Protect your family online
Set up content filtering in about 10 minutes using free tools. Block adult content, gambling, and malicious sites across every device in your home — without needing to install anything special on the router.
Router
Change your router's DNS to a family-filtered service once. Every device on your WiFi is protected.
Devices
Enable the built-in parental controls on each kid's phone, tablet, PC, or Chromebook.
Conversation
Tools catch a lot; conversation catches the rest. A short chat is the most effective layer.
Option 1 · Protects every device
Network-level filtering (router DNS)
This is the single highest-leverage step. Changing your router's DNS once automatically filters every device that connects to your WiFi — phones, tablets, laptops, smart TVs, game consoles, and any visitors' devices too. You don't need an account or any software.
Step-by-step
- 1Open a browser on a device connected to your home WiFi. Go to 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 (try both — your router uses one of them).
- 2Log in. The password is usually printed on the router itself. If you've never changed it, check for a sticker on the underside. ISP-supplied routers sometimes use admin / admin or admin / password.
- 3Find the DNS section. It's typically under Internet, WAN, or Network settings. Look for fields called Primary DNS / Secondary DNS (or DNS 1 / DNS 2).
- 4Replace the existing DNS values with one of the family-filtered services below. Save, then restart your router (power-cycle it).
- 5Test it — go to 1.1.1.1/help and check that "Connected to 1.1.1.1" shows Yes. For adult-content blocking, try visiting a known adult site — it should fail to load.
Which DNS service to use
Cloudflare Family — malware only
Provider guideBlocks known malware and phishing sites. No content filtering. A good baseline for everyone.
Cloudflare Family — malware + adult content
Provider guideAdds adult-content blocking on top of malware protection. Free, no signup.
OpenDNS FamilyShield
Provider guideLong-running alternative from Cisco. Blocks adult content and known phishing/malware.
DNS filtering blocks whole sites, not individual pages. It's fast, free, and works on every device — but a motivated teenager can bypass it by using a VPN or by changing DNS manually on their own phone. Combine with device-level controls below.
Option 2 · Protects a specific device
Device-level parental controls
Operating systems ship with parental controls that handle things DNS can't — screen-time limits, app purchase approvals, location sharing, and per-app restrictions. Pick the platforms that apply:
- 1Open Settings → Screen Time.
- 2Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions, then toggle it ON.
- 3Tap Content Restrictions → Web Content.
- 4Select Limit Adult Websites (or Allowed Websites Only for stricter control).
- 5Back in Screen Time, set a parent passcode so the restriction can't be disabled by the child.
Option 3 · Browser-level protection
BASTION extension
Install our own BASTION extension on your child's browser. It flags phishing, typosquats, and known-bad domains with a visible warning banner — separately from whatever DNS filtering is active.
This only protects the browser it's installed in. It doesn't cover native apps, games, or other browsers on the same device — treat it as a supplement to the two options above, not a replacement.
Install BASTIONGambling-specific
Blocking gambling sites and self-exclusion
DNS filtering alone rarely covers gambling sites well — there are thousands of new domains every month. Dedicated gambling-blockers maintain constantly-updated lists and are harder to bypass.
BetBlocker
Free, endorsed by UK/US responsible-gambling bodies. Blocks tens of thousands of gambling sites and apps on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Kindle.
InstallGamban
Paid but robust blocker across phones, tablets, and computers. Offered free by some UK helplines (GamCare) and NHS partners.
InstallGamBlock
Long-running desktop blocker (Windows/macOS). Hard to remove once installed — intentional design.
InstallSelf-exclusion (for yourself or an adult in the household)
Self-exclusion programs formally ban you from operators in a jurisdiction for a fixed period. They're legally enforceable and cover all licensed operators in one registration.
UK
GAMSTOPOne registration self-excludes you from every UK-licensed online operator for 6 months / 1 year / 5 years.
US
State-by-state Voluntary Self-ExclusionNCPG maintains a state-by-state list of exclusion programs (NJ, PA, MI, NY, CO, MA, and more).
AU
BetStopNational self-exclusion register — covers all Australian-licensed online operators.
CA
Provincial programsSelf-exclusion is operated at the provincial level (e.g. OLG Ontario, Loto-Québec).
For a private 2-minute gambling self-screening, the Gambling Self-Check uses the clinical PGSI — nothing is stored.
Reading & support
Additional resources
- Internet Matters
Age-specific guidance (0–5, 6–10, 11–13, 14+) for every major platform and issue, maintained by UK safety charity.
- NSPCC Online Safety
Net-Aware app reviews, conversation starter templates, and helpline support (0808 800 5000).
- NetSmartz (NCMEC)
Teaching videos and tipsheets from the US National Center for Missing & Exploited Children — grouped by age.
- Family Online Safety Institute
Research-backed parenting guides and a quarterly State of the Online Life report.
- Common Sense Media
Independent age ratings and reviews for apps, games, movies, TV, and books.
Family online-safety checklist
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Saved locally to your browser. Never sent anywhere.
No filter catches 100% of harmful content, and every filter can be bypassed by a motivated user with enough time and searching. The most effective layer is still an ongoing conversation — tools give you time and focus, but kids who feel safe asking questions are the ones who stay safe.