Internet filtering at home & Antivirus

All use of technology by students at St Leonard’s is bound by the ‘Student Electronic Device Code of Conduct‘ and ‘Agreed standards for student use of technology‘. The use of computing devices in class will be actively monitored by teachers. Misuse of a device will be treated the same as any other distracting activity and normal classroom discipline rules will apply. The Internet at St Leonard’s College is also filtered to block any inappropriate content.

For the home environment, there are Internet filtering approaches you can use at home. Some of these are:

  • iPad – You can enable and adjust ‘Screen Time’ on iPads to prevent access to specific features or content on the device. Locate these settings by tapping Settings > Screen Time. More information can be found here.
  • MAC – You can use Screen Time in Mac OS X to help prevent user accounts from accessing inappropriate content on Internet websites. Learn more here.
  • PC – Microsoft family features provides numerous tools to keep tabs on children’s Windows computer activities. Learn more here.
  • Device Internet filtering: Many home wireless Internet routers now provide the capacity to impose various limits on a per device basis. Please review your home routers capabilities in this regard.

Focus on your Device
Further to the above it is possible to introduce filtering for certain time periods on Macs and PCs. For example the following programs:

Self Control – https://selfcontrolapp.com for Mac
or
Cold Turkey – https://getcoldturkey.com for Windows

Both let a user block an array of sites for a certain period of time. Once they start a timer their computer cannot access the sites they have chosen to block. Everything else works. When the timer is done all is back to normal.

Focus on your Phone

Another app to assist with maintaining focus during study is Flora – https://flora.appfinca.com/ which is a way to stay off your phone.

Antivirus Software

Antivirus software provides protection against malicious software (or malware). It helps to keep your devices secure and protect your personal information. You will already have antivirus built-in on your current device. Modern Windows and Apple computers have it included for free. Similarly, Android and Apple smartphones also come with antivirus software. More information can be found at Australia’s Cyber Security Centre.

Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices include antivirus software called Windows Security. You can open it by searching “Windows Security” on your computer, or by clicking the shield icon on the taskbar.

To learn more, visit Microsoft’s website.

Apple computers include antivirus software called XProtect. It runs silently in the background and does not provide options for manual scanning or configuration.

To learn more about macOS security, visit Apple’s website.

iPhones and iPads include built-in antivirus protection and security features that run in the background. Apple also has a thorough review process that prevents most malicious apps from being available to download from the official App Store.

The best way to keep your Apple mobile device secure is to keep your device updated, and follow the ASD’s ACSC’s advice to secure your mobile phone.