Apps and Websites You Should Block for Children Under 18
A practical, category-by-category guide to the specific apps, platforms, and website categories that pose the greatest risk to children — and the specific reasons why each is included. Includes age-appropriate guidance for under-13 and under-18.
Key Takeaways
- No social media platform is designed for users under 13 — all current age verification is bypassed by entering a false birth year
- Discord has no effective content moderation in private servers and is the primary platform for online grooming among teenagers
- TikTok's algorithm can serve increasingly extreme content within minutes of creating a new account with no history
- VPN apps are the single most dangerous category to leave unblocked — they bypass all other controls
- YouTube Kids is not the same as YouTube — never assume a child with a YouTube app is using the kids version
Parents frequently ask: 'Which apps should I block?' The honest answer is more nuanced than a simple list, because the risk isn't always the platform itself — it's the configuration of the platform and the age of the child. TikTok with parental controls enabled and a supervised account is meaningfully different from TikTok with a public account, DMs open, and no time limits. This article gives you a complete, category-by-category breakdown: the platforms, why each poses risks for children, and the appropriate controls for different age groups.
Social Media: Age-by-Age Risk Assessment
Every major social media platform requires users to be 13 or older to create an account under US COPPA law, which most platforms use globally. In practice, age verification is a tick-box — entering a false birth year takes two seconds. The majority of UAE children have active social media accounts before age 13.
- TikTok (Under 13: BLOCK completely. Ages 13–15: enable Restricted Mode, disable DMs, Family Pairing. Ages 16–17: Family Pairing with content limits. Risk: algorithm-driven extreme content escalation, grooming via DMs)
- Instagram (Under 13: BLOCK completely. Ages 13–15: supervised account with private profile, no DMs from strangers. Risk: body image content, self-harm communities, predator contact via DMs)
- Snapchat (Under 15: BLOCK completely. Ages 15–17: supervised with contacts-only settings. Risk: disappearing messages enable explicit image sharing, Snap Map reveals real-time location)
- BeReal (Under 13: BLOCK. Ages 13+: relatively lower risk — no algorithm feed, chronological, friend-only by default. One of the safer social platforms for teenagers)
- X / Twitter (Under 16: BLOCK. Risk: explicit content is easily accessible without account, toxic discourse communities, no effective content moderation)
- Reddit (Under 16: BLOCK. Risk: anonymous communities, adult content accessible despite NSFW toggle, self-harm subreddits use coded language to avoid removal)
Messaging and Chat Apps: The Highest-Risk Category
End-to-end encrypted messaging is the most dangerous category from a parental oversight perspective because content is genuinely invisible — not just difficult to access, but technically impossible to monitor without physical access to the unlocked device. This is where grooming, explicit image sharing, and drug-related conversations predominantly occur.
- Discord (Under 16: BLOCK completely. Risk: private servers have no moderation, NSFW channels are one click from age-gated bypass, widely used for grooming. The single highest-risk platform for teenagers)
- Telegram (Under 16: BLOCK. Risk: channels distribute illegal content, groups are unmoderated, no effective age verification)
- WhatsApp (Under 13: BLOCK. Ages 13+: restrict to contacts-only, disable group add without permission. Risk: group chats between peers circulate explicit content widely in UAE schools)
- Signal (Low individual risk but effectively unmonitorable. Consider age 16+ only)
- Kik (ALL AGES: BLOCK. No legitimate use case for children. Historically the platform with the highest documented rate of grooming incidents globally)
- Omegle / Chatroulette equivalents (ALL AGES: BLOCK. Anonymous video chat with strangers. Explicitly sexual content is routine)
WhatsApp group chats within children's school year groups are now standard in UAE schools. They frequently circulate inappropriate content. Rather than blocking WhatsApp entirely (which isolates the child socially), configure it for contacts-only and have a standing agreement with your child that group chats are not private from parents.
