How to Block Adult Sites on Android With Family DNS (2026)

Handing a phone or tablet to a child, or just keeping your own feed clean, starts with one question: how do you stop adult sites from loading at all? DNS is the simplest answer on Android, because it works in every browser and app without installing a browser extension. This guide covers the free built-in route, where it falls short, and how to make it stick.

How do I block adult sites on Android with DNS?

Every site needs a DNS lookup before it can load. A family DNS provider keeps a list of adult domains and answers those lookups with nothing, so the page never opens. Android's Private DNS setting sends all lookups to the provider you name.

1. Open Settings > Network & internet > Private DNS. On Samsung Galaxy phones go to Settings > Connections > More connection settings > Private DNS. The wording differs by version, so search Settings for "Private DNS" if you cannot find it.
2. Choose Private DNS provider hostname.
3. Type a family hostname from the table below.
4. Tap Save.
5. Open a browser and try a well-known adult site to check that it no longer loads.

These are the family hostnames as each provider publishes them, as of October 2026:

You can copy any of them from our Private DNS hostname picker. For non-family providers and their logging policies, see the best Private DNS providers for Android.

Why is family DNS on its own easy to get around?

Private DNS was built for privacy, and it has no lock.

• Anyone can switch it off. The setting has an Off option one tap away, and Google's own steps for changing it involve no password. A child who searches Settings for "Private DNS" can undo it in seconds.
• A VPN app can bypass it. Most VPN apps send lookups through their own servers, so installing a free VPN can skip the family filter. CleanBrowsing Family blocks many proxy and VPN domains to make this harder, but no list catches every one.
• One list for everything. You cannot block gambling but keep social media, or allow one school site the filter catches.
• No record of what was blocked. You cannot see which sites were tried or which app tried them.
• It can fail on some networks. School and public Wi-Fi sometimes block encrypted DNS. If that happens, follow our fix for Private DNS server cannot be accessed, and remember that switching to Automatic also switches the family filter off.

How does Repel's family mode lock DNS filtering with a PIN?

Repel is a DNS filter and firewall for Android. Its family mode, part of Pro, works through Repel's own filter, which checks each lookup on the phone and blocks what you choose.

Category blocks. Switch on blocks for adult sites, gambling and social networks separately. You choose which categories apply, instead of taking one provider's list.

Safe search everywhere it matters. Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo and YouTube always use their safe modes. YouTube gets a restricted video mode, with a moderate option that hides fewer videos than the strict filter.

Whole services with a daily allowance. One switch can block a whole service, with a daily free time if you want to allow, say, a short stretch of a social app each day.

A PIN on everything that turns protection down. With a PIN set, nothing that weakens protection works without it. That includes the filter switch, the firewall and timed pauses. Loosening any rule asks for the PIN first.

The activity log. See which app looked up which domain and whether it was blocked. If a homework site gets caught, allow that one domain instead of switching the filter off.

On the TV as well. Family mode is part of the full Repel app on Android TV and Google TV. Our guide to blocking ads on Android TV shows how to set Repel up there.

What the PIN does not cover

Be clear about the limit. The PIN guards Repel's own switches. Android still lets anyone who can unlock the phone remove a VPN or uninstall an app, so on a young child's phone, use Repel together with Android's own parental controls. Repel's filter also uses Android's VPN slot, so it cannot run at the same time as another VPN app.

Repel blocks by domain, so it cannot remove ads that play inside a video stream, such as YouTube ads.

How do I set up Repel family mode?

1. Install Repel and switch on the filter. Accept Android's VPN prompt, which keeps lookups on the phone.
2. Unlock Pro, a one-time purchase.
3. Open Settings > Family mode in Repel.
4. Turn on Safe search and pick the categories to block, such as adult sites and gambling.
5. Set a PIN lock of 4 to 8 digits and keep it somewhere safe.
6. Try a blocked site to check it fails, then try to switch the filter off to check the PIN is asked for.

For extra cover when the filter is not running, set a family provider such as AdGuard Family with Repel's free one-tap Private DNS. If you are setting up DNS for the first time, our guide to setting up Private DNS on Android explains the basics.

Which way of blocking adult sites works best?

Comparing filter apps? Our Repel vs AdGuard and Repel vs Blokada comparisons go through the differences, and our DNS changer guide explains every way to change DNS on Android.

Sources

• CleanBrowsing: DNS filters
• AdGuard DNS public servers
• Cloudflare: Set up 1.1.1.1 on Android
• Google: Manage advanced network settings on Android (Private DNS)