Are Parental Controls Sufficient?

[LeaL]

Are the built-in OS X parental controls good enough on their own, or should I look at outside apps to manage my child's account? I'm especially wondering how well Apple filters the internet if you choose the option (under Parental Controls) to restrict access to adult sites. Up to now, I've only allowed him to access websites that I OK (whitelisting), but he'd now like to be able to do more expensive Internet surfing and of course I want to ensure he stays as safe as possible.

Thank you.

 

[Mikael H]

If a kid is sufficiently motivated, nothing you do will stop them from reaching the sites they are interested in. Imo, it's better to have a respectful talk with them about the values you want to pass on to them.

That said, parental controls and/or DNS filtering serves a similar purpose as having a lock on your front door: It won't avert a determined person, but it will tell them that you don't want them to enter.

I've had several people recommend OpenDNS FamilyShield as a good, free assistant: https://store.opendns.com/setup/#/familyshield