Blocking apps is one of the most practical things a parent can set up — and the art of it is being firm enough to matter without breaking the phone's normal use. Here's how to do it, from the free built-in options through to dedicated tools, plus the part most guides skip: how to keep the block in place once it's set.
A note on lawful use: the methods here are for protecting your own minor children or managing devices you own with the user informed. Monitoring another adult’s device without their knowledge is illegal in most places. Always check the rules where you live first.
Blocking apps is less about a permanent ban and more about control: stopping new installs without approval, pausing games during homework or sleep, and removing apps that aren't age-appropriate. The best results come from combining an install-approval step with time-based limits, so the phone stays useful while the problem apps are contained.
The built-in options
Both platforms can limit apps natively, free. Apple's Screen Time lets you set per-app time limits and ‘downtime’ windows when apps are unavailable. Google's Family Link lets you block or time-limit individual apps on a child's Android device, and approve new installs. For younger children, these are an excellent first layer and may be all you need.
When to step up to a dedicated tool
Built-in tools are great until you want finer control: scheduling, cross-platform consistency, or a log of what was blocked and when. A dedicated app blocker and site blocker add maintained category filtering (so you don't hand-list every site), custom block and allow lists, schedules (games pause during homework automatically), and a record of attempts — all managed from one dashboard rather than two separate phones. That logging is quietly valuable: a category being repeatedly tested tells you where a calm conversation would help.
Making the block actually stick
The difference between a block that works and one that doesn't is whether it survives a determined child. Use a tool whose own settings are protected, set a parental passcode the child doesn't know, and resist the urge to lock everything — start with the genuinely harmful, prune false positives early, and rely on an allow-list for anything caught by mistake. Aim for a normal-feeling phone with the dangerous edges closed.
Pair blocking with conversation
Filtering is a backstop, not a substitute for teaching judgement — the skill that protects a child once they're on a friend's phone or out in the world. Explain why something is blocked, and loosen restrictions as your child matures and earns trust. Our guide on controls versus conversation covers getting that balance right.
Blocking at the network level too
One layer many parents overlook is the home network. Most modern routers include parental controls that can filter apps for every device connected to your Wi-Fi, and you can often set a DNS-based filtering service to block whole categories before a request even leaves the house. The advantage is breadth — it covers the games console, the smart TV and the tablet, not just the phone. The limitation is equally important to understand: network filtering stops at your front door, so the moment a phone switches to mobile data or connects to a friend's Wi-Fi, those rules no longer apply. That's exactly why on-device controls and network filtering work best together rather than either alone.
Review and adjust over time
Blocking isn't a set-and-forget job. Apps and sites change, your child grows, and a block list that fit a nine-year-old will frustrate a thirteen-year-old. Put a reminder in your calendar to review the settings every few months: loosen what's no longer needed, tighten anything that's slipped, and talk through any blocks your child has been bumping into. Treating it as a living arrangement — rather than a wall you build once — keeps it both effective and fair, and signals to your child that the goal is their safety and growing independence, not control for its own sake.
Related reading
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