How do I block inappropriate websites on my child's Android phone?

Use Google Family Link: under Controls > Content restrictions > Google Chrome, choose 'Try to block explicit sites' or allow only approved sites, and turn on SafeSearch. Adding a family-filter Private DNS covers other browsers too.

How do I block adult websites on an iPhone?

Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Content Restrictions > Web Content > 'Limit Adult Websites' (or 'Allowed Websites Only'). Protect it with a Screen Time passcode the child doesn't know.

Can kids bypass phone website blockers?

The usual routes are another browser, a VPN or incognito mode. Combining account-level controls with filtered DNS and app-install approval closes most of them — and a session lock like Kaizen Timer limits total time on the phone regardless.

How to Block Inappropriate Websites on a Phone

Whether it's your child's phone or your own, blocking inappropriate websites on a phone is doable with free, built-in tools — if you know where they live. Here's the practical setup for Android and iPhone, plus the honest truth about what determined kids can and can't get around.

On Android: Google Family Link

For a child's phone, Family Link is the right starting point. Create or manage the child's Google account, then under Controls > Content restrictions > Google Chrome choose "Try to block explicit sites," or "Only allow approved sites" for a stricter allow-list. Turn on SafeSearch for Google under the same controls. This filters Chrome and search on their account — and they can't remove it without your approval.

On iPhone: Screen Time

Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions, enable it, then open Content Restrictions > Web Content and pick "Limit Adult Websites" — or "Allowed Websites Only" for younger kids. Add specific sites to the Never Allow list. Set a Screen Time passcode the child doesn't know, or the whole thing is one tap from being switched off.

The stronger layer: filtered DNS

Content filters at the DNS level work across every browser and most apps. On Android 9+, set Private DNS to a family filter hostname (services like CleanBrowsing publish one). On iPhone, family-filter DNS profiles do the same. At home, you can also set the filter on your router so every device on the Wi-Fi is covered — though that stops mattering the moment the phone switches to mobile data.

What kids actually bypass — and what to do

The common workarounds are: a different browser, incognito mode, a VPN app, or simply endless renegotiation. That's why the reliable recipe is account-level controls (Family Link / Screen Time) + filtered DNS + app-install approval, so a VPN or new browser can't be installed without you. Filters manage what they can see; the other half of the battle is how long they're on the phone at all. For that, Kaizen Timer hands a child the phone for a set session and locks it automatically when time is up — and on the family Windows PC, Kaizen Focus applies the same website blocking and time limits system-wide.

Bottom line

Use Family Link on Android or Screen Time on iPhone as the base, add family-filter DNS for coverage across browsers, and lock app installs. Then put a real limit on total phone time — a filter can't fix "just five more minutes."