How to Block Adult Sites on Every Device You Own

Sketches of devices framing a title

The most reliable way to block adult sites is to layer two controls: a free family DNS filter on your router, which covers every device on your home Wi-Fi, and the built-in parental controls from Apple, Google or Microsoft on each phone, tablet and computer, which follow the device when it leaves home. Neither is perfect alone. Together they close most of the gaps. Below you'll find the exact settings, the limits of each method and a short test to run before you trust the setup.

TL;DR

Router DNS is the widest net. Set a family DNS filter once and every device on your home network is covered, including consoles and smart TVs.
Built-in controls cover the rest. Apple Screen Time, Google Family Link and Microsoft Family Safety follow the device onto cellular data and other Wi-Fi networks.
No filter is perfect. New domains, mixed-content platforms and apps slip through, so pair filtering with SafeSearch and a conversation.
Test before you trust. Try a second browser, a VPN app, cellular data and a guest network to see where your block fails.

Pick the layer first: network, device or search
Block adult sites on your whole home network with DNS
Block adult content on your phone
Block adult sites on a computer
Don't forget search and private browsing
Test your block before you rely on it
Our perspective: blocking works best when you also check the sites that slip through
Check a link before anyone clicks it
A sensible setup in 20 minutes
FAQ
Sources

Pick the layer first: network, device or search

Most "it didn't work" stories come from using one control and assuming it covers everything. Each layer enforces the block at a different point, so each has a different blind spot.

Layer	What it controls	Covers	Main blind spot
Router DNS filter	Which domains your network will resolve	Every device on that Wi-Fi	Cellular data, other networks, DNS changed on the device
Device controls (Screen Time, Family Link, Family Safety)	Web content on one account or device	That device, anywhere	Unsupported browsers, signed-out use, admin passcode shared
SafeSearch	Search results	Search engines that honor it	Direct URLs, apps, other search tools
Browser or app blockers	Specific sites you list	The browser or app	Anything not on your list

The rest of this guide follows that order: network first, then each platform, then search, then the bypass test.

Block adult sites on your whole home network with DNS

DNS is the internet's address book. When a device wants a site, it asks a DNS resolver to turn the name into an address. A family DNS filter refuses to answer for domains in adult categories, so the page never loads, in any browser or app that uses your network's DNS. Cloudflare describes why this is attractive: the check happens before the browser connects, so it can cover many applications at once.

Three free options are widely used.

Cloudflare for Families

Cloudflare's family option blocks domains associated with malware and adult content. According to Cloudflare's setup documentation, the addresses are:

IPv4: 1.1.1.3 and 1.0.0.3
IPv6: 2606:4700:4700::1113 and 2606:4700:4700::1003
DNS-over-TLS: family.cloudflare-dns.com
DNS-over-HTTPS: https://family.cloudflare-dns.com/dns-query

On a single Windows PC, open your network adapter properties, choose Internet Protocol Version 4, select "Use the following DNS server addresses" and enter the two IPv4 numbers. Repeat under IPv6 if your connection uses it. Cloudflare's Windows guide documents those steps.

OpenDNS FamilyShield

OpenDNS FamilyShield is preconfigured to block adult content, needs no sign-up and, when configured at the router, applies to computers, phones, tablets, consoles and TVs on the home network. It is a good "set it and forget it" choice when you don't want to tune categories.

CleanBrowsing Family Filter

CleanBrowsing's Family Filter blocks adult and explicit sites and also blocks proxy and VPN domains commonly used to get around filters. It additionally blocks mixed-content sites such as Reddit, and it sets Google, Bing and YouTube to safe modes. The free DNS addresses for the Family Filter are 185.228.168.168 and 185.228.169.168. Because it is the strictest of the three on mixed content, expect more legitimate pages to be blocked too.

Which one should you choose?

If you're weighing OpenDNS against CleanBrowsing, the difference is mostly strictness. OpenDNS FamilyShield is simple and focused on adult content. CleanBrowsing's Family Filter goes further by blocking proxies, VPN domains and mixed-content platforms, which helps with bypass attempts but can frustrate teens and adults who use those platforms for homework or work. Cloudflare sits in between and adds malware blocking. Pick the strictest one you can live with, then adjust if it causes too many false blocks.

