Gone are the days when children used to spend all their free time playing and running outside the house.
In fact, the opposite has become true in recent times. Due to advancements in technology, children who own mobile devices are now getting younger and younger, which means they’d rather spend most of their time inside the house, browsing on their phones and tablets all day.
As a parent, it’s only natural for you to feel concerned about what they’re seeing on their phones, especially when you’re not there to supervise.
That’s why, in today’s guide, we’ll show you all the different ways of how to block adult content on Android.
Contents
5 Ways To Block Adult Content On Android Summary
Luckily, there are many ways to make your kid’s Android phone child-friendly. Here are the best ways to block adult content.
| App | Platforms | Pricing | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spy app such as mSpy | Android, iOS | $8.33-$26.99/month | Keyword alerts, Website blocking with specific URLs, App monitoring and blocking, Subscription-based service |
| Google Play Store | Android | Free | App filtering, Prevent downloading of apps with inappropriate content |
| Google Chrome | Android, iOS | Free | Filters out explicit content, SafeSearch functionality |
| Google App | Android, iOS | Free | SafeSearch feature, Filters explicit content in search results |
Here are step-by-step instructions for every method on how to do it.
Free Ways
Blocking Adult Content on Google Play Store
There are many apps on the Google Play Store that may not be safe for your kids to see. This includes apps that feature violence, gore, and of course, sexual content.
If you want to make sure that your child is not downloading an app that contains inappropriate content, simply follow these steps showing how to use Play Store settings.
- Open the Play Store on your child’s Android phone. You’ll see a Hamburger icon at the top-left side. Click it.
- A dropdown list will show. Click Settings.
- Under user controls, the first option is Parental Controls. Tap that option.
- Tap the toggle button showing that the Parental controls are off.
- Once you tap it, a prompt will show up, asking you to create a PIN. Type in your chosen PIN and click OK. Take note that you’ll have to type it twice for confirmation.
- After confirming your PIN, you can now set content restrictions. 3+ content is the most restrictive, while the least restrictive is 18+ content. Click Save to change the options.
And you’re done! You can now let your child browse the Play Store without worrying that they might download apps that they’re not supposed to.
Block Adult Content On Google Chrome
Setting up the Play Store settings is not the only thing you should worry about if you have kids who have their own Android phones. You should also make sure that Google Chrome, the world’s most widely-used browser, is safe from inappropriate content, as well.
Here are the steps to block adult sites and adult content on your child’s Chrome browser.
- Open Google Chrome on your child’s Android phone and type google.com/preferences on the search bar.
- This will take you to the Search Settings screen. Select Filter explicit results under SafeSearch Filters.
- Click Save.
While SafeSearch isn’t 100% accurate, turning it on will give you some peace of mind that your child won’t accidentally see explicit content while searching for random things on the Internet.
Block Adult Content On The Google App
Google App is another commonly used app that you should filter for inappropriate content on your child’s phone.
It works the same way as Google Chrome, except with more features. You can recognize it by its single ‘G’ icon with Google’s color scheme.
You can also turn the app’s SafeSearch on to block explicit content.
- Open Google App on your child’s phone. Once you enter the app, you’ll see a horizontal panel at the bottom showing some options. Click the Meatballs icon with the label ‘More’ at the bottom-right of the screen.
- Click Settings.
- Click General, the first option on the list.
- You’ll see a toggle for SafeSearch. Tap that to enable SafeSearch.
Paid Ways
You can also block harmful content with spy apps such as mSpy, which is a parental control app that allows you to monitor, track, and even make changes to your child’s phone activity.
With spy apps, you can protect your child from seeing harmful content such as drugs, violence, and pornography by blocking apps and websites.
Since all the spy apps require a paid subscription, you’re going to have to subscribe to a package first before you proceed. After that, you need to install the spy app on the target Android phone.
Once you’re done with the installation, you can now begin the steps to block inappropriate websites on Android. How to do that depends on the particular app you choose.
If you need to know more about mSpy and how to use it, read our review.
You can also check out other spy apps such as Qustodio or Famisafe.
Now You Know How To Block Adult Content On Android
These days, children are getting so adept with technology such as Google Search that it’s getting harder for parents to keep their environment family-friendly.
That’s why it’s important to know how to block adult content on their Android phones (and iPhones as well), especially if you don’t want them to get exposed to things that they shouldn’t be seeing at a young age.
Turning SafeSearch on in their browser and in Play Store and Google app is a good way to filter out inappropriate content, as well as limiting the apps they can download from Play Store.
If you want more management options, you can also use apps like Qustodio, Famisafe, or mSpy to make sure that your child is only viewing family-friendly content. You can use these apps on multiple devices and across different platforms, which means you’ll have better control over your child’s device usage.
Did you enjoy this tutorial? Have you already used one of these apps before? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!
