How To Filter Internet Content

Schools are responsible for ensuring their students’ safety and data protection online while using school-provided technology and services. However, as schools have become increasingly more reliant on online and cloud-based tools, the nature of this role is also changing. 

Schools are asking themselves how they can gain access to cost-effective, highly reliable, and easy-to-deploy internet content filtering capabilities while ensuring they remain compliant at each step. 

Read on as we answer that question, covering why schools need internet filtering software, how it works, and key features to look for before choosing one solution over another. 

Why schools need internet filtering 

Internet filtering tools block students from accessing specific, harmful content online while also giving IT staff the centralized visibility they need to ensure that students engage in safe online behaviors. Filters range in capabilities, from the prevention of accessing pornography and online bullying to social media use and attempts to access illegal content.

Upwards of 40% of students report attempting to access adult content during the school day. This number only increases when we consider social media use and access to other forms of non-education-related content. By filtering internet content, IT personnel can help ensure that students are safe and less prone to engaging in content that distracts them from learning. 

Moreover, inappropriate content access and malware often go hand in hand — in fact, year after year, the education sector is one of the most highly targeted industries by cybercriminals. Next-generation cloud-based internet filtering tools work to detect and block malicious websites and files in near real-time. That way, schools can take proactive action to mitigate the threat before it has personal, financial, operational, and reputational consequences. 

Beyond the moral importance of working to ensure students are safe online and mitigating against cyberthreats, schools need internet filtering to ensure they stay up to date with regulations. 

Under the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), public schools and libraries are required to adopt several threat protection strategies to maintain eligibility for federal E-Rate funding. This mandate includes the installation of content filters to prevent access to materials deemed:

• Obscene
• Child pornography
• Harmful to minors
• Illegal

Additionally, CIPA classifies content as inappropriate if it lacks educational value, such as adult content or gaming websites. Non-compliance with CIPA regulations could result in the loss of significant E-Rate discounts for schools.

How web content filters work 

There are two main types of web content filters: cloud-based and appliance-based. Because so many schools provide students access to devices that leave the school building network, most districts are turning away from legacy,  appliance-based systems and moving toward cloud-based filtering, or at least layering cloud-based web filtering over their network filters.

Cloud-based content filters are ready-to-deploy solutions that use predefined rules to dictate what content the system should block and allow. IT administrators can adjust rules and policies as needed from one centralized, intuitive dashboard.

When the system detects inappropriate content, it automatically blocks access. Additionally, the platform alerts administrators to the violation, providing detailed information on the responsible individual, the timing and location of the incident, and the specific website they attempted to access.

Cloud-based internet filters offer a range of tools that schools can use and mold to their purposes. These tools include:

• Keyword filtering: Filtering tools examine the content of specific websites, searching for keywords, phrases, and expressions linked to inappropriate content. 

• Blocklists and allowlists: IT administrators can create and manage lists of banned and approved websites, enabling the customization of filtering categories to better suit user preferences. 

• Reputation-based URL filtering: Often, malicious websites are easily identifiable — numerous well-known harmful sites are already blacklisted in educational settings. Content filters cross-reference web traffic against these blacklists to prevent any breaches in security. 

Some cloud-based internet filtering solutions also provide seamless integration with Google Admin consoles, allowing for automatic implementation and updating of content filters using existing organizational units (OUs). 

Such solutions also commonly feature browser extension web filters that protect students on any device and location, securing their online activities when logged into their school-provided Google accounts.

How schools can filter Internet content: 7 key software features 

Before choosing one internet filtering software over another, consider the following key features to look for. 

1. Centralized device and policy management: Consider a solution that allows administrators to easily and centrally apply policies across the domain and by OUs. This centralization should extend to provide a wide range of device management features, such as tracking lost or stolen devices and blocking unauthorized access.

2. AI-powered threat detection: Look for tools that use artificial intelligence to detect potential safety risks. This includes the real-time AI monitoring of content related to self-harm, suicide, sexually explicit content, cyberbullying, and violence.

3. Seamless integration with Google Workspace: Opt for a solution with a native Google integration — one that can be implemented directly from your Admin console using existing OUs. That way, you’re provided automatic enrollment and updates without additional installation hassles.

4. Real-time monitoring and alerts: Prioritize platforms that reliably — with strong testimonials — block inappropriate content upon detection and notify administrators with information about the user, time, location, and policy violation information. 

5. Comprehensive reporting tools: Consider filtering solutions that offer administrators access to detailed insights and reporting on web activity, allowing them to analyze trends, monitor compliance, and make informed decisions to enhance student safety. Moreover, prioritize tools that offer accurate and automated audit trails. 

6. Customizable web filtering: Choose a platform on which you can easily create custom block and allow lists, set tailored policies, and configure granular rules using regex and specific URLs to tailor the filtering to your school’s specific needs.

7. Integrated teacher tools/classroom management: Look for a solution that offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface for teachers to easily manage student access, create and share custom access settings, and form sub-groups to tailor internet use according to each student’s needs — all without slowing down classroom activities.

Ensure student digital safety with Content Filter 

Content Filter by ManagedMethods offers robust, intuitive protection for students against online threats and harmful behavior.

Our cloud-based, ready-to-deploy software offers all the tools your school needs to protect its students from harmful content, and your school from malware and CIPA compliance hurdles. From AI-driven student safety, centralized dashboard visibility, customizable policy implementation, real-time monitoring, and more — Content Filter ensures your school and its students are safe online.