How to Hide Your Online Activities from Parents

PDF download Download Article
PDF download Download Article

So you've found out a website that you like Twitter, Tumblr, or Instagram. Then you asked your parents for an account, and they've said no. Well, here's how to have a secret online identity; all without your parents suspecting a thing. Note that this method is not foolproof, and you will need a computer or mobile device that you know how to fully operate.

Steps

PDF download Download Article
  1. Learn how to delete your browser history without arousing suspicion. All you need to do is delete it, then open a few inconspicuous yet connected web pages that can explain the two hours you spent on the laptop last night in your room. As mentioned above, make sure they're connected; for example, you wouldn't see 'how to bathe a cat - Google search', then the next page visited being the The Big Bang Theory website. Also, make the pages relevant to you; don't search for something your parents know you don't have an interest in. [1]
  2. Most browsers that are updated to the latest version will have private browsers that don't track anything you browse on the Internet. This can be useful if your parents check your history daily to see what sites you go on. [2]
    • Do note that if your parents get in touch with the internet service provider, they can still find out the sites you visit.
    Advertisement
  3. To tab switch, open a page your parents allow you to use an keep that page open. In another tab, open a site you want to use. When a parent approaches you while using the site you want to use, switch to the site they will let you use. When you're finished, clear the history that leads to that site. You could also window switch if you can, that way your parents wont even see that tab in the list, or hide your tab list.
    • When you tab switch, do it calmly and normally to avoid unsuspected suspicion from your parents for switching tabs too quickly when they enter the room.
  4. Get your Twitter or Tumblr account, by creating a new email address only you have access to. Don't make your username '@charlie_simms' if your name is Charlie Simms; instead, use something relevant to you yet not including your name. For example, if you were a fan of The Big Bang Theory, your username could be something like 'sheldon_cooper_hugz'. Never post your username on your Facebook page, as your friend's parents may see it and decide to check it out, only to find smutty fanfiction and some very disturbing Shenny or Shamy pictures. If you're going to be using a parent's phone to access your secret account, be sure to log it off properly after. You don't want them coming across your fanfictions that you've written, do you? [3]
  5. If you have a family computer, make yourself a password-protected user account of your own. It'll be easier to use your desired site without people seeing. Also, if you happen to come across something bad, like a fanfiction, make sure it doesn't affect you. You could read a gay fanfiction about two characters from a movie, only to find out the next day your parents are taking you to see it in the cinema. You don't want to be sat there for two hours either with a smirk or a horrified expression. This will trigger responses and questions that can be sometimes very different to answer logically.
  6. Obviously, there's no point having your 1,000 Twitter followers or 3,000 reblogs on Tumblr if you're not going to do anything with them. However, it's important not to let yourself spend an excessive amount of time on the computer, or else your parents may begin to be a little concerned and ask to see your history. If you can't show them what you've 'done' on the computer in the past few days, they're obviously going to get suspicious.
  7. If anything comes up even remotely related to you, find the account it's on and delete it. If you've posted anything you don't want your parents to see and it appears on a Google Search result, delete it and move it to another account. Googling your name can be the easiest way for parents to really discover what you're doing online. If it's happened to a friend of yours, you will see and understand how embarrassing it is. Be careful while doing this, as it isn't 100% safe to search your full name on a browser.
  8. Parents will know something's up if you start behaving differently. If you want to change your image, sit down with them and talk about it.
  9. Don't act secretive about it.
  10. That's the general rule. You can post Photoshops of celebrities and the like, but if it's your life, then they may object to that not to mention total strangers finding out what goes on in your day-to-day activities.
  11. That's what's recommended. If a family member approaches you and says they found your Twitter account, be honest and admit it. If it's completely anonymous, and there's no way you could identify who runs the account/blog, you could always vehemently deny it on the grounds they have no proof. At worst, you could say it's a friend's account and they asked you to look at something on there; don't tell them the friend's name if they ask.
  12. If your parents threaten to confiscate your computer if you don't show them all your passwords, they can log into your e-mail and find out what people have been e-mailing you, and therefore what accounts you have been signing up for. Create a separate e-mail account and use it for what they won't let you do and use your old one for what they will let you do. [4]
  13. . This step works similar to the Tab Switching, just switch Virtual Desktops not Browser tabs.
  14. 14
    Use a VPN to prevent your parents from looking at the logs from the ISP. All they will see is that you were connected to that VPN. They can't see what you've visited. Some good VPNs are Nord VPN, Proton VPN, etc.
    16. Advertisement


Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Reader Videos

      Tips

      • If you use one browser for everything, whether it's a phone or PC then you may want to consider installing a different browser, like Opera, Chrome or Firefox. If you have your own password protected computer, Tor is another good option as nothing can track you and your browser history is deleted automatically. [5]
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      • Try to use the mobile version of that website as it's harder for others to see what you're up to.
        Thanks
        Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
      • Don't spend too much time on these sites, your parents might get suspicious.
        Thanks
        Helpful 2 Not Helpful 3
      Show More Tips

      Tips from our Readers

      The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
      • When you get a new device enable parental controls and set a secure password without adding any restrictions. Your parents will need your secure password to change the settings, and they won't be able to restore your phone because it requires the restrictions password.
      • Use headphones so your parents can't hear audio that's playing. Just make sure to keep the volume low or keep one ear open so you can hear them when they come.
      • If its an app for your phone download it only when you are going to use it and delete it when you're finished.
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      Warnings

      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Say Sorry to Your Mother After a Great Mistake
      100+ Good Morning Wishes & Messages for Your Dad
      How to
      Get Out of Going to an Event
      How to
      Find Something Your Parents Have Hidden
      How to
      Hide Things from Parents
      How to
      Make Your Mom Happy When She’s Sad or Upset
      How to
      Tell Your Parents You Have a Girlfriend
      How to
      Convince Your Parents You're Sick
      How to
      Smoke in Your House Without Your Parents Finding Out
      How to
      Cope when You Find out Your Parent Is Having an Affair
      How to
      Cope With Being Unloved by Your Parents
      13 Ways to Be an Obedient Child
      How to
      Obey and Respect Your Parents
      How to
      Stop Your Parents from Fighting
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://www.sautitech.com/tech/8-simple-ways-to-hide-your-online-activity/
      2. ↑ https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-be-anonymous-online/
      3. ↑ https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-be-anonymous-online/
      4. ↑ https://www.livescience.com/21155-10-sneaky-ways-teens-hide-online-activity.html
      5. ↑ https://www.sautitech.com/tech/8-simple-ways-to-hide-your-online-activity/

      About This Article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 118,174 times.

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement