Device controls · Android

Checked August 18, 2026

Android: the built-in filters, and the DNS lever

Android 17 adds a PIN-locked Web content filter that blocks explicit sites in Chrome and the Google app. On older Android an adult account has no OS-level content filter: SafeSearch and Google Play ratings are the built-in options, and Private DNS pointed at a filtering provider is the lever that reaches every browser.

Filters classified contentWeb content filters (Parental controls, Android 17)

A platform-side model decides what counts. Misses are common on suggestive content, and the model changes without notice.

The honest line

Digital Wellbeing filters nothing; before Android 17 an adult account has no OS-level content filter, only SafeSearch and Play ratings; a filtering DNS hostname in Private DNS is the lever that covers every browser.

Who can lock it: On Android 17 the Parental controls PIN locks the web filter and Play filters. On anything older nothing in the OS locks: Private DNS can be switched off by anyone holding the unlocked phone, so the lock is real only when the account is supervised with Family Link or you accept self-set friction.

Availability: Web content filters need Android 17 or later (Pixel first, other makers as they ship Android 17) plus current Chrome, Google app and Android System WebView. Menu names vary by maker; search Settings for the setting name.

On this page
Start hereFilters classified content

Block explicit sites

Google's explicit-site classifier for Chrome and the Google app. On Android 17 it lives in Settings under Parental controls, behind a PIN, on any account. On a Family Link supervised account it is the Try to block explicit sites setting. Google notes that when Block explicit sites is on, sites you visit in Chrome are sent to Google to check for explicit content.

A platform-side model decides what counts. Misses are common on suggestive content, and the model changes without notice.

Android 17 or later, on the device

  1. Open Settings, tap Parental controls, then tap Set up Parental controls PIN.

    At least 4 digits. Add a recovery account if you want a way back; without one Google says a forgotten PIN needs a factory reset.

  2. Tap Parental controls, then Web content filters.

  3. Turn on Block explicit sites.

  4. Turn on Filter explicit search results to apply SafeSearch as well. Official Android destination (opens in a new tab)

Family Link supervised account

  1. Open the Family Link app and select the person.

  2. Tap Controls, then Google Chrome and Web.

  3. Choose Try to block explicit sites.

    Google's own words: no filter is perfect, but this should help hide sexually explicit sites.

  4. Under Manage sites, add Approved sites and Blocked sites; those apply no matter what other Chrome settings are set. Official Android destination (opens in a new tab)

What it covers

  • Chrome 140 or later and the Google app 16.42 or later
  • Apps that show web pages through Android System WebView 139 or later
  • Other browsers only if their maker adopts Google's Web Content Filters feature
  • Family Link path: Chrome and some Android apps on the supervised account

What it does not cover

  • Google: explicit content may still show on other apps, devices, or browsers
  • A classifier, so suggestive and unlabeled pages pass and some good pages get caught
  • Photos and video inside social and messaging apps are not websites; they are not checked
  • Below Android 17 the on-device path does not exist, and the Family Link path exists only for a supervised child account
Also usefulFilters classified content

SafeSearch

Google Search's own filter. Filter blocks explicit results, Blur blurs explicit images (the default when Filter does not apply), Off shows everything. Set it in the Google app or on the SafeSearch settings page for your account or browser. Google: it only works on Google Search.

A platform-side model decides what counts. Misses are common on suggestive content, and the model changes without notice.

Google app

  1. Open the Google app on your phone or tablet.

  2. At the top right, tap your Profile picture or Initial, then Settings, then SafeSearch.

  3. Select Filter. Official Android destination (opens in a new tab)

    A Lock at the top right means someone else manages the setting.

Chrome or another browser

  1. Go to your SafeSearch settings page while signed in to the Google Account you use. Official Android destination (opens in a new tab)

  2. Select Filter.

  3. Repeat in each browser or profile you use if you are not signed in.

    On Android 17, Parental controls > Web content filters > Filter explicit search results applies SafeSearch behind the PIN.