Comparison of three family DNS filters

Set it on the router

Every router's menu is a little different, but the pattern is the same:

Log in to your router's admin page (the address and password are usually on a label on the router).
Find the internet or WAN settings and look for DNS servers.
Replace the automatic setting with the primary and secondary addresses from your chosen filter.
Save and restart the router.
Reconnect your devices, or restart them, so they pick up the new DNS.

If your internet provider's router hides the DNS field, you can instead set DNS on each device, or place your own router behind it.

What DNS filtering will not do

Be realistic about the limits. DNS filtering blocks domains, not every piece of explicit material. Search engines, social networks, apps and image caches can carry explicit content on domains that also host harmless material. Categorization also makes mistakes: Cloudflare notes domains can be miscategorized, so after setup, test both a site that should be blocked and legitimate school or work sites.

There are also straightforward bypasses. DNS filtering does not stop someone using another network, a VPN, an alternate DNS or a browser's encrypted-DNS setting. And cellular data skips your router entirely, which is why the next layer matters.

Block adult content on your phone

A phone leaves your Wi-Fi all day, so it needs its own control. Use the platform's built-in tool rather than an unknown app from a store listing.

iPhone and iPad

On Apple devices, the path is Settings, Screen Time, Content & Privacy Restrictions, Web Content, then "Limit Adult Websites." Apple's parental controls documentation also describes a stricter mode, Allowed Websites (labeled Only Approved Websites in some versions), and custom allowed and denied URLs. A deny rule can block a site even when automatic classification considers it nonadult.

Set a Screen Time passcode that your child doesn't know. Without one, the restrictions can be switched off in seconds.

Android

On Android, Google Family Link is the built-in route for a child's account. Open the child's profile, choose Controls, then Google Chrome and Web, and select "Try to block explicit sites" or the stricter "Only allow approved sites." Under Manage sites you can add specific blocked or approved sites. Google's Family Link guidance explains an easily missed detail: an entry such as www.example.com won't automatically cover differently prefixed or regional versions, while a domain entry applies more broadly. Use the narrowest rule that meets your need.

Google itself is candid that no filter is perfect, and the wording "Try to block" is deliberate. Treat it as risk reduction, not a guarantee.

Phones on cellular data

The router filter doesn't reach a phone on cellular data. Screen Time and Family Link do, so on phones they are the primary control and your router filter is the backup at home.

Block adult sites on a computer

Windows

Microsoft Family Safety can filter inappropriate websites and searches, block or allow specific URLs and optionally restrict an account to allowed sites only. The catch is spelled out in Microsoft's support page: the web and search filters need a supported browser, currently Edge, and signed-in Microsoft accounts. When the setting is on, unsupported browsers can be blocked.

That requirement explains a common false sense of security. If a child installs another browser and the filter doesn't apply to it, the account-level setting is doing nothing. Turn on the option that blocks unsupported browsers, or add the router filter as a second layer.

Mac

Macs use the same Screen Time controls as iPhones: System Settings, Screen Time, Content & Privacy Restrictions, Web Content. If you manage a family, set it up for each child's account and keep the administrator account private.

Chromebook and Chrome

On Windows, Mac and Linux, Google notes that Family Link filtering applies to the supervised Chrome experience, so a child can sign out of Chrome, switch profiles or use another browser. On those systems, combine Family Link with a standard (non-admin) computer account and your router DNS filter.

Don't forget search and private browsing

SafeSearch filters explicit results from Google Search, but it's not a website blocker. Google says supervised children have SafeSearch turned on and locked when signed in, yet it may not be enforced when the child is signed out or using an alternative search app. Use it as one layer next to website, app, browser and DNS controls. Our guide to SafeSearch and child protection goes deeper on how to lock it in.

Private browsing deserves a mention too. Incognito and InPrivate keep history and cookies from being saved, which means you can't review what happened afterward. Singapore's Health Promotion Board, in its parenting guidance, explains why disabling incognito mode on a child's devices can help. Filters usually still apply in private windows, but the missing history removes your ability to notice a problem.

