> If you don't want your kids to connect to things then don't let your kids have devices that connect to things.

This is not an option as school, at least in my region, requires devices directly since 4th grade and indirectly even earlier for homework.

Devices move between networks so having controls directly on the device is helpful.

Your argument seems like arguing that there should be no local access permissions on files and just let the network handle everything.

> Your argument seems like arguing that there should be no local access permissions on files and just let the network handle everything.

Quite the contrary. Your local files are given to you by your local device. It's up to your local device to ensure that those files are properly access controlled.

But things on your network are given to you by your network. It should be up to your network to ensure that those things are properly access controlled. It should be up to you to ensure that you don't connect to networks which don't have proper access control.

> school, at least in my region, requires devices directly since 4th grade

If school requires things then school should provide things.

> indirectly even earlier for homework

Homework should be done at home. Are you saying that you don't have control over which devices on your network are able to access which things online? You should fix that.

> If school requires things then school should provide things

They do. What’s your point?

My point is that parental controls are useful because kids must use devices. So protecting kids while using those devices is important.

> If school requires things then school should provide things.

A lot of things should happen in life. That doesn't make it so.

How would network restrictions help, there is WiFi at friends houses / everywhere.

> There's nothing in that statement that relates specifically to kids.

Most adults probably don't have parental controls on their phone...

> How would network restrictions help, there is WiFi at friends houses / everywhere.

Aren't there other Internet-connected devices at friends' houses too?

Yes, however, locking your children in a Faraday cage is likely to be frowned upon.

Right, so device restrictions are useless.

> How would network restrictions help, there is WiFi at friends houses / everywhere.

> > If you don't want your kids to connect to things then don't let your kids have devices that connect to things.

Comment said the restrictions belong on the network being connected to, which is useless when you can connect else where.

Yes not giving your kids access to a device is one option; parental controls are another.

I'm not sure either will work entirely, but that's another point.

And locking down the primary device a kid has access to creates the lure of the forbidden; that won't last any longer than their access to another device without those restrictions. That also creates an environment where if they do find something they really ought to be able to talk an adult about, they can't talk to a parent about it because they'll be in trouble (and get their friends in trouble).

One of the widely studied aspects of child psychology is how to instill guidelines that last even when they're elsewhere without any enforcement other than self-enforcement.

Sure, as I said:

>I'm not sure either will work entirely, but that's another point

Security belongs on the endpoint. How do you know there aren’t malicious or compromised devices on the school network?