What it covers

  • Google Search results, images and video, in the Google app and in the browser where you set it
  • Search results in Chrome when Android 17's Filter explicit search results is on

What it does not cover

  • Only Google Search; it does not touch other search engines or any website
  • Per account or per browser; sign out or open another browser and the setting can differ
  • Nothing locks it for an adult account, so it is one tap to Off (parents, schools and networks can lock it for accounts they manage)
  • Blur, the adult default, still shows explicit text and links
Also usefulHides labeled media

Google Play content restrictions

Caps the maturity rating of apps, games, movies, TV and books you can get from Google Play on this device, behind a PIN. Ratings are labels, so nothing an allowed app shows is checked. Google says restricted content can still appear in search results or through a direct link.

Depends on the poster or the platform marking the media as sensitive. Unlabeled suggestive content passes.

Google Play app

  1. Open the Google Play app and tap the profile icon at the top right.

  2. Tap Settings, then Family, then Content restrictions.

  3. Tap Go to Parental controls, then Set up a parental controls PIN, then Next, and create a PIN.

    On Android 17 this is the same PIN as Settings > Parental controls.

  4. Select the type filters you want and choose how to restrict access. Official Android destination (opens in a new tab)

What it covers

  • New downloads and purchases from Google Play on this device
  • Apps, games, movies, TV and books above the rating you allow

What it does not cover

  • Google: content restrictions do not prevent restricted content as a search result or through a direct link
  • Apps already installed stay put
  • Per device: repeat it on every phone or tablet
  • Google's own reset path is to clear the Play Store app's data, which wipes the PIN and the restrictions, so it slows you down rather than stops you
The lockLockable by another person or a network

Private DNS

Android's system setting for encrypted DNS. Point it at a family-filter DNS provider's hostname and the phone's name lookups go through that filter on every network it joins, unless an app carries its own DNS. Google: it helps secure only DNS questions and answers and cannot protect anything else.

A passcode, a supervisor, or DNS keeps the setting from being switched back off in a weak moment.

Set a filtering DNS hostname

  1. Open Settings and tap Network & internet, then Private DNS.

    If you cannot find it, search Settings for Private DNS.

  2. Pick Private DNS provider hostname.

  3. Enter the hostname your filtering DNS provider gives you (see On Guard's router and DNS guide for providers), then tap Save. Official Android destination (opens in a new tab)

  4. Test a site you expect to be blocked. If it loads, the app you tested in may be using its own DNS.

What it covers

  • Every app and browser on the phone that uses the system's DNS
  • All networks the phone joins, since it is a device setting rather than a per-Wi-Fi one

What it does not cover

  • Anyone holding the unlocked phone can set it back to Automatic or Off; the OS does not lock it for an adult account
  • A VPN app can supply its own DNS servers to its tunnel and route around it
  • It filters domain names only, so explicit pages on a permitted site pass and content inside apps is not judged

Android questions

Does Digital Wellbeing block adult content?

No. Google's page describes app timers, site timers for Chrome, Bedtime mode, Focus mode and an App limits PIN. It measures and limits time; it does not filter what loads.

I do not have Android 17. What is left?

SafeSearch for Google results, Google Play content restrictions for what you can download, and Private DNS pointed at a filtering provider. None of them locks for an adult account.

Does Private DNS apply on mobile data as well as Wi-Fi?

It is a device-wide setting under Network & internet, not a per-network one, and Google says the phone uses Private DNS with all networks that can use it. It secures DNS lookups only; a VPN app can carry its own DNS.

Can I lock the filter for myself?

On Android 17 the Parental controls PIN locks Web content filters and App store filters; add a recovery account only if you want a way to reset it. On older versions there is no lock, so use Family Link supervision for a household member, or filter upstream on the router.

What On Guard adds

On Guard on Android detects explicit content on the screen itself, in any app or browser, keeps every frame on the device, puts up a gate, and texts an ally a check-in with no details, so it does not depend on which browser or Android version you have.

The controls above are worth setting either way. On Guard is the layer for the moment a setting is not enough. How it works, explained.