord to avoid communicating with the modem. If you have a gateway, disconnect the internet connection instead.

In both cases, disconnect all other wired and wireless devices.

Step 2: Power cycle your router or wireless gateway

In some router hacking cases, a simple power cycle (reboot) works as a quick fix. This method clears the memory of any malicious code and refreshes your public IP address. Just pull the plug, wait 30 seconds, and then plug the cord back into the outlet.

In other cases, you may need to reset your router to its factory settings. A power cycle cannot remove severe infections like VPNFilter.

Step 3: Change the password

Once you power cycle the router, log in and change the password. You can use one of the best password managers to create one and retrieve it from your account when needed.

Actually, I suggest you create a passphrase instead of a password. It’s a long string of unrelated words filled with symbols and numbers. Make it something you can remember but isn’t easily guessed.

Do the same with your Wi-Fi network, too.

Immediate action: Read my guide on how to change your Wi-Fi network name and password.

Step 4: Update the firmware

Set your router to update its firmware automatically if it’s not already. And if your router doesn’t give you the option to update automatically, set yourself a reminder to check every month or so.

But carry out either method with caution, as faulty firmware can render your router useless. Check the manufacturer’s notes to make sure the latest firmware is stable. You shouldn’t have any issues with new firmware, but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious and proactive. Routers aren’t cheap.

Immediate action: Read my guide on how to update the firmware on routers from several popular brands.

Step 5: Reset your router

if an infection persists or you can’t log in, then a router reset is your only solution (outside buying a new one). A reset restores the factory default settings, clearing out any possible malware. You’re essentially rebuilding your home network and creating new passwords for the router login and Wi-Fi.

For more information, consult my guide on how to reset a router from ASUS, Linksys, NETGEAR, and more.

How to prevent a router hack

Use the following suggestion to safeguard your devices and sensitive data against hackers.

Stay on top of firmware updates

Your router is a miniature computer with a processor, system memory, and storage that houses the operating system (firmware). Unfortunately, firmware is never bulletproof, as there can be bugs in the code and security holes. Attackers will utilize these unpatched flaws and access your router with ease.

Manufacturers distribute firmware updates regularly to squash these bugs and patch vulnerabilities. Generally, we suggest you enable automatic firmware updates if the feature isn’t toggled on already and you never manually install new firmware. Log in to your router and toggle on automatic updates if they are not already.

However, be aware that things can happen. Bad firmware uploaded to a manufacturer’s distribution server can brick your router. Malware-infected firmware distributed to a router can lock you out. Auto-updates are convenient, but there’s a rare chance the update can go awry and leave you with a $300 paperweight. For this reason, some manufacturers don’t support auto-updates.

Read my guide on how to update the firmware on routers from several popular brands.

Use a secure password

Every router I’ve tested forces you to create an administration password during setup. There’s usually no “default” password that hackers can pass around. Some routers even require you to create two security questions for accessing the router when the admin password doesn’t work (corrupt, forgotten, etc.). The password normally requires a mix of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols.

Likewise, every router I’ve tested ships with a unique passphrase for Wi-Fi printed on a label. You’re prompted to change it as you move further into the setup, but it’s not mandatory like the administration one.

Some routers require a cloud account prior to starting the setup process, like mesh networking systems. That means you must create a username and password to use the service and router.

Overall, never use an easily guessed password with your router or Wi-Fi network—even if it’s full of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols. These include names of pets, children, other family members, and anything that links to your interests. Believe it or not, the two most used passwords are still password and 123456. Like, really?

So, what’s the big deal? Why can’t we use easily remembered passwords? Because a hacker can use free online tools to carry out a brute-force attack—a trial-and-error method that continuously enters every possible password until one works. Hackers can also use a library attack, which uses words pulled from a dictionary. These attacks can quickly crack an easy eight-character alphanumeric password.

The bottom line here is use a passphrase instead of a password. It’s a string of unrelated words with symbols and numbers that’s harder to crack than any password you create.

Schedule routine reboots

A monthly reboot is good for the router, as it can clear the system memory and refresh all connections.

Additionally, your internet provider assigns a public IP address to your router. It usually refreshes every 14 days anyway (unless you pay for a permanent “static” address), but a reboot gives you an extra refresh if hackers obtained one of your previous addresses.

Disable remote access

Remote access is a feature for changing the router’s settings when you’re off the network, like from a hotel room. Most routers now have two methods, but the one you should be concerned about lies within the web interface. It’s an easy entry point for attackers, especially if you use a weak password.

Based on the routers I’ve tested, this feature is disabled by default in favor of cloud-based access through mobile apps. Still, you should check to see if it’s disabled, and if not, turn it off immediately. Only use this version of remote access if the app doesn’t have the settings you need to change off-network—and only do so sparingly.

Be sure to use strong passwords or passphrases when you set up a cloud account (if you choose not to use the complex ones supplied by Android and Apple devices). Also, enable biometrics so you’re not manually entering login credentials out in public.

Disable WPS

Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) has good intentions. It allows users to connect their devices to a wireless network without a password. Simply press the WPS button on the router, or enter an eight-digit PIN provided by the router.

But the convenience has a major drawback. Hackers can use a brute-force attack to figure out the PIN in 4 to 10 hours—they don’t need access to the physical button. You can easily disable WPS through the router’s backend and instead use our guide on how to share your Wi-Fi network’s password to any device.

If you have a Linksys router, for example, you can disable WPS by doing the following:

Step 1: Select Wi-Fi Settings displayed under Router Settings.

Step 2: Click on the Wi-Fi Protected Setup tab.

Step 3: Click the toggle so that it reads OFF.

Step 4: Click on the Apply button. You must click this button so that WPS and its related PIN are completely disabled—clicking on the toggle without applying the change isn’t enough.

Change the network name

The Service Set Identifier (SSID) is your wireless network’s name. All routers broadcast the manufacturer’s name by default, like Linksys_330324GHz or NETGEAR_Wi-Fi. Anyone within range can see this name, know who built your router, and search the internet for the default login credentials if they’re available.

