Parental controls that survive contact with a teenager

Most parental controls fail the same way: they filter one device, or one browser, and stop working the moment someone installs a VPN. DNS-level filtering with the bypass routes closed is a different proposition.

Why app-based controls keep failing

An app on a phone can be deleted. A browser extension covers one browser. A router filter stops applying the instant the phone switches to cellular data. Each of these is a documented workaround, and children share them.

DNS filtering follows the device rather than the network, which closes the cellular gap. But it only holds if the escape routes are also shut.

What you can filter

• Adult content — sexually explicit sites, blocked before the page loads
• Gambling — betting and casino sites, which increasingly advertise to minors
• Dating apps — including the ones marketed as something else
• Drugs and alcohol — sites selling or promoting them
• Social networks and games — useful during school hours
• Malware and phishing — worth having on every device regardless of age

Filtering is only half of it

Blocking tells you what did not happen. The more useful question is usually what did. DNSight keeps a readable timeline per device: which services were opened, in what order, and what was done inside them — a first-ever contact with a dating app, an App Store fetch followed by a phone verification, a late-night session on sites you would want to know about.

Each device runs its own protection pack, so the child's tablet and the family TV do not have to share a policy.

Setting it up

1. Add the child's device and give it a name you will recognise
2. Install the configuration profile — about five minutes, no app store required
3. Pick a pack, or build one from the categories above
4. Check the timeline after a day or two, once there is enough history to read

Common questions

Will my child know it is installed?

Yes. The configuration profile is visible in device settings, as it must be — hiding monitoring from someone using a device they own is not something we build for.

What if they remove the profile?

The device stops reporting, which is itself visible. Installing at the router covers everything on the home network regardless of individual devices.

Does it work when they leave the house?

Yes on the device profile, including cellular data and other people's Wi-Fi. Router-level filtering only covers the home network.

Can I see what they searched?

No. DNS shows which services were contacted and can infer that a search happened, but never the search terms — those are inside encrypted traffic DNSight does not see.