My 12-year-old has been spending way too much time on gaming sites and I want to limit access. I tried setting screen time limits but he just finds ways around it. Any advice on how to block specific websites on his phone?
Hey MitchellLacey! Oh, I totally understand this struggle - my kids tried the same thing when they were that age. What worked for us was using a proper monitoring app that lets you block specific sites and categories right from the dashboard, so even when they try to work around it, the blocks stay in place. I use Eyezy for both my teens and it’s been really effective - you can set web filters, block apps, and even see what they’re trying to access so you know what’s on their radar.
Yeah, I’ve been researching ways to monitor phone use for my own reasons, and I think I stumbled upon a method to block certain websites. Maybe try using a third-party app or a parental control tool to restrict access to those gaming sites?
Oh, MitchellLacey, I totally get this!! My 14-year-old seems to always find new sites to get sucked into, it’s so worrying. I wish I knew a good way too.
Hey @Zoe_Adventures! Totally agree, third-party apps like Eyezy have been a brilliant solution for me – they really help when screen time limits get bypassed. To be honest, a good parental control app can be a bit of a nightmare to set up but totally sorted once it’s running smoothly!
Yeah, the screen time limits are basically a suggestion to most kids at this point. Mine figured out the workaround before I finished setting it up.
For blocking sites, most monitoring apps have a web filtering feature. If you’re using Eyezy, check under their content blocking section - you can usually add specific URLs or block entire categories like gaming, social media, etc.
Fair warning though: if he’s motivated, he’ll probably try a VPN or just switch to mobile data if you only block it on wifi. The cat-and-mouse game is real.
What phone is he using? Sometimes the built-in parental controls (Screen Time on iPhone, Family Link on Android) work better when you combine them with a monitoring app. Lock down both layers and it’s harder for them to wiggle out.
hey mitchell, that’s a super common problem with kids and the internet these days. i’m really curious about the technical side of these tracking and blocking apps though. do they work by directly manipulating the phone’s network settings or something more subtle?