However, the router prompts you to rename the wireless network during the setup process for that very reason. If you ignored the router’s request, now is a good time to return to the settings and change the network name. Use whatever you want, just don’t advertise anything that can help attackers infiltrate your home network.

If you have band steering turned on, you’ll only need to change one SSID. If band steering is turned off, you’ll have at least two Wi-Fi connections to rename. I normally add a “2” or “5” suffix to distinguish between the different bands, like “clearlink2” and “clearlink5” as seen in my router reviews. At home, I use different NSFW names to annoy my neighbors.

Finally, network names can be up to 32 characters long.

How to protect your devices from hacks

There’s more to protecting your network against hackers than securing your router. You need safeguards in place to protect your devices and personal data, too, should an attacker take control of your router.

Computers and mobile devices

Lock your device with biometrics or a passcode

Use facial recognition and fingerprint scanning to lock your devices and accounts in addition to using the main login password. Passcodes and patterns are better than passwords, too, but you run the risk of someone guessing them correctly by viewing the smudges on your screen.

Keep all software current

Device manufacturers like Apple and Lenovo release system updates to squash bugs in the code, optimize performance, and fill security holes. Software developers do the same, so be sure every platform, desktop software, and app you use is current.

Never install questionable software

If the desktop software or app—or even the website that hosts it—looks shady, then don’t install it. Always get your apps and software from verified sources versus back-alley repositories lurking in the dark corners of the internet.

Never connect to an unsecured public network

An unsecured public network means the Wi-Fi connection doesn’t use any security. The data you send and receive from an unsecure Wi-Fi access point isn’t protected from eavesdropping hackers eager to steal your info.

Use a VPN service

Many modern routers now support OpenVPN, a free VPN service you can use to hide your online activity. All you need is to enable the server on your router and install the client software on your devices. We also provide a list of the best VPN services if your router doesn’t include a VPN server.

Turn off Bluetooth

Bluetooth is another form of wireless communication. Device manufacturers like Apple say to keep it turned on “for the best experience” but the Federal Communications Commission suggests you turn it off when not in use, as hackers can access your device by spoofing other Bluetooth devices you use. If you must enable Bluetooth, use it in “hidden” mode.

Use Two-Factor Authentication

Always, always enable two-factor authentication on every account you use. It’s a pain, we know, but that added layer of security keeps hackers at bay should they somehow get your login credentials. For example, Microsoft Authenticator requires you to verify a login request in the mobile app before you can log in to your Microsoft Account on any device, including the Xbox consoles.

Never click or tap on strange links

Malware you unintentionally download to your computer or mobile device could lead the way to a hacked router. Here are several ways you can get unwanted malware:

• Click on a link in a phishing email or chat message
• Connect an infected flash drive
• Access a malicious website
• View infected ads

Computers only

Keep your antivirus current

Apple macOS doesn’t include built-in antivirus because hackers rarely ever target the platform. Microsoft Windows is a different story, however, and includes antivirus protection for free. Be sure to keep it and any third-party antivirus software you have installed on Mac or Windows up-to-date, so you stay protected against the latest threats.

Never ever disable your firewall

All computing devices have a firewall that monitors your network traffic flow but you can disable it on Mac and Windows. This is a bad idea, as you remove all restrictions and open the door for hackers to slip in and infiltrate your device. I provide instructions on how to re-enable your firewall on Windows and Mac if, for some reason, it’s disabled.

Related topics

• 8 Terrifying Security Flaws in Your Wi-Fi—And How to Fix Them
• How Can I Tell If My Internet Is Being Throttled by My ISP?
• How to Know If Someone Is Stealing Your Wi-Fi

PlayStation has been around since 1994, and those of us who grew up with the brand probably already know how to set the parental controls for our kids. But what if you’re not a gamer and you just purchased a PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Pro for Christmas?

Don’t fret. I’ll show you how to create accounts directly on the PlayStation 5 console, and then go over some additional settings in the web portal. I’ll also show you how to use the new PlayStation Family app, which makes family management super easy!

Before we begin

You don’t need a PlayStation Network (PSN) account to play physical and single-player games offline. However, you need an account for everything else: console and game updates, access to PlayStation Store purchases, and all the online components. Accounts are also required to use the family controls.

You can create accounts using a web browser or a PlayStation console. We’ll use the latter since it’s the easiest of the two.

Note that a PSN account can be used with PlayStation-branded consoles and apps like the PlayStation App and PS Remote Play.

How to create PlayStation Network accounts using a console

Let’s assume you purchased a PlayStation 5 for the family to use or gifted it to your child. You first need to create a parent/guardian account, and then make an account for each child.

Create a parent/guardian account

Step 1: Select Add User on the console, followed by Get Started.

Step 2: Agree to Sony’s licensing agreement to proceed.

Step 3: Select Create an Account.

Step 4: Enter your date of birth and then select Next.

Step 5: Select your country or region and preferred language, and then select Next.

Step 6: Enter a valid email address, create a password, re-enter the password, and then select Next.

Step 7: Select an avatar image for your account ,and then select Next.

Step 8: Create your Online ID (gamertag), and then select Next.

Step 9: Choose a privacy profile and then select Review and Customize or Apply.

Step 10: You received an email to verify your email address. On the screen, select Already Verified or Do This Later. You must verify your email account to use your new Sony Account.

Step 11: Select OK to finish.

Step 12: Set your two-step verification by selecting Text Message or Authenticator App. Select Do This Later to set this up at another time.

Step 13: Add a mobile number or select Do This Later.

Step 14: Select OK to complete the setup.

Now that you have created an account, you can set your avatar, edit your Online ID (for a fee), link streaming services, set your payment method, and so on. But since we’re here to set up parental controls, we’ll move on to creating a child’s account.

Create a child’s managed account

Step 1: Select your avatar on the home screen.

Step 2: Select Switch User from the drop-down menu.

