Parent's Guide to Protecting Kids Online with DNS Filtering

Step 1: Set Up Free DNS Filtering

CleanBrowsing's free Family Filter is the fastest way to protect your home network. It blocks adult content, enforces SafeSearch on Google and Bing, and blocks mixed-content sites. No account needed, no tracking, no limits.

What to Do

Change the DNS settings on your home router to CleanBrowsing's Family Filter IPs. This protects every device on your Wi-Fi automatically — phones, tablets, laptops, gaming consoles, smart TVs.

Detailed Instructions

• Set Up Free DNS Filters — Full walkthrough for router, Windows, Mac, and mobile.
• Router vs Device Setup — Should you configure DNS on your router or on each device? (Router is usually better for families.)
• Router Won't Allow DNS Changes? — Workarounds if your ISP router locks DNS settings.
• Services That Conflict with DNS Filtering — Comcast xFi, Avast, and other services that can override your DNS settings.

Step 2: Enforce SafeSearch on Search Engines

DNS filtering blocks adult websites, but search engines can still show explicit images and text in search results. SafeSearch enforcement filters these results at the search engine level.

What to Do

CleanBrowsing's Family Filter automatically enforces SafeSearch on Google, Bing, and YouTube. If you're using the Family Filter, this step is already done. If you want to enforce SafeSearch even without CleanBrowsing (or want to understand how it works), see:

• What is SafeSearch? — How SafeSearch works across Google, Bing, and YouTube.
• How to Enforce SafeSearch — Manual setup using DNS VIPs and hosts files (for advanced users).

Step 3: Lock Down Individual Devices

Router-level DNS filtering protects your home Wi-Fi, but kids take devices outside the home — to school, friends' houses, and on cellular data. Lock down each device individually for portable protection.

By Device Type

• iPhone & iPad — Remove admin access, enable Screen Time, restrict content, set up DNS filtering on iOS.
• Windows PC — Create a standard (non-admin) user account so kids can't change DNS or install VPNs.
• Windows DNS Configuration — Set CleanBrowsing DNS on Windows 10/11 with DNS-over-HTTPS.
• Android: Use Private DNS (Settings → Network → Private DNS → enter family-filter-dns.cleanbrowsing.org). This works on Wi-Fi and cellular.
• Chromebooks: Configure DNS in Chrome OS network settings. If managed through Google Admin, set DNS there.

Step 4: Prevent Your Kids from Bypassing Filters

Kids are resourceful. They share bypass methods at school and find tutorials on YouTube. Here's how to stay ahead:

Common Bypass Methods and How to Block Them

• How Kids Bypass Filters — The most common methods kids use: VPNs, changing DNS, using mobile data, cached pages, and alternative browsers.
• Disable Browser DoH — Chrome, Firefox, and Edge have built-in DNS-over-HTTPS that can bypass your router's DNS settings. Disable it on each browser.
• Lock DNS Settings — Use firewall rules to force all DNS traffic through CleanBrowsing, even if someone changes their device's DNS.
• Understand VPNs — VPNs tunnel traffic past DNS filters. Know what to look for and how to block them.
• Complete Bypass Prevention Guide — The full technical breakdown: blocking VPNs, DoH, DoT, and forced DNS redirection.

Step 5: Verify Everything Works

After setting everything up, test that filtering is active on every device your kids use.

What to Do

• Verify DNS Configuration — Run a DNS leak test and command-line check to confirm CleanBrowsing is active.
• Functional test: Try visiting a site that should be blocked. If using the Family filter, adult sites should show a DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error.
• Test each device: Check on Wi-Fi and on cellular data (if applicable). Check on every browser installed on the device.

Step 6: When to Upgrade to a Paid Plan

The free Family Filter is excellent for most families. Consider upgrading to a paid plan if you need:

• Custom category blocking: Block gaming, social media, or streaming sites while keeping everything else accessible.
• Per-device control: Different filtering rules for different family members.
• Activity reporting: See what domains are being queried on your network.
• Custom allow/block lists: Override filtering for specific sites (e.g., allow a specific game site that's blocked by category).

• Free vs Paid Plans — Detailed comparison of what you get with each plan.
• All 23+ Content Filters — See every category you can block with a paid plan.
• Set Up a Paid Account — Step-by-step paid plan configuration.