Are you unsure and you’re wondering, can parents see internet history on WiFi? Would your parents find out what you’ve been looking at online?
Many of you could be wondering about this possibility, and we’ll be laying all of it in this very guide so you know every inch of detail regarding it!
Can my parents see my search history? If we take this on a consumer level, then no, your parents wouldn’t be able to see your internet history without having access to your device. But, they’ll be able to see it from your device.
Can Parents See Internet History on WiFi?
The quick and simple answer is no, your parents wouldn’t be able to see your browsing history through your WiFi router, especially with the routers we have in our households.
The majority of our typical residential WiFi routers don’t have the capacity to store this much data/information, we’ll talk more about this in the latter part of this guide.
Your parents can only access YOUR internet history by going through the device you’ve used to access it.
For instance, your parents can use your laptop/computer to access some sites you opened from that device.
They can also use your phone to see what you accessed from there, and so on.
Can Routers Keep Logs of Internet History?
This is quite complicated because the answer is yes and no. Let’s go deeper down the line on why this is so.
Firstly, yes, because high and military-grade routers have features that are capable of storing and keeping the history of searches within the network.
These routers are typically used in a commercial or a business setting; they can also be used by people who are looking to have full monitoring or control over the websites accessed within the network.
Then no, because most consumer-grade routers or those that are used in usual households don’t have the necessary hardware to be able to store history and logs.
In addition to that, this is not a feature that people look for in routers.
Experience and Knowledge in Accessing Stored Internet Logs
Should your router have this type of feature, it’s not easy to enable or toggle.
It will usually require deep technical expertise and advanced network know-how to be able to use it successfully.
It’s not as simple as turning a switch on or off in the network configuration settings of your router.
Typically, this action requires:
- Skimming through the IP logs of the router per MAC address
- Identifying each IP address of the websites visited
- Enabling or configuring tracking/tracing in the router
How Can Your Parents See Your Search History?
Now that we know this possibility, it’s better to know the other ways how your parents can possibly see your search history.
This is important so you’re aware of the other things you can do to protect your privacy.
By Accessing Your Devices
One of the fastest and easiest ways for your parents to get ahold of the websites, pages, and locations you’ve accessed online would be through the device in question.
For instance, they can go through your smartphone or your tablet and access the browser you’re using and access the history of what you’ve been visiting.
They can literally see what you’ve been accessing by opening and going through the device you used for it.
By Requesting it From the WiFi Provider
Although this is a bit far-fetched because WiFI providers often pledge secrecy, it’s extremely possible, especially if they’re the owner or the holder of the account.
They can contact your service provider and ask about the websites visited.
Although it’ll be difficult to be specific, they would still be able to obtain this information.
By Using Programs/Software That Monitor Internet Access History
Lastly, there are applications and programs that allow the monitoring and tracking of the internet history of devices that are connected within a particular network.
Unlike getting it via the WiFi gateway or hub, this route tends to be a bit easier and simpler.
There are apps and programs for mobile devices, even laptops, and computers.
These are the ways how your parents can have access to your WiFi history.
How Do You Completely Hide Your Internet History?
If you’re looking to hide your internet history from your parents, and even from other people in the network, and even your internet provider, you can perform certain things to guarantee this.
Use a VPN Service
The first and best thing to do is to utilize a VPN service. VPN, short for Virtual Private Network, is a service that can encrypt your traffic on both ends.
It’s a special type of service that’s primarily used to access geographically restricted content (Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, etc.)
Thus you can have access to them wherever you are in the world.
You can use our exclusive link to get the Atlas VPN deal at just $1.39 per month.
Use the ToR Browser
Another option you can do is to download, install, and use the ToR browser. This is an end-to-end encrypted browser that automatically anonymizes web traffic.
This will give you the chance to hide and conceal the websites you’ve visited not from the people connected within the network.
But also they help you hide your data from your internet provider, businesses and companies, and other entities that could be interested in your online activities.
Use HTTPS Everywhere
Last, but most definitely not least is to make sure that you use HTTPS instead of HTTP for the websites you use.
While you can always manually do this, you can download and install HTTPS Everywhere, which is an app or a program that automatically rewrites all websites to HTTPS, even if they’re only HTTP.
HTTPS Everywhere is an extension that you can use for almost all browsers available in the market, including Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, and Edge.
These are the most efficient and effective ways of concealing all your activities online.
This is not only from your parents but also from your ISP or some other businesses interested to access confidential information.
Read Next: Do iMessages Show Up on Verizon Phone Bill?
Final Verdict
Your parents wouldn’t be able to see the history of your internet via the WiFi router by default. They’ll be able to see it if they access your devices, if they contact your service provider, and if they decide to use software to track and monitor your usage.
With this guide, you’ll no longer have to wonder and worry about your privacy!
The next time you stop and think about searching, can parents see internet history on WiFi, you can simply go back to this guide and find out all the information you need to know!
For a quick remedy, we recommend Altas VPN to permanently hide all your browsing activities.
Kevin has over five years of experience working in various Tech startups and providing Technical solutions. He has contributed to many Tech publications and websites. Check out more about him here.