Step 3: Select Add User, followed by Get Started.

Step 4: Agree to Sony’s licensing agreement to proceed.

Step 5: Select Create an Account.

Step 6: Enter your child’s date of birth and then select Next.

Step 7: Select Continue.

Step 8: Select the parent/guardian account and sign in.

Step 9: Confirm the child’s date of birth.

Step 10: Enter the child’s email address, create a password, re-enter the password, and then select Next.

Step 11:  Choose a Privacy Profile and then select Review and Customize or Apply.

Here’s more on each Privacy Profile:

• Social and Open: Any player can see the child’s profile information, make friend requests, and send messages.
• Team Player: Any player can see most of the child’s profile. They must be friends of friends to chat.
• Friend Focused: Only friends can see your child’s profile and chat.
• Solo and Focused: No player can see your child’s profile or chat.

I cover the privacy settings later in the web browser portion.

Step 12: Set the Restriction Level.

Here are the restriction levels:

• Late Teens or Older
• Early Teens
• Child
• No Restrictions

Each restriction level contains customized settings. However, you can select Customize to edit the following:

• PS5 games and apps: Don’t Restrict, Age 21 or Older, Manually Set the Age
• PS4 and PS3 games and apps: Don’t Restrict, Manually Set the Age
• Blu-ray Disc: Don’t Restrict, Manually Set the Age
• DVD: Don’t Restrict, Manually Set the Age
• Country or Region (for Blu-ray Discs and DVDs): Manually Choose your Location
• Use of PlayStation VR2 and VR: Don’t Restrict, Restrict
• Web Browsing: Don’t Restrict, Restrict
• Communication and User-Generated Content: Don’t Restrict, Restrict
• Age Filtering for Online Content: Don’t Restrict, Restrict
• Monthly Spending Limit: Manually Set a Value

Step 13: Select Confirm to finish.

Step 14: Select Set Up Now to manage the child’s playtime, or select Do This Later.

Step 15: Your child received an email to verify their email address. On the screen, select Already Verified or Do This Later. You must verify the email account to use your child’s new Sony Account.

Step 16: Select OK to finish.

How to tweak the parental controls using a console

Now that the child’s account is set up, you can tweak the settings.

Step 1: On the Home screen, select the Settings gear icon located at the top.

Step 2: Select Family and Parental Controls.

Step 3: Scroll down and select your child’s account.

Step 4: Sign in to your account.

Here’s an overview of what you can set

Playtime Settings

Here you can decide when the child can play and for how long.

• Restrict Playtime: Enable/disable
• When Playtime Ends: Notify Only, Log Out of PS5/PS4/PS3
• Duration and Playtime Hours: Same Every Day, By Days of the Week
• Every Day (if chosen): Playtime Duration, Playable hours (start and end times)
• By Days of the Week (if chosen): Set hours and time

Time Zone

You already set this, but you can readjust if necessary

Parental Controls

Here, you reset the restriction level if needed.

Allowed Games

• Gameplay: You’ll see requests to play games restricted by the age level you set.
• Communication: You’ll see requests to use communication features in a specific game if the Communication and User-Generated Content setting is set to Strict.

Services and Apps

• Linked Services: See a list of services your child can link to their Sony Account.
• Authorized Apps: See a list of apps that can access your child’s information.

Privacy Settings

You’re prompted to use a QR code to change the settings in a web browser.

Family Member Information

Shows the child’s email address and Online ID

Reset Password

Enter a new password and re-enter it again to confirm.

Other Family and Parental Controls settings

In addition to setting up parental controls for your child, there are two other parts of the Family and Parental Controls section you can adjust. Take a look:

PS5 Console Restrictions

• User Creation and Guest Login: Allow, Don’t Allow
• Parental Controls for New Users: It’s similar to the restrictions portion when setting up a child’s account: Set the age level for PS5 games and apps, restrict web browsing, and so on.
• Temporarily Disable PS5 Console Restrictions: Let all Sony Account owners use any game, app, or device without parental control restrictions (on/off).
• Change Your Console Restriction Passcode: The default is 0000, so change it if you don’t want kids disabling parental controls (and they will lol).

Family Management

Select a family member or Add Family Member. If you access an existing account, you’ll see the same parental control settings you already customized, like Playtime, Parental Controls, Allowed Games, and so on.

Next, we’ll show you how to adjust the privacy settings in a web browser.

How to manage the family using a web browser

At first, I wrote instructions on how to make accounts using a web browser, but doing so on the console seemed easier. You end up accessing your accounts in a browser anyway, but at least most of the work is already done. We’ll assume you’ve already created the parent/guardian account at the very least.

Step 1: Go to playstation.com and select the Sign In button located in the top right.

Step 2: Enter your login credentials.

Step 3: Select your account avatar in the top right corner.

Step 4: Select Account Settings in the drop-down menu.

Here, you’ll see details specific to your account, like linked services, authorized apps, your payment method, and so on.

Step 5: Select Family Management on the left.

Step 6: Select the child’s account you want to modify, or select Add Family Member if you have other accounts you need to add.

You’ll see everything you’ve already set: Playtime, apps and devices, web browsing restrictions, and so on.

However, the web browser is where you’re directed when you want to set the Privacy Settings. Scroll down on the child’s account and select Edit to modify the settings. You have an option to allow the child to set their privacy settings or allow the parent/guardian.

Here’s a list of what you and your child can change.

