At this age, the goal is 100% curation. You shouldn't be "filtering" the open internet; you should be providing a pre-approved bucket of content.

Don't just hand over the app. Go into the settings and select "Approved Content Only." This turns off the search function and only allows your child to watch channels or videos you have explicitly white-listed. If you don't do this, the "brain rot" algorithm will eventually find them. One minute they’re watching Bluey, and four clicks later they’re watching a weirdly aggressive unboxing video.

This is the gold standard for the "Walled Garden." It’s safe, it’s educational, and you don’t have to worry about a single thing they click on. It's the digital equivalent of a padded room with snacks.

If you want them on a screen but want to feel good about it, Epic! is essentially a curated library. It’s a closed loop, meaning they aren't going to accidentally click an ad and end up on a sketchy site.

Learn more about the best apps for kids under 7

This is the hardest phase. They need more autonomy for schoolwork and socializing, but they aren't ready for the "Open Road" of the unfiltered web.

If your kid is on Android or has a Chromebook for school, Family Link is actually quite good. It lets you approve or block apps they want to download from the Play Store and gives you a "SafeSearch" toggle for Google searches. It’s not foolproof, but it’s a solid baseline.

It’s built into every iPhone and iPad. It’s great for setting "Downtime" (when the phone basically turns into a brick at night) and "App Limits." However, be warned: kids have figured out a dozen ways to bypass this (changing the time zone, deleting and reinstalling apps, etc.). It’s a deterrent, not a lock.

Roblox is the wild west. Their internal filters for "Experience Guidelines" are getting better, but the chat is where things get weird. For this age group, you should disable chat entirely or set it to "Friends Only." Check out our guide on Roblox parental controls

By the time they are in high school, filters are mostly about safety (blocking malware, porn, or gambling) rather than "content" filtering. If you try to block everything at 15, they will just use a VPN or a friend's hotspot and you’ll lose all visibility.

Bark is different because it doesn't just block; it monitors. It uses AI to scan texts, emails, and social media for "alerts" like bullying, depression, or predatory behavior. It’s less "Walled Garden" and more "Check Engine Light."

Let’s be real: TikTok’s "Restricted Mode" is trash. It filters out the most egregious stuff, but the algorithm is still designed to keep them scrolling for four hours. Instead of relying on a filter here, use the "Family Pairing" feature to set hard time limits from your own phone.

Ask our chatbot about how to talk to teens about social media

If you have a house full of devices (smart TVs, gaming consoles, iPads, laptops), managing each one individually is a nightmare. This is where network-level filtering comes in.

Gryphon is a router that has parental controls baked into the hardware. You can assign every device in the house to a specific person. When it’s "bedtime" for your 10-year-old, the internet literally cuts off for their iPad and their Nintendo Switch, but stays on for yours. It also has a very effective "Safe Search" enforcement at the router level.

This is a bit more "techy," but it’s incredibly powerful. It’s a DNS service that blocks trackers and "adult content" before it even reaches your house. It works on cellular data too if you install the profile on their phone.

Here is the truth that the software companies won't tell you: No filter is 100% effective.

If your kid wants to see something, they will. They will find the "incognito" mode you forgot to disable. They will use the browser built into the "Help" section of a random app. They will go to a friend's house where the Wi-Fi is an open invitation to the dark side.

The Filter is a Speed Bump, Not a Wall. The goal of a filter is to prevent accidental exposure. It stops them from seeing something traumatic because they misspelled "Pokemon." It doesn't stop them from being curious humans.

Netflix has actually done a great job with their profile locks. You can set a Maturity Rating for each profile and even block specific titles. If you think Squid Game is too much for your middle schooler (it is), you can literally hide it so it doesn't even show up in search results.

Regular YouTube is the biggest pain point for parents. Even with "Restricted Mode" on, they can still see some pretty questionable "Shorts." If you have a kid who struggles with "brain rot" content, the best filter is often just deleting the app and making them use the YouTube website in a browser where you have more control.

When you install these filters, don't do it in secret. That just turns it into a "Me vs. You" game where the kid's goal is to "hack" the parent.

Try this: "Hey, the internet is a giant city. Most of it is cool, but some parts are dangerous or just plain weird. I'm putting these 'training wheels' on your phone to help you navigate it until you're a bit older. As you show me you can handle it, we’ll take the wheels off one by one."

Learn more about digital wellness for the whole family

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, start with one device. Pick the one they use the most (usually an iPad or a phone) and spend 20 minutes in the settings tonight. You don't have to be a tech genius; you just have to be more persistent than a ten-year-old. (Good luck with that last part).

Check out our full guide on setting up an iPhone for a child