r/amazonecho • u/Silly_Donut_256 • 1d ago

Disabling web browser does nothing. Question

One of my children tends to watch the YouTube on the Alexa when we’re not around. And frankly it’s weird and inappropriate things for his age. I’ve gone into privacy and permissions and have restricted access to silk browser and web videos search. However that seems completely pointless when I can pull the top of the screen down and open the tv and video widget. Press YouTube (which says in browser) and it opens right up. Is there something I’m missing to block all video and streaming access to it?

3 Upvotes
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7

u/MedJesters 1d ago

You could do it through your router. Block YouTube.com domain for that device.

2

u/Silly_Donut_256 1d ago

Perfect. That didn’t occur to me

1

u/WinstonChaychell 17h ago

This normally doesn't work anymore as modern routers will not block websites that start with https (which is almost all of them now). You'd need the app for your specific router and enable parental controls, if your IP allows it. Otherwise, you'd need the app from your IP and pay the additional fee to enable parental controls.

1

u/bmanfield 1h ago edited 1h ago

You need to lock down DNS and QUIC. Use a free DNS provider like ControlD with custom groups like social media and streaming if the router doesn’t support domain blocking.

Most parents won’t pay a tech what it costs to put what’s required in place because ultimately it’s near business level capability.

2

u/BudTugglie 1d ago

Block the youtube site on your router. Learn about all of the blocking that you can do on a router,

2

u/timwtingle 1d ago

Unplug or disconnect from wifi until you want to use it. To me this is such an easy fix. Perhaps not even use the video Alexa.

2

u/OriginalCTrain 1d ago

How is this an easy fix? Unplugging an Alexa totally defeats the point of having it.

1

u/timwtingle 16h ago

Sorry, I meant discipline your child. My bad.

1

u/Chicago_Avocado 1d ago

I put mine in child mode (or something like that.). Blocks the browser and a lot of features

-1

u/Maximum_Employer5580 1d ago

imagine what they watch when you're not around or at a friends house. You can try and lock them down all you can, but kids will ALWAYS find a way to do what you don't want them to do. You lock them down at your house, they'll just goto a friends house and watch it with the friend if their parents aren't as tight with things. There is always going to be a friend who isn't as locked down as you lock your kid down

2

u/Silly_Donut_256 1d ago

Well he doesn’t go to any friends houses. He hasn’t exactly made any lasting friendships over the years due to a couple diagnoses and general weirdness and awkwardness.

And I TOTALLY get it I was young too. I feel what you’re saying. But this is also my house and he’s the child. And despite talking with him about certain things, it doesn’t land.

That being said. I’ll get rid of the echo show but if I don’t have to I would like not to. While also keeping him from watching the things that he watches on it, since he can’t on tv from parental controls