What’s the Deal with Blocked Websites on Your Chromebook?

As a student at Central High School, there is a high chance you’ve once searched something or gone on a website, only to receive a message that the website you’re trying to visit is blocked. The intention of blocking particular websites and keywords is all in an attempt to benefit and protect students, but do students feel the blocking is effective?

When searching up something blocked, students are met with the following image:

The URL at the top of this page includes “securly.com”, which is the program Unit 4 uses to filter out inappropriate or potentially dangerous websites students may try to visit. On their website, Securly explains that “To ensure that kids are protected from all forms of inappropriate and malicious content on the internet, [they] have categorized [their] database into 14 categories…” Many of these categories include inappropriate content for students, but also social media and games. In addition to websites in these categories, the school can add particular websites to their blocked list. To see why a website is blocked, students can view the ‘Reason’ section on the block screen. (For example in the image above, the reason for Spotify being blocked is that the “Site is in policy Block List,” which means that although the website is not blocked in one of the 14 categories decided by Securly, the school has added Spotify to its list of blocked sites.)

Although the majority agreed that websites containing inappropriate content should be blocked, many students expressed discontent with what specific websites are blocked. In an anonymous form, students called out some blocked websites they feel should be unblocked, such as Spotify, Instagram, Cool Math Games, Wordle Unlimited, streaming services (ESPN, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney +, etc), and specific websites students need to use for research or projects. Regarding schoolwork, many students complained about how difficult it is to complete homework or projects when important resources are blocked. However, students also had arguments for why non-school related websites should be unblocked. For example, one student discussed how important music can be to help explain why they believe Spotify should be unblocked, “I think music is a good way for kids to express themselves. I also think that if music was playing on Chromebooks and people's headphones were in, instead of phones, then we wouldn't be as distracted.” Another mentioned how sometimes in classes students are given free time, and games, streaming services, or music could be a helpful way to fill that time. One pointed out how for some students, their Chromebook is their only device, so they could benefit from having these websites unblocked for entertainment outside of school. “Some students only have Chromebooks for their devices,” a separate student explained “or if their phone gets taken away, they should [definitely] have some form of contact with their friends.”

While the majority of students agree that the websites being blocked are too restrictive, many offered suggestions on how the system could be improved. One student described an idea of blocking some of the appropriate games or social media websites at school, but unblocking them at home, saying, “I think at school they should be blocked and then when you go home they're unblocked. For example, the game NitroType is blocked while I'm at school, but when I go home it works perfectly fine. They should do that with Spotify, Instagram, and other [websites].” This idea presents a helpful solution to students who want to use their Chromebooks for entertainment at home. Additionally, another student explained that while the blocking does help to filter out websites that are not appropriate for students or that could distract people, there are still issues with this system. “...the people who are trying to ignore class are likely just going to find other sites to goof off on,” the student said, “it's just this cycle of blocking a site and someone finding an alternative, it's useful but odd.” It appears that not only are students unhappy with appropriate websites being blocked, but its use is not exactly effective, as students still find other, similar websites to use.

In addition to Securly’s blocking of websites being an inconvenience to many students, one student shared a bug they encountered in the program. The student described how whenever they would try to open Google on their Chromebook, they’d be met with a Securly blocked page or an error page. “I'm sure you can imagine how inconvenient it is having to use Bing for literally everything,” the student explained, “I went to Chrome Depot and they had no clue what happened, then one day it just stopped and I was back to Google.” It seems that Securly may not be the most secure program, along with students' dislike of it.

Essentially, while many students are frustrated with how many seemingly school appropriate websites are banned by Securly, they are open to a discussion on how to improve this situation. Students believe that some restrictions are necessary to keep students from inappropriate websites or searches. However, students have highlighted how important game or streaming websites can be when kids need to take a break--especially if their Chromebook is the only device they have access to. To help solve this problem, however, students have come up with possible solutions, such as blocking some websites just at school and not at home. As important as it is to block some websites, make students don’t see how this is benefiting them, and would appreciate a reconsideration of certain websites' block status.