Parental Controls Setup

My neighbor’s 9-year-old stumbled onto something she definitely wasn’t supposed to see — on a school iPad. Her mom had parental controls installed. They just didn’t work.

Here’s how to actually fix that.

Why DNS-Based Parental Controls?

Most parental control apps are built like a fence with a gate a kid can see through. They’re installed on one device, drain the battery, and get bypassed the second a tech-savvy kid finds a VPN on YouTube. They also tend to monitor everything — which isn’t protection, that’s surveillance.

DNS filtering is different. It works at the network level, before a request even loads. That means:

  • It covers every device automatically — no individual installs
  • It can’t be easily bypassed at the app level
  • It doesn’t drain battery because it’s not running locally
  • It blocks categories, not your kid’s search history

Stoix runs on this model. One setup, everything behind it gets filtered.

Quick Start Guide

Step 1: Set Up Your Account

  1. Sign up for Stoix at stoix.io
  2. Complete the setup for your family’s devices
  3. Access your Dashboard at dashboard

Step 2: Enable Content Filtering

  1. Go to Content Policies
  2. Enable “Family Safe Mode”
  3. Choose your filtering level:
    • Strict – Blocks most questionable content
    • Moderate – Balanced protection (recommended)
    • Light – Basic protection only

Step 3: Customize Categories

Select what to block:

Always Recommended

  • Adult Content – Explicit material
  • Gambling – Betting and casino sites
  • Drugs – Drug-related content
  • Violence – Extremely violent content
  • Malware – Malicious websites

Age-Appropriate Options

  • Social Media – For younger kids (blocks TikTok, Instagram, etc.)
  • Gaming – During homework time or bedtime
  • Streaming – To manage screen time
  • Dating – For teens
  • Chat & Forums – For young children

Step 4: Test Your Setup

  1. Try visiting a blocked category
  2. You should see a block page
  3. Check your Analytics to see blocks in action

Age-Based Recommendations

Young Children (5–10 years)

Recommended blocks: adult content, gambling, drugs, violence, social media, chat & messaging, user-generated content

Young kids need a locked door, not a baby gate. Enable Strict filtering, block all recommended categories, and use the Allowlist for approved educational sites. Anything not on the list stays out.

Tweens (11–13 years)

Recommended blocks: adult content, gambling, drugs, extreme violence, dating sites, social media (case-by-case)

This is the age where the interesting stuff starts looking interesting. They need protection but they’re also starting to notice when they’re being suffocated. Enable Moderate filtering, block the core categories, and consider time-based restrictions for social media rather than a hard block. Have the internet safety conversation now, before something makes you have it for you.

Teens (14–17 years)

Recommended blocks: adult content, gambling, extreme violence, dating (discuss first), light social media filtering

The goal here shifts. You’re not just blocking content — you’re building someone who can navigate without you. Enable Moderate or Light filtering, focus on the genuinely harmful categories, and gradually loosen restrictions as they earn it. Over-filtering a 16-year-old breeds exactly the behavior you’re trying to prevent.

Advanced Configuration

Schedule-Based Filtering

Some of the most useful filtering isn’t about what — it’s about when.

Homework time (3–6 PM weekdays): Block gaming, streaming, social media. Allow educational sites and email.

Bedtime (9 PM – 7 AM): Block entertainment and social media. Allow emergency sites only.

Note: Schedule features are coming soon to Stoix. For now, use router scheduling or device screen time settings as a bridge.

Device-Specific Rules

Not everyone in the house needs the same rules. Create separate DNS profiles in your Dashboard:

Parent’s device – Minimal filtering, block malware and trackers only.

Teen’s phone – Moderate filtering, block adult content, gambling, and drugs. Allow social media.

Child’s tablet – Strict filtering, block social media, chat, and user-generated content. Allow approved educational sites only.

Safe Search Enforcement

Stoix automatically redirects search engines to their safe search versions — Google, Bing, YouTube, DuckDuckGo. No configuration needed on the device side.

Enable: Go to Content Policies → Enable “Enforce Safe Search”

Managing the Allowlist

School tools, coding projects, educational platforms — kids have legitimate reasons to need specific sites even inside a strict filter.

Adding Sites

  1. Go to Allowlist
  2. Click “Add Domain”
  3. Enter the domain (e.g., classroom.google.com)
  4. Save

Common Allowlist Entries

Educational: classroom.google.com, khanacademy.org, quizlet.com, schoology.com

Creative: scratch.mit.edu, tinkercad.com, codecademy.com

Communication: zoom.us (for online classes), meet.google.com

Handling Blocked Site Requests

When a kid says “why is this blocked?” — don’t dismiss it. Sometimes they’re right.

  1. Visit the site yourself first. Read reviews. Check the content rating.
  2. If it’s appropriate, add it to the Allowlist and explain why you’re allowing it.
  3. If it’s not, explain why it’s blocked, offer alternatives, and keep the door open.

Document your allowlist decisions somewhere. Future you dealing with three different kids and six devices will appreciate it.

Talking to Your Kids

The filter handles the obvious stuff. The conversation handles everything else.

For young kids: “Some websites aren’t safe for kids. Our filters help protect you. If you see something that makes you uncomfortable, tell me right away.”

For tweens: “These filters are for safety, not punishment. Let’s talk about what you do online — I’m here to help, not punish.”

For teens: “I trust you, but the internet has risks. If you ever find a way around the filters, tell me instead of hiding it. What do you think about our internet rules?”

The goal is a kid who comes to you when something goes wrong, not one who hides it because they’re scared of losing access.

Troubleshooting

”I need this site for school!”

Verify it. Look at the site yourself. If it checks out, add it to the Allowlist — consider a temporary entry if it’s for one specific assignment.

Kid found a workaround

VPN or proxy: Block VPN domains in your Blocklist. Then have the trust conversation, because a kid who routes around your filter is telling you something.

Mobile data: Set up DNS filtering on their phone directly. Use device parental controls as a backup layer.

Friend’s device: This one’s harder to filter technically. Coordinate with other parents where you can. Emphasize that online safety follows them, not the device.

Legitimate site is blocked

  1. Check which category triggered the block in Analytics
  2. Add it to your Allowlist
  3. Report the false positive so the filter improves for everyone

Best Practices

Do: Review what’s being blocked regularly and adjust as kids grow. Explain the why. Stay consistent across siblings of the same age. Lead by example — kids notice what you do on your phone.

Don’t: Hide that filters exist. Over-filter to the point of rebellion. Spy on content within allowed sites. Treat the filter as a replacement for conversation. Forget to loosen restrictions as they mature.

Privacy & Trust

What Stoix Sees

Domain names (e.g., example.com), time of request, whether it was blocked.

What Stoix Never Sees

Specific pages visited, personal information, messages or conversations, content within websites.

What Parents Can See in Analytics

Blocked domains, total query count, most accessed categories. Not specific pages within allowed sites. Not search queries. Not form data or passwords.

This is intentional. Protection without surveillance.

Resources for Parents

Next Steps

Questions? Contact us — we’re parents too.