Settings applied to PS5, PS4, and PC

• Who can see your child’s games and trophies: No One, Friends Only, Friends of Friends, Anyone
• Who can see your child’s online status and what they’re currently playing: Friends Only, Friends of Friends, Anyone
• Who can ask to be your child’s friend: Anyone, Friends of Friends, No One
• Who can interact with your child through parties, games, and messages: Anyone, No One, Friends Only

Settings applied to PS5 and PS4

• Who can see your child’s friends: No One, Friends Only, Friends of Friends, Anyone
• Your child’s personalized content: Personalized Purchase Recommendations, Personalized Advertising, Personalized Media, Standard Personalization
• Allow your child to receive crossplay invitations: Allow, Don’t Allow
• Allow your child to show read receipts on the PlayStation App: Allow, Don’t Allow

Settings applied to PS5

• Data your child provides: Full, Limited

Settings applied to PS4

• Who can see your child’s activities: No One, Friends Only, Friends of Friends, Anyone
• Who can follow your child: Friends Only, Anyone
• Who can see your child’s followers: No One, Friends Only, Friends of Friends, Anyone
• Who can see the players your child follows: No One, Friends Only, Friends of Friends, Anyone
• Who can send your child a request to watch: No One, Friends Only

How to use the PlayStation Family app

The PlayStation Family app is a new, easier way to manage your accounts. Some settings take you to the web portal anyway, but at least most of what you need is contained within an easy-to-use interface.

Step 1: Download and install the PlayStation Family app.

Step 2: Open the app and select Turn Notifications On or Not Now to get started.

Step 3: Sign in to your PSN Account. The app may automatically sign you in if you’re already logged in to the PlayStation App.

The app consists of three tabs: Home, Notifications, and Settings. The Home tab info is specific to the child account you select at the top. Here’s a rough breakdown of each tab:

Home

• Playtime for Today chart
• Playtime Settings: Set up and modify
• Activity chart
• View All Activity
• Monthly Spending Limit

Notifications

• All notifications you receive appear in this tab

Settings

• Family Management: See your accounts, add a child, add an adult
• Push notifications: Enable/disable for Playtime and Parental Controls
• Feedback: Complain to Sony about the number of times you have to log in
• Account Information: Your account info
• Service Status: Current status of all PlayStation services
• Support: Get help
• App and Legal Info: Yawn

So, let’s backtrack to the Home tab and select the “slider” Child Member Settings icon next to the child’s name.

More about Child Member Settings

Here you’ll see your child’s info, like their Sign-In ID, Online ID, the number of allowed games, and so on. There are also five sections that we’ve already customized to some degree on the console and in a web browser. I’ll be brief about each except where they’re different from the other interfaces.

Parental Controls

• Restriction Level
• Games and Apps
• Online Communication
• Monthly Spending Limit
• Web Browsing
• Age Filtering for Online Content
• Use of PlayStation VR2 and PlayStation VR
• Parental Controls on PC

Playtime Settings

• Restrict Playtime on/off
• Time Zone
• Setting Console Restrictions: Prevent the child from changing parental controls on the console

Privacy Settings

• Privacy Settings Set By: Parents/guardian, Child
• Privacy Profile (see above)
• The remaining privacy settings are already defined in the web browser instructions shown above.

Linked Services

• Takes you to your child’s PSN Account web page listing all linked services, but within the app

Authorized Apps

• Takes you to your child’s PSN Account web page listing all authorized apps, but within the app.

Recover Account

• Takes you to your child’s PSN Account web page to reset the password, but within the app

Our pick: Which password manager is best?

LastPass is our go-to solution for the best password manager. It checks all the right boxes: desktop and mobile support, password sharing, file storage, family management, dark web monitoring, a password generator, and more. It feels more complete overall, thanks to a good balance of free and premium features.

The 7 best password managers

• Best overall: LastPass
• Best for Apple devices: 1Password
• Best for usability: Dashlane
• Best for business: Keeper
• Best for budgets: RoboForm
• Best free option: Bitwarden
• Best no-cloud password sync: Sticky Password

*Non-business prices as of 12/01/25.

What should you look for in a password manager?

The best password manager should generate long, unique passwords that are nearly impossible to crack. It’s essential for day-to-day use across all accounts because passwords are often reused, too short, and easily guessed.

A password manager should also support multiple operating systems, like Windows and Android. Be sure to pick a password manager that is in active development and offers end-to-end encryption, if possible.

Finally, a password manager should list “zero knowledge” somewhere on its product page. That means the developer doesn’t have access to your data. If a password manager advertises device synchronization (most do), that data should reside on the developer’s cloud servers as an inaccessible encrypted blob.

For a more in-depth look at the essential features to consider in a password manager, jump ahead to our expanded section below.

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FAQ about password managers

One of the hottest items of 2025 is the Nintendo Switch 2 console. It’s bigger and meatier than its predecessor, sporting far better graphics, a larger screen, and a more comfortable build.

And because Nintendo is more of a family-friendly brand than the competition, you know there are plenty of tools at your disposal to keep kids safe when they play any Nintendo console.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to set a system lock PIN if you’re more concerned about time limits than content and communication. If you need more control over what your children play and do on Nintendo’s consoles, I’ll list three other ways to set up parental controls, plus how to manage GameChat, the new chat tool exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2.

Before we begin

The Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 do not require a Nintendo Account to play games offline—all you need is a local user account. Any parental controls you set locally apply to all users on the console, whether they’re owned by adults or children.

However, the local parental controls are limited. Features like play times, spending restrictions, remote parental control management, and online play require a Nintendo Account.

Having just one Nintendo Account may be ideal if you only have one console. Setting up a parent/guardian account and managed child accounts is the way to go if you have multiple consoles.

First, let’s dig into how you can set a simple system lock PIN.

How to set a system lock PIN

Use this feature if all you want to do is control when users can play the Nintendo Switch or Switch 2.

Step 1: Select the System Settings gear icon on the HOME Menu.

Step 2: Scroll down and select System.

Step 3: Select the System Lock toggle on the right to enable this feature.

Step 4: Select OK on the pop-up screen stating that you’ll need a PIN.

Step 5: Enter a four- to eight-digit PIN and then select OK.

Step 6: Re-enter the PIN again, and then select OK.

Need more control than a PIN lock? Let’s move on to how you can set the parental controls locally on the Switch and Switch 2 consoles.

How to set the parental controls without a Nintendo Account

During the fourth step, you’ll see an option to scan a QR code and install the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app. We’ll ignore the app and set the parental controls on the console itself.

