Is a Porn Blocker Enough?
A porn blocker can be a great solution to keep unwanted content off your devices. But porn blockers shouldn’t be the only tools you use. Here’s why…
Page at a Glance
Finding the Right Porn Blocker
Maybe you’re trying to block porn on your own devices or your child’s. Or maybe you’re trying to help someone who’s struggling with unwanted habits online. Whatever the situation, you’ve probably considered how a porn blocker could help you.
Let’s look at the two main types of porn blockers, the different features they may have, and why porn blocking alone is not the best solution to living porn-free.
Types of Porn Blockers
While there’s no end to the porn online, there is also porn blocking technology that you can use to block inappropriate content from your computers and other devices. “Porn blocker,” “content filter,” or “parental controls” are some of the terms used to describe this technology.
However, it’s important to understand that not all filtering, blocking, and parental controls are the same. These terms are often used interchangeably to describe very different kinds of software or hardware.
Here's some basic information about the two main types of porn blockers: Router-Based Porn Blockers and Porn Blocking Software.
Router-Based Porn Blocking
You can block porn on an internet connection using the router itself. This means that the blocking settings you choose are applied to anybody who uses your Wi-Fi.
Some routers are marketed specifically for this purpose, but most standard routers have website blocking options available.
The router may have specific configuration settings for different types of content. Or it may just give the option to block particular sites.
If you’re not sure about your router, check the user manual or try contacting your internet provider.
This is a great first line of defense, and once you set it up, it’s automatically applied to everyone using your Wi-Fi.
Porn Blocking Software
Blocking adult or inappropriate websites through the router isn’t the only option. You can also use software solutions on the computer or device itself. The benefit of blocking on the device itself is that the blocking continues even if the device is used at a friend’s house or public Wi-Fi network.
There are many programs offered for various platforms. Covenant Eyes offers porn blocking software for Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, iPad, and iPod mobile devices.
What Features Make a Good Porn Blocker?
Within the two basic types of porn blockers—router-based and software—there is a lot of variety in the offerings. What should you look for exactly?
First, ask yourself what you are trying to accomplish. Some solutions may be great for accidental exposure but ineffective to prevent someone from actively seeking out porn. For example, Covenant Eyes is designed to limit uninstall attempts by prompting a user for an uninstall code before uninstalling. If you’re blocking porn for yourself, you can even give access to the code to a friend or relative so you can’t remove blocking without talking to them first.
Different Blocking Levels
Next, ask yourself what kind of content you want to block. Explicit porn? Suggestive celebrity gossip columns? Social media sites with mature or adult-themed content?
A good porn blocker will have some flexibility in what you choose to block. However, at a minimum, you want something that will block all the most popular porn sites. Additionally, your porn blocker should be able to enforce Safe Search in search engines so explicit search terms will automatically be removed from the results.
Covenant Eyes porn blocking has two blocking levels: “standard blocking” for blocking known porn sites and “strong blocking” for known porn sites and other sites that provide access to porn, such as Reddit.
Custom Lists
With any blocking tool, there may be specific websites you want to block that are not blocked by default. One example is Instagram. Because Instagram offers both safe content and pornographic content, you might want to block access to it completely.
Some filters and blockers also give you the option to allow specific sites that you DON’T want to be blocked. For example, there may be a website that deals with sexual health or other mature themes that you want to access.
An important thing to keep in mind is who can access these blocker settings. Covenant Eyes porn blocking gives the option for any member to block websites for themselves. However, only the Filter Guardian can allow a website that has already been blocked.
Reporting
If you’re looking to quit porn, protect your kids, or help someone else quit, then monitoring what is on your device’s screen is an essential feature in addition to the actual blocking. Screen monitoring reports confirm whether the porn blocking is effectively keeping porn off the screen.
Having reporting in place can also reveal if there are additional sites that need to be blocked or if the user of the device is taking steps to bypass the website filtering.
Some programs just keep a list of the web addresses that are accessed and report this. This can be confusing and inaccurate. Covenant Eyes Screen Accountability monitors the images that appear on the screen and uses artificial intelligence to detect pornography. Our reports will let you know if inappropriate websites are still being viewed.
Is It Possible to Block All Porn?
“Yeah, yeah, enough technical detail. I just want to block all porn on my device!”
If you are like most people, you don’t really care how it works; you just want to keep the bad stuff off the screen!
There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that it’s easy to install a blocking program like Covenant Eyes and immediately begin blocking porn sites.
But here’s the bad news: it’s not possible to block all porn. While there is great technology out there to block the bad stuff, none of it works perfectly for every possible situation. There’s too much online porn and too many ways for it to slip through the cracks.
And if someone does find a way around the porn blocker, it won’t notify anyone. This anonymity and isolation make it harder for someone who wants to stay away from porn.
While it’s important to set up porn blocking on your devices or network, it’s equally important to be aware of the limitations.
For someone looking to quit porn or a parent looking to protect their children, porn blocking isn’t enough. Good thing there's a proven solution that works.
Why Accountability Pairs Perfectly With Porn Blocking
The limits of porn blocking are a major reason why Covenant Eyes features accountability reporting in addition to porn blocking, making us unique among porn blockers.
Over two decades ago, Dr. Alvin Cooper noted what he called the Triple-A Engine of Internet Porn: it’s affordable, accessible, and anonymous. He meant online porn is cheap, easy to find, and nobody has to know about it. This Triple-A Engine is what makes porn so difficult to quit.
We can’t do much about the affordability of internet porn, and blockers are only a partial solution to accessibility. However, accountability software can remove anonymity, effectively disabling the engine.
Accountability reporting is not about controlling behaviors. Rather, it’s about harnessing the power of relationships to overcome porn.
With Covenant Eyes, you invite an ally to receive your reports. Your ally sees where you go online, and this removes the temptation to seek out porn, even as the porn blocking works in the background to help prevent porn from ever showing up on your screen.
Whether you want to break free from porn yourself, protect your kids, or help a friend, having an accountability reporting solution in addition to porn blocking is critical to success. Covenant Eyes is unique among porn blockers because we offer both blocking and accountability, giving you the best possible path to success.
A Porn Blocker... And So Much More
Covenant Eyes offers powerful porn-blocking features. But it doesn’t just block access to porn; it also harnesses the power of relationships to disable the Triple-A engine that fuels porn to begin with.
Covenant Eyes brings honesty and transparency to your accountability relationships, neutralizing shame and anonymity and helping you live porn-free.