Test your block before you rely on it

A filter you haven't tested is a guess. Spend ten minutes on this checklist with the child's device in hand, ideally with the child present and told why.

Try a site that should be blocked, then a school or work site that should load. If the second fails, you've found a false positive.
Open a second browser. If the adult site loads there, your controls only cover one browser.
Switch off Wi-Fi. On cellular data, confirm the phone's own controls still work.
Join a guest network. Router-level rules usually don't follow a device to another network.
Check browser DNS settings. Modern browsers can use Secure DNS and ignore your router's choice.
Look for VPN or proxy apps. CleanBrowsing's filter blocks many such domains, but an installed VPN app is a different route.
Check who holds the keys. Keep admin and Screen Time passcodes private, and give your child a standard, non-admin account so DNS settings can't be changed casually.

CleanBrowsing's parent guide makes the same point: router DNS is useful for whole-home coverage but isn't permanent by itself, so pair it with a password-protected device-level control.

Our perspective: blocking works best when you also check the sites that slip through

We build a website trust checker, so we spend our days looking at what makes a site safe or not. Here is what we'd tell a friend setting this up.

First, a blocklist can only block what someone has already categorized. A brand-new domain, a clone of a popular site or a link in a text message may not be classified yet. That's why filters and judgment belong together. When a link looks unfamiliar, paste it into a checker before anyone clicks. Our guide to spotting malicious websites safely walks through three quick checks anyone can run.

Second, adult sites are often a path to other problems, not only explicit content: aggressive redirects, fake download buttons, malware and scams. A strong filter helps there too, which is a good reason to keep the malware-blocking option on even if you only care about adult content.

Third, calm beats panic. Kids who feel they can tell you about something strange they saw are safer than kids with a perfect filter and a reason to hide. Use the controls to reduce accidents, and the conversation to handle the rest.

Finally, we keep our verdicts independent. We don't accept payment for a better score, and our tools are free. If you want more on tools beyond filters, see our roundup of website verification tools parents need in 2026 and our ranking of parental web security software.

— Nick

Check a link before anyone clicks it

Filters can't know every site. When a child, a parent or you yourself get a link you don't recognize, paste it into the free website trust checker. It analyzes more than 200 security, ownership and reputation signals and returns a 0 to 100 score with a verdict from dangerous to trusted, with no registration needed. You can also browse recently checked websites to see how common scam patterns look.

A sensible setup in 20 minutes

If you want a plan rather than a menu, this is the order we'd follow for a typical US household.

Router: set a family DNS filter (OpenDNS FamilyShield for simplicity, or CleanBrowsing's Family Filter for strictness).
Each child's phone or tablet: enable Screen Time or Family Link web restrictions, and set a passcode only you know.
Each computer: create a standard account for the child, enable Family Safety or Screen Time, and block unsupported browsers where the tool allows it.
Search: lock SafeSearch on.
Test: run the checklist above, fix what fails and repeat every few months, since devices and apps change.

For broader habits that protect everyone in the house, our safe browsing habits checklist and browser safety best practices pick up where blocking leaves off.

FAQ

What is the best family DNS filter?

There isn't one winner. OpenDNS FamilyShield is the simplest preconfigured adult-content filter, Cloudflare's family addresses add malware blocking, and CleanBrowsing's Family Filter is the strictest because it also blocks proxy, VPN and mixed-content sites. Start with the strictest one your household can tolerate, then loosen it if legitimate sites get blocked.

Can I block adult content on my phone without an app?

Yes. On iPhone and iPad, use Screen Time's Content & Privacy Restrictions and choose Limit Adult Websites. On Android, Google Family Link offers "Try to block explicit sites" for a child's account. Both are built into the platform, and both depend on a passcode or parent account the child can't access.

Can a family DNS filter be bypassed?

Yes. A VPN, a different DNS server, a browser's encrypted-DNS setting or cellular data can all route around a router filter. That's why you should add device-level controls, use a non-admin account and test the common bypass routes after setup.

Does SafeSearch block adult websites?

No. SafeSearch filters search results, but someone can still type or follow a direct link to a site. Google also says it may not be enforced when a child is signed out or using an alternative search app, so use it alongside website and DNS controls.