Step 1: Select the System Settings gear icon on the HOME Menu.

Step 2: Select Parental Controls on the following screen.

Step 3: Select Set Up Parental Controls on the right.

Step 4: Select No Smart Device Available at the bottom.

Step 5: A pop-up message about accessing app-specific controls appears. Select Next.

Step 6: Set the Restriction Level (Unrestricted, Teen, Preteen, Child, or Custom Settings).

For Custom Settings, you have the following options:

• Restricted Software: Select “Unrestricted” or choose an age, such as “Rated for ages 15+”. The youngest you can set is “Rated for ages 3+”.
• Communicating with Others: Select this if needed, followed by the toggle on the next screen. Once enabled, you can toggle on and off the communication feature for each game.
• Restrict VR Mode (3D Visuals): Tap the toggle to turn VR mode on or off. This feature is used with headsets like the Nintendo Labo VR Kit. Nintendo says to turn this feature off if the console will be used by children under seven years old. Check out the Nintendo Labo page for more information about VR-compatible games.
• Software Rating Organization: Tap to change the rating system used in your region.

Select Next when you’re done.

Step 7: Create a four- to eight-digit PIN to lock the parental controls.

Step 8: Re-enter the PIN to confirm, then select OK to finish.

How to set parental controls using a Nintendo Account on one console

To play multiplayer games like Fortnite and Splatoon 3, you need a Nintendo Online subscription. To use the service, you need a Nintendo Account.

Keep in mind that if you create a Nintendo Account with unrestricted settings, every user account plays unrestricted. On the flip side, if you restrict specific games and features on the console, the restrictions apply to everyone who uses the console, not just kids.

That said, let’s create a Nintendo Account and we’ll go from there.

Create a Nintendo Account

Step 1: Go to the Nintendo Account page and select Create a Nintendo Account at the bottom.

Step 2: Enter your date of birth and then select Submit.

Step 3: Use Google or Apple to finish. Alternatively, enter a nickname, a valid e-mail address, a password, your gender, country, and time zone. Check the boxes to agree with Nintendo’s user agreement and privacy policies, and then select Submit.

Step 4: Choose your email preferences and then select Confirm & Register.

Step 5: Enter the verification code you received in an email to complete the setup.

Link your account and set the parental controls

Step 1: On the Switch or Switch 2, select the user account you’ll use to bind the console to your Nintendo Account.

Step 2: Select Sign In to a Nintendo Account on the following screen.

Step 3: Select Sign in with a QR code, which takes you to Nintendo’s login page. Alternatively, you can select Other Sign-In Methods.

Step 4: Select the Nintendo Account that will link to the console.

Step 5: Enter the verification code on the console and then select OK.

Step 6: Select Link to bind the console to your account.

Step 7: Select OK to finish.

Set the parental controls using the app

Now that the console is linked with your Nintendo Account, you need to bind the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app too.

Step 1: Download and install the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app.

Step 2: Open the app and select Start.

Step 3: Select whether you want to send or not send diagnostic data to Nintendo, and then select OK.

Step 4: Select Sign In/Create Account.

Step 5: Select Sign In (since we’ve already created an account) followed by the account you wish to use for binding the app to the console, then select Next.

Step 6: Move to the Switch or Switch 2 console and select the System Settings gear icon on the HOME Menu.

Step 7: Select Parental Controls on the following screen.

Step 8: Select Set Up Parental Controls on the right.

Step 9: Select App Has Been Installed.

Step 10: Select Enter Link Code.

Step 11: Enter the registration code you received in the app.

Step 12: Verify that the console is pairing with the correct account and then select Link.

Now that you have the app linked to the console, let’s see what you can do.

How to use the parental controls app

The Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app is divided into three tabs: Play Activity, Monthly Summary, and Parental Controls. The latter tab is where we want to begin.

Step 1: Select the Parental Controls tab.

Step 2: Select Play-Time Limit.

• Vary by Day (on/off): You can set when the restrictions apply on a daily basis, like easing restrictions on the weekends.
• Play-Time Limit: You can select Unrestricted or select the play time in 15-minute intervals up to six hours.
• Bedtime: None, or set the time between 4 p.m. and 11:45 p.m.
• Suspend Play When Time’s Up (enable/disable): No users can play games when the daily time is up.

Step 3: Select Save to complete.

Step 4: Select Restricted Features.

• Allow List: Add games that the Nintendo Account can play.
• Restriction Level: Your choices are None, Teen, Preteen, Child, and Custom Settings. These settings determine what the user can play, how they communicate with other games, how they post media, and use VR Mode.

Step 5: Select Save to complete.

Step 6: Select Spending Restrictions. This action takes you to accounts.nintendo.com within the app.

Step 7: Select the Nintendo Account you want to restrict.

Step 8: Select Spending Restrictions.

Step 9: Tap on the box under Spending/purchases on Nintendo Switch eShop and nintendo.com, and then select Save changes.

That’s it. You’re good to go. Game on. But wait! What if you have multiple consoles and need to manage each one? Move on to the next section if that’s the setup you need.

How to set parental controls using a Nintendo Account on multiple consoles

We’ll assume you already created a parent/guardian account. Now we need to use your administrator Nintendo Account to create a Family Group and all the managed child accounts.

Having individual managed child accounts allows you to set restrictions based on their age. Plus, each child has access to the Nintendo Switch Online Family membership.

Create and manage a supervised Nintendo Account

Here we’ll create a Family Group and a child’s Nintendo Account that we’ll link to a Switch or Switch 2 console.

Step 1: In a browser, log in to your Nintendo Account.

Step 2: Select Nintendo Account Overview.

Step 3: Select Family Group.

Step 4: Select the Create Family Group button.

Step 5: Select Create an account for a child.

Step 6: Enter an account nickname, a sign-in ID, a password, date of birth, gender, and then agree to Nintendo’s privacy policy. Select Submit to complete.

