Instagram is one of the most popular social media apps in the world. Furthermore, studies show social media is one of the most well-known ways to cause depression amongst teens. The damage it may do to children even younger may be worse than you originally thought. Here are four ways to stop you and your child’s Instagram and Facebook from taking advantage of them.

Blocking Instagram & Facebook

Difficulty: Easy – Blocking Access On Google Chrome

This is a free, easy-to-install and use website and apps blocker. To install, the first thing to do is go to Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, and download the ‘Block Site’ app. If installing from a computer, search for the ‘Block Site’ app and pick the option ‘Add to Chrome’ (a blue button on the right-hand side). It will give a choice of ‘Add Extension,’ which will activate the blocker.

This works by creating a blocklist on Chrome. This is where you add the Instagram Live website. When your child clicks on the Facebook or Instagram app, they will not be able to access the actual Social Media platform. Another way is to choose the ‘block by keywords’ option.

This is especially for specific Facebook and Instagram posts alongside inappropriate content that you do not want your children to see. You can also have your block site active for specific times so that they can access Facebook or Instagram for whenever you feel comfortable doing so. So, for example, you can choose to block it when you are there with them.

Difficulty: Easy – Blocking Access On Firefox

Following a very similar process to the steps we did on Google Chrome, it is very easy to install. Search for the ‘add-on’ store page – then, tap ‘install’. To remove it, you would just need to click uninstall and would not have to restart your device or Firefox browser.

This blocker works by completely blocking the Facebook and Instagram domain. Open the Facebook or Instagram domain page, right-click and click the option ‘Block This Website’. This blocker is easy to use and uses minimal memory space.

Difficulty: Hard – Blocking Access On The Entire Computer

You can block the Facebook and Instagram website on your computer to protect your child. You can do this by blocking the app on the computer operating system.

To do this on a Windows computer, these are the steps to take:

1. Get administrator access on your computer. Get into your PC via the administrator account and type C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\
2. Double click on the file labelled ‘Hosts’ and pick Notepad from the programs listed to open the file, then press ‘Ok’. The last two lines should be # 127.0.0.1 localhost” and “# ::1 localhost”.
3. If you are unable to edit the file, right-click the ‘hosts’ file and click properties, then click the security option. From there, select the ‘Administrator Account’ and then click ‘Edit’. Where the window appears, choose the account again and check the option Full control. Choose ‘Apply’, then ‘Yes’,  then click Ok for every popup window.
4. Add the Facebook or Instagram address at the end of the file. You do this by adding 127.0.0.1 and then Facebook or Instagram at the end of the file. It will look like 127.0.0.1 www.instagram.com. This will send Instagram’s name to your local computer.
5. Finally, close the hosts’ file and save it. Restart your computer so that the blocking can be activated.

Difficulty: Hard – Blocking Access Across The Entire Network

You can block Facebook or Instagram from your Wi-Fi router. These are the steps to do this:

1. Go to any browser and type in the address bar: ‘192.168.1.1’ to get the router settings. If this does not bring up the router settings, check your physical router or any documents provided by your ISP.
2. Once you have the settings, enter your username and password. Usually, ‘admin’ is the username and ‘password’ for your password.. If these are not correct, ask your ISP to receive this information.
3. Pick the option ‘Access Management’ and choose ‘Filter’, this will display a drop-down menu. From here, click the URL Filter and type ‘Instagram’ in the URL field below. Above this option is a button Active with ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ options. Pick the ‘Yes’ option and save. This will block Instagram across your entire network. It will work for all networks, with only slight variations.

We hope this article provided enough information to block Facebook and Instagram, whether this be on your device, browser, or network. If you have any more questions, be sure to comment below.