Get Around Parental Controls on the Internet

Parental controls often impose strict limitations on your browsing. Though your first choice should always be to talk to your parents about having the controls lifted, there are a few ways to bypass parental controls on phones and computers through the use of virtual private networks, administrator account access, and mobile factory resets.

Steps

Doing a Reset on Mobile

  1. Prepare your phone for a reset. The most effective way to remove parental controls from a phone is to restore it to its factory settings. Make sure you have your USB cable and a working computer nearby.
  2. Update iTunes if necessary. If iTunes has an update available, it will display an alert when you open iTunes--click "Update Now" on this alert to update.
  3. Back up your files. A factory reset wipes your phone clean of information, so you need to copy that information to your computer or the Cloud in order to protect it. Plug your phone into a computer and initiate the back-up process; most phones and tablets back up automatically when connected to a computer.
    • For an iPhone, you should open iTunes, right-click their device's icon in the Devices pane, and select "Back Up". Make sure iCloud is turned off, or you won't be able to perform an iTunes back-up.[1]
    • For Android, you should open the Settings app, select "Personal", select "Backup and Reset", select the "back up my data" option, and press "Backup" underneath.[2]
  4. Double-check your back-up status. Make sure you've saved your files, photos, and contacts before proceeding! Look for the date of the last back-up in iTunes (iPhone)f or the Google Dashboard (Android ).
  5. Reset your phone. Follow your phone's directions to ensure a safe reset. Select your phone under "Devices" in iTunes, click "Restore" in the summary panel, then click "Restore" on the resulting pop-up.[1]
    • For an Android phone, go to the "Backup and Reset" menu in Settings, tap "Factory data reset", press "Reset phone", enter your personal verification, and then select "Erase everything" when the option comes up.[3]
  6. Restore your files from the backup. Once the factory reset is complete, restore your settings by setting it up like you would a new phone. In iTunes, you can click the "Devices" tab under the "File" option, and select "Restore from backup"; find the backup you just made and select it as the restore point.[4]
    • For Android, you can sign into their Google account to access their backed-up data.
  7. Confirm that you now have unrestricted browsing. After resetting, open your phone's browser and enter a previously-blocked site. You should now be able to access the site!

Using VPN Software

  1. Open a search engine of your choosing. Parental controls generally leave sites like Google and Bing accessible.
  2. Search "free VPN software". Virtual Private Network (VPN) software is designed to mask your computer’s location and can help you bypass parental controls. VPNs are commonly used for those who wish to browse the web more securely or privately.[5]
    • Look for VPN software with a free trial, like TunnelBear or VyperVpn.
  3. Download VPN software. Once you find unblocked VPN software with a free trial, download it from its site.
    • As a general rule, only download files from reputable, source sites. Third-party downloads run the risk of infecting your computer.
  4. Activate your VPN. Though you may be asked to provide your VPN with credentials such as your geographical location, most editions can read your system's information and then go to work with minimal instruction.
  5. Confirm that you have unrestricted browsing. Open a browser and try typing in a previously-blocked site. You should now be able to bypass the parental controls!

Using a Proxy or an Unblocking Site

  1. Open a search engine of your choosing. Parental controls leave search sites such as Google and Bing accessible.
  2. Search for "proxy sites". Proxies bypass filters on your internet by diverting the traffic to another server, masking your computer's address in the process.
    • Proxies routinely get blocked but new proxies generally take their place--you should be able to find one with minimal browsing.
    • Proxy sites reroute your traffic through a non-local server, so your internet will probably slow down. Minimize this loss by selecting a proxy as close to your location as possible.
  3. Enter your URL. Once on the proxy site, you should see a text box in which you can type a URL. Enter your desired URL to go to that site.
    • Many proxy sites redirect you to a new search bar for simplified browsing.
  4. Confirm that you have unrestricted browsing. Due to the proxy, the websites you visit won't show up to parental controls.
    • You will have to find a new proxy at some point, since your chosen one will probably get blocked.

Using Your PC's Admin Account on Windows 8 and 10

  1. Open "Command Prompt". Open the Start menu, then click "All Apps", navigate to the "Windows System" folder, open it, and then right-click on "Command Prompt". Select the "More" tab in the drop-down menu, then click "Run as administrator". This should open the Command Prompt app, with which you will activate the Administrator account.
  2. Activate the Administrator account. In the Command Prompt app, enter the following text without the quotations: "net user administrator /active:yes". When you're done, hit the ↵ Enter key to finalize your choice.[6]
  3. Restart your computer. In the Start menu, click "Power", then "Restart". Your computer will reboot to the login screen.
  4. Open the Administrator account. You should see two accounts: your default profile, and the Administrator account. Click on the Administrator account to open it.
    • By default, the Administrator account is unprotected.
  5. Disable the parental controls. Navigate to the Control Panel program by typing "Control Panel" into the search bar and clicking on the desktop app when it appears, open User Accounts from within the app, select "Parental Controls" from User Accounts, click on the default account, and switch the controls to "Parental control off".[7]
  6. Confirm that you have unrestricted browsing. Try to visit a previously-blocked site. Once the parental controls are disabled, you should be able to browse without limitations.

Using Your PC's Admin Account on Pre-Windows 8 Computers

  1. Restart your computer. Go to your Start menu, click the "Power" button, then click the "Restart" option.
  2. Boot your computer in Safe Mode. As your computer restarts, hold down the F8 key; you'll need to do this before the Windows logo appears on screen. Hold down this key until the Advanced Boot Options screen emerges.
  3. Run Safe Mode. Once the Advanced Boot Options screen appears, select the "safe mode" option with the ↓ key until you reach the "Safe Mode" option. Hit the ↵ Enter key to finalize.
  4. Open the Administrator account. Upon boot-up, you should see two accounts: your default user, and an account labeled "Administrator". The Administrator account allows access to all system processes and is, by default, not password-protected.
  5. Disable the parental controls. Navigate to the Control Panel program, open User Accounts from within the app, select "Parental Controls" from User Accounts, click on the default account, and switch the controls to "Parental control off".[7]
  6. Confirm that you have unrestricted browsing. Try to visit a previously-blocked site. Once the parental controls are disabled, you should be able to browse without limitations.

Tips

  • Avoid third-party browsers like Tor--though these browsers will often allow you to access sites anonymously, they can also cause serious harm to your computer.
  • The administrator bypass only works for PCs. For Mac, you should stick to downloading VPNs and using proxy networks.

Warnings

  • Be careful when downloading software meant to bypass your router; you'll want to scan everything before downloading or installing, since your download could carry a virus.
  • You should never use the administrator bypass on a computer that isn't yours--that is, a work computer or an otherwise-shared computer. To do so would be considered hacking, which is illegal.
  • You shouldn't access personal account information whilst using a proxy or VPN. Ironically, these servers don't always have the best protection against hackers or viruses.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201252
  2. ↑ https://www.androidpit.com/how-to-back-up-everything-on-android
  3. ↑ https://support.google.com/android-one/answer/6088915?hl=en
  4. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/ht204184
  5. ↑ http://www.howtogeek.com/167418/5-ways-to-bypass-internet-censorship-and-filtering/
  6. ↑ http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-security/how-to-activate-administrator-account-in-safe-mode/2f4b7142-752d-40bd-8b1a-fb78671dd820?auth=1
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-security/how-do-i-switch-off-parental-control/25fd2b1a-58e3-4648-b6a7-90fff12027c2
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