Step 7: Move to the console and select the user account you want to bind to the child’s Nintendo Account.

Step 8: Select Sign in with a QR code, which takes you to Nintendo’s login page. Alternatively, you can select Other Sign-In Methods.

Step 9: Select the Nintendo Account that will link to the console.

Step 10: Enter the verification code on the console and then select OK.

Step 11: Select Link to bind the console to your account.

Step 12: Select OK to finish.

Alrighty then. Now that the child’s Switch or Switch 2 console is linked to their Nintendo Account, you’ll see them listed in the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app. If you have another child with their own console, repeat the process, and the child will also appear in the app.

The next step only applies to the Nintendo Switch 2: Managing GameChat.

How to manage GameChat

GameChat is a new feature introduced with the Nintendo Switch 2. It allows you to communicate with other Switch 2 gamers in real-time through voice or text. Setting it up requires a Nintendo Account, a Nintendo Online subscription, and a verification code.

Once GameChat is set up, you can set the approved friends for chatting. Next, you open GameChat, create a room, select your friends, and away you go. It uses the built-in microphone, but it also supports the Nintendo Switch 2 camera.

Keep in mind that if you’re the primary (adult) user of a Nintendo Switch 2 but a child created a user account on the console, you still need to set up parental controls to use GameChat. The feature will not start without parental controls enabled.

Here’s how to get started:

Step 1: Select GameChat on the console.

Step 2: Select the user account that will use GameChat.

Step 3: Select the Start button.

Step 4: Select Next after you read the intro.

Step 5: Agree to the terms and select Next.

Step 6: Consent to the terms and select Next.

Step 7: The app provides a verification code. Enter it into the console to finish.

Step 8: In the app, select the console (if it’s not already) followed by GameChat.

Step 9: Select the user account you just added.

When you link a child’s account, you won’t see anything but a blank friends list at first. The ellipsis icon next to the child’s name takes you to the Video Chat settings screen, where you can require the child to ask permission to use the video camera for each GameShat session.

Overall, here’s what you can do:

• Approve or deny friend requests
• Write yourself a reminder about each friend
• Don’t allow or require permission to use video during each chat session
• Set the camera’s field of view
• View the chat history

Updating your browser to the most recent version gives you access to the newest features and improvements, but most importantly, it protects your computer from attacks. Most browsers update automatically by default, but if your browser is out of date for any reason, you can manually update it by doing the following:

1. Open your browser menu.
2. Find your browser’s About page and select it.
3. Click the update button.
4. Close your browser and relaunch it.

Most modern browsers follow similar steps, but there are some minor differences in the menus and buttons. To learn more about the how and why of updating your browser, read on as we go into specific details.

Why should I manually update?

Ideally, you probably don’t want to be doing updates manually. In general, it’s a good idea to set your browser to download and install updates automatically in order to keep it protected from any recently discovered vulnerabilities or exploits. There are, however, a few situations where you might want more control over when these updates are downloaded. For example, some satellite plans give you extra data during low-traffic hours that you can use for downloading software updates and other large files.

Users might also want to manually update their browser proactively. Some browsers make new updates available days or weeks before they roll them out as automatic updates. If you want to know about updates as soon as they become available, you should follow your preferred browser’s developer blog, such as the Chrome Dev Blog.

In any case, find the method that works best for you to keep your browser as current as possible to avoid security threats online.

How to update Chrome

To update your browser when using Google Chrome, follow these steps:

1. Open Chrome.

2. Open the Menu (three dots in the top right corner).

3. Select Help > About Google Chrome from the menu.

4. Check to see if Chrome is up to date. If not, click Update Google Chrome.
5. Close your browser and relaunch it to apply the update.

How to update Firefox

To update your browser when using Firefox, follow these steps:

1. Open Firefox.

2. Open the Menu (three dots in the top right corner).

3. Select Help > About Firefox

4. Click Restart to Update Firefox.

How to update Internet Explorer

Microsoft officially ended support for Internet Explorer 11 on June 15, 2022. That means that there will be no more official updates to the browser and thus you can’t update it, even if new security flaws are found. If you’re one of the last holdouts still using Internet explorer, it’s finally time to switch to another browser.

If any site you visit needs Internet Explorer, you can reload it with Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge.

How to update Microsoft Edge

To update your browser when using Microsoft Edge, follow these steps:

1. Open Microsoft Edge.

2. Open the Menu (three dots in the top right corner).

3. Select Help and Feedback > About Microsoft Edge.
4. If an update is available, it will begin updating automatically.

How to update Safari

Apple has discontinued support for versions of Safari on non-Apple devices, so updating Safari is now integrated with upgrading your OS. To update your OS, follow these steps:

1. Open the Apple menu in the top left corner of your screen.

2. Select System Preferences.

3. Click on Software Update.

4. Click Upgrade now to update your OS, including Safari, or select Automatically keep my Mac up to date to turn on automatic updates to keep it updated in the future.

Data effective 8/27/2025. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Our pick: Which free parental control software is best?

The best free option for parental controls is easily Kurupira Web Filter. It gives you a huge amount of control over the content your kids can stumble upon online. It even has blacklisting and whitelisting options that many paid programs lack. There are no arbitrary limitations on the number of users or devices that can use it, and it doesn’t try to upsell you after a brief trial period. Unfortunately for Mac users, it’s only available on Windows.

Want more help keeping your kids safe online?

Free tools are great, but there are a few things parents need to know in their quest to keep their kids safe online.

1. Many devices and apps have their own parental control features
Whether you’re setting up a new iPhone or a new Netflix account, there’s a good chance you can control how your kids use it. Look for safety or security options in settings or accounts.

Learn About Parental Controls for iPhones, iPads, and Macs

Learn About Parental Controls for Microsoft Devices

2. Routers can be the best way to maintain safety for the entire household
The free solutions we recommend on this page are good for one device at a time, but most routers have tools that let you block or allow sites for every device on the home network. They usually let you set time limits by device, too, and may include bonus features like virus and malware protection. Router controls won’t help if your kid has access to a mobile line, but they’re a great place to start.

