The age levels of JusProgDNS
You want your child to discover the internet without any restrictions, but still be protected according to his or her age? For this JusProgDNS offers the child and youth protection filter according to age levels. You probably already know this system from computer games, DVDs and the cinema.
- from 0 years
- from 6 years
- from 12 years
- from 16 years
Age level “from 0 years”
In the age group “from 0 years” the JusProgDNS filter is set very strictly. Almost exclusively only those websites are displayed, which are listed at the child search engine fragFINN, which is supervised by media pedagogues.
After a manual check, JusProg has added some websites, including international websites, and has also enabled so-called “function domains” for this age group, without which the children’s pages could not be accessed properly.
The surfing space of the age group “from 0 years” is very safe, but measured against the large Internet quite small. This age level is mainly for parents who want to protect their young child in a very special way and prefer to accept a few restrictions for this.
For elementary schools and also many kindergartens the age level “from 0 years” is only conditionally suitable, because e.g. Wikipedia is also blocked in it.
In the “from 0 years” age group, domains unknown to the system are blocked. Since many software applications on the computer or apps on the smartphone/tablet also “phone home” via the Internet in order to function properly, it must be expected in the “0+” age group that some functionalities of the end device and the applications installed on it will no longer run properly.
Tip: Choose the age level that best suits your child’s development and your personal need for protection – it does not have to be the age your child actually is. You know better what is good for your child and you have the right to do so because of the legal “educational privilege”.
Regardless of age, continue to accompany your child on their journey into the media world and talk regularly about what they have experienced, both good and bad.
Age level “from 6 years”
The surfing area of the age group “from 6 years” is significantly larger than that from 0 years, but still very safe. Only websites that have been previously checked by JusProg are displayed.
The age group “from 6” includes all websites of the children’s search engine fragFINN, but also many thousands of additional websites that JusProg e.V. has activated manually. These websites are not necessarily made especially for children, but if your child visits these sites, it is obviously not developmentally harmful from the point of view of the JusProg rating team. We work on classification like the FSK does for movies, for example: an age 6 movie is not necessarily recommended for children, but it doesn’t harm them either.
Our criteria for age classification are somewhat less strict than those of fragFINN, for example. We want your child to be able to discover the Internet as freely as possible (while still being well protected), without constantly encountering blocked sites. Some examples:
- JusProg, for example, has unlocked Wikipedia in the 6+ age group, although the popular online encyclopedia also contains illustrated entries on genitalia.
- In JusProg-6, all the websites of the clubs in the German soccer league are accessible, even though some of the clubs advertise gambling or beer on the players’ jerseys and also have the associated images and sponsor logos on the website.
- In the case of large portals with largely unproblematic content, we weigh the pros and cons. News sites that frequently show images from war zones, for example, are usually blocked by default in JusProg-6. But websites with regional news that rarely ever show a problematic image, we usually unblock from 6. (Tip: You can unblock blocked domains for your child yourself as a registered user of JusProgDNS).
- We also weigh up websites related to computer games. Many websites contain information and also game videos (so-called Let’s Play) of games of different age groups or also browser games of different kinds. If there are only a few potentially problematic videos or games on the site, we usually activate them for JusProg-6 anyway. If the games are harder or more massive, the websites get a higher age classification.
- Youtube, Google, Bing and some other big sites are by default switched to SafeMode on JusProgDNS, but allowed for ages 6 and up. With SafeSearch, the providers themselves filter out problematic content such as horror videos on Youtube or porn images in Google and Bing’s image search. In view of the multi-million pieces of content on these portals, however, some content slips through the automated check.
In addition to the website domains included in the “from 6” age group, we have also manually checked thousands of so-called “function domains” and enabled them “from 6”. This type of domain works in the background, so to speak, and provides elements for the accessed website without which it could not be displayed properly – for example, fonts, sometimes images, ads, technical controls. If these function domains were not enabled, in many cases the construction of a web page would be greatly slowed down, because the Internet browsers wait a certain amount of time, so to speak, for the data to be delivered.
From the age level “from 6 years” on, our real-time check, the so-called “on-the-fly” age classification (OTF) is also activated by default. If your child calls up a website that was previously unknown to our system, it is subjected to a quick check. Depending on the result, the web page is then displayed or blocked. If the OTF quick check cannot reach a decision, the website will still be blocked in the “from 6 years” age group as a precaution.
Automatic activation “from 6 years” is also carried out to a limited extent for function domains for which the technical check has shown that they do not have any Internet content themselves, but are only responsible for the functionality of other websites.
As a result, the age level “from 6 years” is very safe, but not without any risk that a child may come across content on the Internet that is unsuitable for him or her. On the other hand, they can discover the great pages of the Internet without frequently encountering websites that can be avoided. The surfing space is also sufficient for homework in elementary school.
The age group “from 6 years” is also well suited for elementary schools, kindergartens and other institutions and organizations where children up to about 12 years surf.
Tip: Would you like to make individual settings for your children, e.g. additionally enable or block websites? Then register with JusProgDNS and store your personal IP adress. You can find out how to do this at:
Age level “from 12 years”
The age group “from 12 years” contains a much larger surfing area than the age group from 6 years. On the one hand, many domains are additionally activated manually (e.g. in the games area), but above all, the mode of JusProgDNS changes from the age of 12: websites unknown to the system are displayed by default.
This makes the “12+” level a bit less safe, but a normal surfing minor rarely encounters limits (blocked websites), even complex homework can be done without restrictions in the 12+ age level.
Due to the real-time filtering (On-the-fly Filter OTF), which is turned on by default, even exotic websites with e.g. pornographic content are usually detected and blocked. Nevertheless, sooner or later your child will come across an unauthorized website if he or she searches for it specifically and with some perseverance. OFT can also be disabled.
What is restricted, however, is the use of popular social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook – these are only enabled on JusProg from the age of 16. We also know that there is hardly a child from about 12 years old who likes to do without social media. But we want parents and children to talk to each other about rules and safety settings on the portals, ideally make them together, before you then activate Instagram, Facebook or similar for your child in our whitelist.
Since functional domains are also accessible in the “12+” age group, surfing is faster and smoother overall.
For parents who want to restrict their children as little as possible when surfing the Internet, but still have good protection, the age level from 12 is a good choice.
The age level 12 is also good for high schools and other secondary schools, libraries / libraries and youth facilities where minors have access to computers or are allowed to use the wifi.
Age group “16 and over
The “16+” age group is intended primarily for parents and educators who want to filter out the “hard pages” such as pornography and open violence for minors, but otherwise want to give children and young people as unrestricted a surfing experience as possible.
Many parents of much younger children also set the age level “from 16” for them, which is also permitted by law (educational privilege). These parents discuss experiences with unpleasant content with their children and at the same time have ensured that they are well protected from highly disturbing photos and videos.
Social media offerings such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. are also accessible in the “16+” age group, as are most games sites.
Since function domains are generally not blocked, surfing the web is fast and smooth.
The “16+” age group can also be used by high schools and other secondary schools, as well as youth facilities, residential groups, libraries/libraries, youth hostels and any other form of public or semi-public Internet terminals and access points.
The age level “from 16” is often a good compromise, if you e.g. set up a filter by entering the JusProgDNS name servers into the DSL box (e.g. FRITZ!Box), with which all members of the family can live well.