This Internet Kill Switch Is Perfect for Keeping Teenagers in Line

It would be a massive understatement to say that teenagers can be difficult. If you’re a parent yourself, then you’ve probably tried every trick in the book to keep them in line. The most effective punishment for teenagers today is probably to take away their internet access, because that removes both their source of entertainment and primary method for socializing. You can do that by simply unplugging your modem, but then you’ll lose access too. A more sophisticated solution is to revoke access through your router. YouTuber Nick Donaldson has come up with a convenient way to do that with his Internet Kill Switch.

But changing your router’s firewall settings, you can either block all traffic going in and out of your home or block access to specific devices. You can do that right now by simply logging into your router’s control interface. But that’s a pain, and it’s so much more satisfying to use a giant button to do the job. Just picking up that button is probably enough to stop your kids from doing whatever mischief they’re currently up to. Best of all, building an Internet Kill Switch like this is affordable and fun.

All you’ll need to construct the Internet Kill Switch is a Raspberry Pi Zero W, some sort of enclosure, and a button. Donaldson chose to use an industrial-style emergency stop switch for his Internet Kill Switch, but a normal button would suffice. He also added a battery with Qi wireless charging, but that isn’t strictly necessary. To make the Internet Kill Switch work, you just need to setup a script on the Raspberry Pi that monitors the button. When it’s pressed, it should send an alert to your router via SSH to change the firewall settings. Donaldson doesn’t provide the code to that, and it will vary based on your router, but it should be a simple job. Once you’re done, you’ll have a device that’s great for threatening teenagers.