How to set up family DNS filters on home routers or per device using CleanBrowsing Family, NextDNS, AdGuard DNS and OpenDNS Family Shield.
DNS filtering is a quiet, network-layer parental control that blocks domain lookups for harmful or adult sites before any device even tries to connect. Set on a home router, it covers every device on the network — phones, consoles, smart TVs, IoT gadgets — without installing anything on each device. Set on individual devices, it follows the child wherever they go. CleanBrowsing Family, NextDNS, AdGuard DNS and OpenDNS Family Shield are the four most widely used family DNS services. All have free tiers; NextDNS adds detailed logs and per-device profiles on a low-cost paid plan.
Router-level DNS
Router admin > DHCP / DNS settings > Primary and Secondary DNS
Setting DNS at the router applies the filter to every device that uses the router for DNS — phones, consoles, smart TVs, even guests. It is the broadest single setting you can make on your home network.
Per-device DNS
iOS: Settings > Wi-Fi > [network] > Configure DNS | Android: Settings > Network > Private DNS | macOS/Windows: Network adapter settings
iOS supports private DNS profiles from services like NextDNS that work everywhere — home, school Wi-Fi, mobile data. Android 9+ supports Private DNS (DNS-over-TLS) globally.
NextDNS profile
my.nextdns.io
NextDNS lets you mix-and-match: block categories (adult, gambling, gaming), force SafeSearch on Google/Bing/DuckDuckGo, restrict YouTube to Restricted Mode, and view a log of allowed and blocked requests.
Block DoH bypass
Router/firewall rules — block outbound DNS-over-HTTPS to common providers
Modern browsers default to DoH, which bypasses router DNS. Blocking DoH endpoints forces all DNS through your filter. NextDNS and similar services include guidance on doing this.
เนื้อหาต้นฉบับภาษาอังกฤษ: /devices/dns-filtering