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Blockers

A fence you build while calm, so the person you are at midnight does not have to decide anything. Start with DNS, because one setting covers every browser and app on the device.

The addresses

Both free, both well known

A DNS filter works at the layer where a device looks up a site’s address, so it applies to every browser and every app at once. Put one of these pairs into the device or the router, and that is most of the job.

Free family DNS filters and the addresses to enter
FilterAddressesHostname
Cloudflare for FamiliesBlocks adult content and malware. Free.1.1.1.31.0.0.3family.cloudflare-dns.com
OpenDNS FamilyShieldBlocks adult content. Free.208.67.222.123208.67.220.123None

Where to set it

The router first, then whatever you carry

  1. Your home router

    One change covers every device in the house, including the ones you forget about.

    1. 1Open the router's admin page, usually printed on a sticker underneath it.
    2. 2Find the DNS settings, often under internet, WAN or DHCP.
    3. 3Replace the existing addresses with one of the pairs above.
    4. 4Restart the router, then reconnect a phone and check a blocked site is blocked.

  2. Android

    Private DNS follows the phone onto mobile data, not just your own wifi.

    1. 1Open network and internet settings, then private DNS.
    2. 2Choose the private DNS provider hostname option.
    3. 3Enter family.cloudflare-dns.com and save.
    4. 4For a second layer, use Family Link or Digital Wellbeing to restrict browsers and app installs.

  3. iPhone and iPad

    Screen Time has a content filter built in, and it applies system-wide.

    1. 1Open Screen Time, then content and privacy restrictions, and turn them on.
    2. 2Under content restrictions, set web content to limit adult websites.
    3. 3Set a Screen Time passcode you do not know, by having someone else type it.
    4. 4DNS can also be set per wifi network in that network's settings.

  4. Windows

    Family Safety filters at the account level, and DNS covers the rest.

    1. 1Set up Microsoft Family Safety and put your own account on it.
    2. 2Turn on the web and search filter for that account.
    3. 3Set DNS per network adapter under network settings, or once on the router.
    4. 4Have someone else hold the family organizer password.

  5. Mac

    The same Screen Time restrictions as the phone, on the machine you work on.

    1. 1Open Screen Time, then content and privacy.
    2. 2Set web content to limit adult websites.
    3. 3Lock Screen Time with a passcode someone else sets.
    4. 4Set DNS servers per network in network settings.

Beyond blocking

The accountability layer

Filters block. Accountability software reports, to a person you choose. For many people the second is what actually changes behavior, because it removes the secrecy rather than the access. If you set one up, pick your ally before you pick the app.

A rule for fences

Give the unlock code to someone else, or set it while distracted and do not write it down. A fence you can step over in ten seconds is a suggestion. Lesson six, blockers as a fence, not a cage, is about why none of this is a sign of weakness.