See the Best Routers with Parental Controls

Learn How to Set Up Parental Controls on Your Router

3. Your internet provider may offer security add-ons
Many internet service providers offer help with safety and security, whether it’s through the routers they offer or through add-on services. If parental controls and security are important to you, ask about them any time you consider switching plans.

Find a New Home Internet Provider

The best free parental control software

• Best overall: Kurupira Web Filter
• Best monitoring app: Life360 Family Locator
• Best freemium: Qustodio Free

Data effective 08/27/2025. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

When you’re looking for free parental control software, the first thing to look for is features that are free for good, not just part of a free trial. Freemium options can be good choices because, while they give you the ability to upgrade for more features, you still have a fully functional piece of software at no cost.

There are a lot of good free options out there, but each generally specializes in one or two things. You probably need different pieces of software for different purposes. If you want a single parental control system that covers all your devices and gives you all the tools you need for both mobile and desktop, you won’t find one for free.

If a more versatile option sounds worth paying for, check out our review of the best parental control tools to see if one of these options works for you.

Free parental controls FAQ

Even on secure networks, cybercriminals still find ways to get in, and once they do, they potentially have access to anything and everything you do online. They use these vulnerabilities to steal your money, peer into your personal life, and perhaps even access live video feeds of your home. Terrifying, right? It’s the unfortunate reality of having so much of our lives integrated into technology.

The upside is Wi-Fi security is constantly improving, giving you some big guns to defend your home network. Once you combine your network’s built-in security tools with good network safety practices, you have a fairly robust defense against cybercriminals.

We’ll go over some of the ways hackers break into your network and show you what to look for in case of a security breach. Then, we’ll go over some essential preventive measures you can take to build up your own personal Fort Knox of Wi-Fi security.

Jump to: How hackers break into your network | How to protect your home network from hackers

Jump to:

• How hackers break into your network
• How to protect your home network from hackers

How hackers break into your network

Phishing

Phishing is a scam tactic used by hackers that tricks you into clicking on a malicious link or attachment that either installs malware on your device or persuades you to provide sensitive information, like login credentials. Phishing usually comes in the form of text messages or emails disguised as communication from reputable or familiar sources. Keep an eye out for urgent language pushing you to act fast—that’s a major red flag.

Here are some commonly used phishing attacks and warning signs you may run into:

• Claiming an issue with an account or payment
• Malicious login attempts
• Directing you to follow a link to fix a problem
• Asking you to download an attachment
• Asking for sensitive information
• Typos

Phishing usually relies on you taking the bait, so all you have to do is avoid clicking that fateful link or attachement. Approach all links and attachments with a healthy level of skepticism and be sure to always check the sender’s email address for anything that may raise an eyebrow. 

Malware

Malware, short for Malicious Software, is any software designed to extract private information or harm your devices. These programs come in a variety of nefarious forms. Some record everything you type into your keyboard, searching for passwords. Others may intercept your web traffic, while some take pictures of your screen and send those back to the criminal. Some malware acts as a passageway for more malware. And sometimes, Malware is designed to simply mess up your computer.

You get malware by downloading files or clicking on links. Don’t download files from untrusted sources, and keep an eye out for disguised websites and emails. If you’re unfamiliar with a source, think long and hard before you let it through your network defenses.

Brute Force Attacks

Brute force attacks involve using a program to guess your password until it finds the right combination of characters. For a person, this is usually impossible without some type of hint, but computers can cycle through thousands of attempts without breaking a sweat.

How to protect your home network from hackers

There are many tools and practices at your disposal to protect yourself from malicious network attacks. Most are really easy to implement in your home network.

Create strong passwords

Your first line of defense is robust passwords that are not easily cracked by hackers. Many of us are guilty of creating simple passwords based on personal information like birthdays or names; it makes sense, as these are easy to remember, and being locked out of your accounts seems to happen at the worst times. But these passwords are also easy for criminals to decipher.

Sometimes, it doesn’t even take the use of malicious programs to break these passwords. Identifying information, like birthdays, pet names, and other personal details is often easy enough to find through a person’s public social media posts or profile information.

Best practice: The most secure passwords mix character types (numbers, letters, and symbols), contain at least 10 characters, and are not based on personal details (such as birthdays or pet names).

Change your router’s default login credentials

Router login credentials are not the same thing as your Wi-Fi name and password. Your router login credentials allow you to change your home network’s settings. These settings include your Wi-Fi password and your security settings.

Many routers come with default login credentials that are laughably insecure. In fact, the login credentials are usually something like “Admin” for the username, and the password is literally set as the word “password.” Even worse, the login page is almost always a universal URL web address or IP address. This lack of security makes it extremely easy for anyone on your Wi-Fi network to access your router settings if you haven’t changed the default credentials.

Best practice: To change your router login credentials, you’ll need to access your router’s settings; we detail the process in full in our guide on logging into your router.

In short, all you have to do is connect to your router via Wi-Fi or using an Ethernet cable and navigate to the settings page in a web browser using the router’s login URL; this is usually printed on a sticker along with the default username and password. Once logged in, you’ll be able to change the password. Alternatively, some routers use a mobile app instead of a web interface.

Some routers prompt you to change the login credentials when you first set up the router. If you can’t remember if you changed them already, it’s best to double-check.

Keep your router security enabled

Aside from limiting access to your network with a Wi-Fi password, your router also has built-in security measures. These should be on by default, so all you need to do is keep them running. Also, if you have a stand-alone modem and router, don’t connect to the modem directly via Ethernet, as this bypasses your router’s built-in security features. Instead, connect your devices to your router via Ethernet or Wi-Fi.

Upgrade to a WPA3 Router

WPA3 is the latest security protocol used in all Wi-Fi certified routers and devices since 2020. WP3 introduced many improvements in Wi-Fi security, notably better encryption and defense against brute force password-cracking attacks.

