Browser controls: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge
Per-browser settings plus the DNS fallback when kids install their own browser.
Safe Search basics
- Google Search: SafeSearch at google.com/preferences. On supervised accounts (Family Link), parents can lock SafeSearch on.
- Bing: Settings › Search › Adult › Strict.
- DuckDuckGo: Safe Search › Strict. Kids often switch to DuckDuckGo specifically to bypass parental controls.
Chrome
- Supervised Google accounts: Family Link handles web filtering and blocks incognito mode.
- Standard accounts: use SafeSearch + DNS-level filtering.
- Turn off Chrome’s secure DNS if you want your router’s DNS filtering to apply reliably. Google says it is “turned on in automatic mode” by default, and that in automatic mode Chrome falls back to an unencrypted lookup when it has trouble — which is why router-level filtering seems to work on some sites and not others.
Safari
- Settings › Screen Time › your child’s name under Family › Content & Privacy Restrictions › App Store, Media, Web & Games › Web Content. The three choices are Unrestricted, Limit Adult Websites and Only Approved Websites.
- Block specific sites by URL pattern.
Firefox
- No built-in parental controls.
- Use the Blocksi extension or rely on DNS-level filtering.
- Consider blocking Firefox installation entirely on kid devices.
Edge
- Microsoft Family Safety controls Edge filtering on Windows.
- Kids Mode is gone. Microsoft’s own support page is titled “Kids Mode no longer supported in Microsoft Edge” and says it “has been deprecated”. Any guide still telling you to switch it on — including this one until September 2026 — is describing a browser that no longer exists. Supervision on Edge now runs through Microsoft Family Safety and the account, not through a mode inside the browser.
- Works only if the kid is actually using Edge — if they install Chrome, it doesn’t help.
Extensions: the quiet bypass
Kids add VPN extensions, proxy extensions, or “unblocker” extensions to get around filters. On supervised accounts you can disable extension install; on unsupervised accounts, spot-check monthly.
Truly bulletproof? Only at the network level.
Because browsers change, incognito modes persist, and kids can install new browsers, the only filter that works across everything is a router/DNS filter. Use browser controls on top.
Common questions
Why do my browser controls keep failing?
Because browsers change, private-browsing modes persist, and children can simply install a different browser. Browser-level controls are worth setting, but the only filter that survives all of that is a router or DNS filter underneath them.
Which browser has the best parental controls?
Chrome with a supervised Google account, where Family Link handles web filtering and blocks incognito mode, or Edge with Microsoft Family Safety (its Kids Mode has been deprecated). Safari relies on Screen Time › Content & Privacy › Web Content. Firefox has no built-in parental controls at all — consider blocking its installation on a child’s device.
How do I lock Safe Search on?
Google’s SafeSearch can be locked on for supervised accounts through Family Link. Bing has Settings › Search › Adult › Strict. Set DuckDuckGo to strict too — children often switch to it specifically because parental filters are weaker there.
What is the quiet bypass I should check for?
Extensions. VPN, proxy and “unblocker” extensions get around filters entirely. On supervised accounts you can disable extension installation; on unsupervised ones, spot-check the list monthly.
Why does my router filtering not affect Chrome?
Chrome’s “Use secure DNS” setting routes lookups through its own encrypted DNS instead of your router’s. Disable it on your child’s browser if you want router-level filtering to take effect.
When parental controls change
The controls behind this change more often than the advice does. Roughly monthly we send new guides, changes to controls like these, and scams worth knowing about.
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What was checked, and when. The Safari Screen Time path, Chrome secure DNS and Edge Kids Mode verified against the vendor’s own documentation on 2026-09-08. Not reached in that pass: the Firefox and Bing claims.