It’s very hard to control kids internet access. Impossible really. Even if you do it fine at home, once they go to school it’s whatever policies the school has. Most require laptops and provide internet access.

> it’s whatever policies the school has.

so the school takes on that responsibility, as deputized by the parents.

Kids don't get unfettered access to the streets while at school. They can't take their bikes and ride out at will. What makes the internet and devices any different? The devices provided by the school should be lockdown-able, and kids should not be provided their own device unless there's a parental lock (which is enabled during school hours, and is similarly locked down).

The school does not take responsibility. Schools will tell you what you kid does at home is the parent's responsibility even if it is done on the school device. Parents do not have the ability to configure the content controls on the device itself, so technically sophisticated parents resort to tweaking router settings.

That’s just not how the system works.

Each school brews its own system more or less.

> That’s just not how the system works.

ok then make it work so. i feel it's like this thought flow:

- A causes B. and B is a problem.

- why not do C which causes not B.

- ahh, this wont work because it's A what is now, and C is not.

They could actually in the 80s and 90s.

I feel uncomfortable about the idea of controlling children, even my own. Certainly there is a requirement to protect children from others but I feel like putting in guard rails to prevent children from themselves only leads to making things taboo and, as a result, more interesting.

That's objectively not true. You can just use your own DNS server and lock the settings app either through android mdm policies or an locker app.

No that doesn’t work - tried it.

Google is basically its own private internet. It caches content so you can access all sorts of terrible stuff just from Google.com (and its related domains).

But if you cut Google you cut Google Classroom - which is required.

And Google Classroom itself has many workarounds.

This isn’t just a Google problem. The centralization of the Internet around a few mixed content domains really kills conventional filtering.

Paradoxically, there are so many centralized domains that even if you can block one, it’s just a game of whack a mole.

Eventually you just block the whole internet - and then what’s the point? Take away the 20 most popular mixed content platforms, messaging, etc, and you’re effectively blocking the whole internet.

The kids can’t contact their friends, watch educational videos, or any other legitimate use.