Best practice: If you don’t have a router that can use WPA3, it might be time to shop for a new one—which could even help your Wi-Fi speeds if your router is older. If your router was released after 2020, you should already have a WPA3 router. If your router was released earlier, it may use WPA2, which is not as robust as WPA3. WPA3 was announced in 2018, so if your router was made before then, it’s definitely not taking advantage of WPA3’s enhanced security.

Keep your computer and devices updated

Like most tech fields, cybersecurity advances at an extremely fast pace. So, while security tools are always improving, so are the methods of cybercriminals. Keeping your OS updated ensures you have the latest protections installed.

Best practice: Regularly update your devices and apps and consider turning on automatic updates to help you avoid forgetting.

Set up a Wi-Fi guest network

A guest Wi-Fi network allows others to use your Wi-Fi network while still protecting the most vulnerable parts of your network. For example, someone on the guest network may be able to browse the internet, but they can’t log in to your router and start changing network settings. This is a nice way to share your Wi-Fi without as much risk.

Best practice: Set up a guest network for when someone you don’t know well visits or accesses your Wi-Fi for any reason. You can follow our guest network guide to get your setup started.

Use antivirus software

No matter how diligent you are, sometimes malware still finds its way into your home network. But don’t fret—you can prepare for such occasions with antivirus software. Antivirus software not only works to keep malware and viruses off your computer and devices, but it scans and erases malicious programs that make their way through your other defenses.

Best practice: Find an antivirus software that fits your budget and needs. Luckily, there’s a wide variety of options nowadays. You can set your software to regularly scan your devices and make sure your personal data constantly stays secure.

I will never, ever tell you to disable the firewall on your computer. That’s just crazy talk right there. Doing so opens the door to hackers and malware, all eager to seize your computer and steal your data. Not fun.

But there may come a time when you need to disable the firewall on Windows or Mac temporarily to troubleshoot issues—and that’s my only exception. For this reason, I’ll show you where to disable and enable the firewall on Windows PCs, desktop Macs, and MacBooks.

Are you troubleshooting speed issues?

You may not need to disable your firewall on Windows or Mac if you’re having internet speed issues. Connect a different PC to your router and run our speed test to compare the speeds.

A note before going in

The firewall on your Windows PC, Mac desktop, and MacBook is enabled by default. If you dig in and find that it’s been unknowingly turned off for some reason, chances are you already have some form of malware installed. I’d run a third-party virus scanner to clean out the malicious trash or perhaps even reset the device to its out-of-the-box state if the pesky bugs persist. Malware can slow your computer to a crawl and severely reduce your internet speeds, among other things.

How to enable or disable the firewall on Windows 11

You can take two paths to access the Microsoft Defender Firewall toggle. I will first give you Microsoft’s official instructions, followed by a shorter route using the hidden icons menu.

The Start button route

Step 1: Select the Start button.

Step 2: Select Settings on the Start Menu.

Step 3: The Settings panel appears on your screen. Select Privacy & Security on the left.

Step 4: Select Windows Security on the right.

Step 5: Select Firewall & network protection from the following list appearing on the right.

Step 6: The Windows Security panel appears on your screen with the Firewall & network protection category already selected. Choose Domain network, Private network, or Public network (see FAQ).

Step 7: Under Microsoft Defender Firewall, click on the toggle to set it to On or Off.

The hidden icons route

Here’s the shorter route to accessing the Microsoft Defender Firewall toggle. In my case, the Windows Defender icon resides in the hidden icons pop-up balloon. However, you may see the icon seated on the Taskbar instead.

Step 1: Select the Show hidden icons button (up arrow) on the Taskbar.

Step 2: Select the Windows Security icon.

Step 3: The Windows Security panel appears on your screen. Select Firewall & network protection on the left.

Step 4: Select Domain network, Private network, or Public network (see FAQ) on the right.

Step 5: Under Microsoft Defender Firewall, click on the toggle to set it to the On or Off position.

How to enable or disable the firewall on Windows 10

The instructions to reach the firewall toggle are different on Windows 10 than on Windows 11. But like Windows 11, you have two ways to reach the firewall toggle: using the traditional Start button method or the (faster) hidden icons route.

The Start button route

Step 1: Select the Start button.

Step 2: Select the Settings icon.

Step 3: The Settings panel appears on your screen. Select the Update & Security tile.

Step 4: Select Windows Security on the left.

Step 5: Select Firewall & network protection on the right.

Step 6: The Windows Security panel appears on your screen. Select Domain network, Private network, or Public network (see FAQ).

Step 7: Under Microsoft Defender Firewall, click on the toggle to set it to the On or Off position.

The hidden icons route

You can bypass the Settings window altogether and go directly to the Windows Security screen using these instructions.

Step 1: Select the Show hidden icons button (up arrow) on the Taskbar.

Step 2: Select the Windows Security icon in the pop-up menu.

Step 3: The Windows Security panel appears on the screen. Select the Firewall & network protection tile.

Step 4: Select Domain network, Private network, or Public network (see FAQ).

Step 5: Under Microsoft Defender Firewall, click on the toggle to set it to the On or Off position.

How to enable or disable the firewall on Mac

Apple keeps your route to the firewall toggle pretty simple, although you’ll have a faster trip if the System Settings icon is on the Dock. These instructions are based on macOS Ventura.

Step 1: Select the Apple menu icon in your screen’s top left corner.

Step 2: Select System Settings on the drop-down menu.

Alternative method: Select the System Settings icon if it appears on the Dock.

Step 3: The System Settings panel appears on your screen. Select Network on the left.

Step 4: Select Firewall on the right.

Step 5: Select the toggle to enable or disable the firewall.

Related sources

• How to Clear Your Browser Cache
• How to Update Your Web Browser
• 7 Signs of a Hacked Router and How to Fix It
• How to Secure Your Wi-Fi Router
• 8 Terrifying Security Flaws in Your Wi-Fi—And How to Fix Them

FAQ about enabling and disabling a firewall