In today’s digital age, ensuring a safe online environment for your family is more critical than ever. The internet, while a vast resource for information and connection, also harbors content that can be harmful, especially for children. Pornography, explicit material, and malicious websites pose significant risks. Fortunately, free family DNS filters offer a robust and readily accessible solution to safeguard your household’s internet experience.
CleanBrowsing provides a suite of DNS filters designed to block various categories of inappropriate content, allowing you to customize your internet security without incurring any costs. These filters are easy to implement and can be configured on your home router or individual devices, ensuring comprehensive protection across your network.
CleanBrowsing’s Free Family Filter: Your First Line of Defense
The Family Filter is CleanBrowsing’s most comprehensive option, specifically engineered to create a family-friendly online environment. It goes beyond simply blocking adult websites; it’s designed to prevent access to a wide range of undesirable content:
- Pornography and Explicit Sites: Blocks all websites containing pornographic material, ensuring that explicit content is inaccessible on your network.
- Proxy and VPN Domains: Prevents users from bypassing the filter by blocking proxy and VPN domains commonly used to circumvent content restrictions.
- Mixed Content Sites: Filters out mixed-content platforms like Reddit, which may contain both safe and inappropriate material, erring on the side of caution for family safety.
- Safe Search Enforcement: Automatically sets Google, Bing, and YouTube to Safe Mode, further filtering search results and video content to be family-appropriate.
- Malicious and Phishing Domains: Provides robust security by blocking access to websites known for hosting malware, phishing scams, and other malicious activities.
This multi-layered approach makes the Family Filter an ideal choice for households seeking comprehensive internet protection.
| Operation | Description |
|---|---|
| IPv4 | – 185.228.168.168 – 185.228.169.168 |
| IPv6 | Expanded – 2a0d:2a00:0001:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000 – 2a0d:2a00:0002:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000 |
| HostName | family-filter-dns.cleanbrowsing.org |
| DNS-Over-HTTPS (DOH) | https://doh.cleanbrowsing.org/doh/family-filter/ |
| DNS-Over-TLS (DOT) | family-filter-dns.cleanbrowsing.org |
| iOS Mobile-Config | Download Config |
Implementing the Family Filter is straightforward. You can configure your router or devices to use the provided IPv4 or IPv6 addresses. For enhanced security and privacy, CleanBrowsing also supports DNS-over-HTTPS (DOH) and DNS-over-TLS (DOT), encrypting your DNS queries. For iOS devices, a mobile configuration file is available for easy setup.
Adult Filter: A Less Restrictive Approach to Blocking Porn
For users who want to block adult content but prefer a less restrictive approach than the Family Filter, CleanBrowsing offers the Adult Filter. This option is specifically focused on blocking pornography and explicit websites while allowing access to other types of content:
- Adult, Pornographic, and Explicit Sites: Effectively blocks websites featuring adult content, similar to the Family Filter in this regard.
- Does Not Block Proxies or VPNs: Unlike the Family Filter, the Adult Filter does not block proxy or VPN domains. This might be suitable for users who need VPN access for legitimate purposes but still want to filter adult content.
- Allows Mixed-Content Sites: Permits access to mixed-content sites like Reddit. This provides more flexibility in content access but may require more vigilance regarding potentially inappropriate material on these platforms.
- Safe Search Enforcement: Like the Family Filter, it enforces Safe Mode on Google and Bing, helping to filter search results.
- Malicious and Phishing Domains: Includes the security benefits of blocking malicious and phishing websites.
The Adult Filter strikes a balance, offering robust protection against adult content while maintaining broader access to the internet.
| Operation | Description |
|---|---|
| IPv4 | – 185.228.168.10 – 185.228.169.11 |
| IPv6 | Expanded – 2a0d:2a00:0001:0000:0000:0000:0000:0001 – 2a0d:2a00:0002:0000:0000:0000:0000:0001 |
| HostName | adult-filter-dns.cleanbrowsing.org |
| DNS-Over-HTTPS (DOH) | https://doh.cleanbrowsing.org/doh/adult-filter/ |
| DNS-Over-TLS (DOT) | adult-filter-dns.cleanbrowsing.org |
| iOS Mobile-Config | Download Config |
Configuration for the Adult Filter follows the same straightforward process as the Family Filter, using the provided IP addresses, DOH/DOT links, or the iOS mobile config.
Security Filter: Essential Protection Against Online Threats
While not focused on content filtering in the same way as the Family and Adult Filters, the Security Filter is an indispensable tool for online safety. It concentrates on protecting users from online threats:
- Phishing, Spam, Malware, and Malicious Domains: Aggressively blocks websites known to distribute malware, host phishing scams, or engage in spam activities. CleanBrowsing’s database of malicious domains is updated hourly, providing up-to-date protection.
- Does Not Block Adult Content: It’s important to note that the Security Filter does not block adult content. Its sole focus is on security threats.
For users primarily concerned about online security and malware protection, the Security Filter is an essential layer of defense. It can be used in conjunction with other filters or as a standalone security measure.
| Operation | Description |
|---|---|
| IPv4 | – 185.228.168.9 – 185.228.169.9 |
| IPv6 | Expanded – 2a0d:2a00:0001:0000:0000:0000:0000:0002 – 2a0d:2a00:0002:0000:0000:0000:0000:0002 |
| HostName | security-filter-dns.cleanbrowsing.org |
| DNS-Over-HTTPS (DOH) | https://doh.cleanbrowsing.org/doh/security-filter/ |
| DNS-Over-TLS (DOT) | security-filter-dns.cleanbrowsing.org |
Implementing the Security Filter is identical to the other filters, using the specific IP addresses or other configuration options provided.
Choosing the Right Free Family DNS Filter
Selecting the appropriate filter depends on your specific needs and priorities. For families seeking the most comprehensive protection against pornography and a wide range of inappropriate content, the Family Filter is the recommended choice. If you need to block adult content but desire more flexibility in accessing other types of websites and VPNs, the Adult Filter provides a balanced solution. And for users primarily focused on safeguarding against malware and online threats, the Security Filter is an essential security measure.
CleanBrowsing’s free DNS filters empower you to take control of your internet experience and create a safer online environment for yourself and your family. By implementing these filters, you can significantly reduce exposure to harmful content and enjoy a more secure and worry-free online experience.