Gaming Platforms: Controls Are Built In But Not Enabled by Default
Gaming platforms — PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC gaming platforms (Steam) — have comprehensive parental control systems built in. The problem is that they require active configuration. Default settings on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X allow unrestricted online communication, in-game purchases, and access to 18-rated games.
- PlayStation Network: enable Family Management, restrict chat to friends only, set spending limits and approval for purchases, restrict mature content in PlayStation Store
- Xbox / Microsoft Family Safety: link child account to family group, enable content filters, set screen time limits, approve purchases, restrict communication to friends
- Nintendo Switch: use the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app (separate free download), set bedtime alarms, restrict online play, disable in-game purchases
- Steam: enable Family View with a PIN, restrict library to approved games only, disable community features
- Roblox: enable Account Restrictions to limit chat to curated phrases only, link to parent account, disable direct messaging
- Fortnite / Epic Games: enable Cabined Account for under-13, restrict voice chat, block direct messages
Video Platforms: YouTube Is Not Child-Safe by Default
YouTube hosts more than 800 hours of new video content every minute. Its moderation systems cannot review all content before publication. As a result, inappropriate content — including violence, sexual material, and extremist messaging — regularly appears in results and recommendations, even for innocuous search terms.
YouTube Kids is a separate app with a curated library and no search access to the main YouTube platform. If your child is under 10, they should be using YouTube Kids, not YouTube. For children aged 10–15 on the main YouTube app, Restricted Mode should be enabled at the account level — but note that Restricted Mode is imperfect and will occasionally miss content.
- Under 10: YouTube Kids app only — block main YouTube app at router level
- Ages 10–13: YouTube with Restricted Mode enforced, supervised account, disable comments
- Ages 13–15: YouTube with Restricted Mode, no autoplay (autoplay is the primary escalation mechanism)
- Pornographic video sites: block the entire category at router DNS level. PornHub, xVideos, and similar sites generate more traffic than Netflix — blocking individual URLs is ineffective, category-level blocking is essential
VPN Apps: The Category That Bypasses Everything Else
This is the category most parents don't know about, and it renders all other device-level controls useless if not addressed. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) app routes all internet traffic through an external server, bypassing both the UAE national filter and any DNS-level blocking configured on your router.
VPN apps are freely available in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store — including popular ones like ProtonVPN, Windscribe, and Hotspot Shield, which are marketed as privacy tools for adults but widely used by children specifically to bypass parental controls. A child can download one in under two minutes without any purchase required.
The only effective countermeasure is blocking VPN protocols at the router level, which requires a router with enterprise-grade firmware (such as UniFi/Ubiquiti). Standard consumer routers (TP-Link, D-Link, basic ASUS models) cannot block VPN protocols. This is a key reason why professional parental control setup — using appropriate router hardware — provides meaningfully stronger protection than consumer app solutions.
- ProtonVPN, Windscribe, Hotspot Shield, TunnelBear: free VPNs widely used by children to bypass filters
- Block OpenVPN (UDP/TCP), WireGuard, L2TP/IPSec protocols at router firewall level
- Block the App Store category 'Utilities > VPN' using Screen Time (iOS) or Family Link (Android)
- Review installed apps weekly — VPN apps are frequently disguised with innocuous icons
Open your child's phone, go to Settings > VPN (iOS) or Settings > Network > VPN (Android). If a VPN profile is installed, all device-level parental controls have been bypassed whenever it was active.
Websites to Block by Category (Not Just Individual URLs)
Blocking individual URLs is an endless arms race — there are millions of harmful URLs and new ones created daily. Effective filtering works at the category level, using a DNS filtering service that maintains continuously updated category databases. The following categories should be blocked for all children under 18:
- Adult/Pornography: block the entire category, not individual sites. Includes video, image, and text-based explicit content
- Gambling: online casinos, betting sites, skin gambling platforms, loot box third-party sites
- Dating: all dating platforms including Tinder, Bumble, Grindr — inappropriate for under-18
- Anonymous proxy and VPN: blocks circumvention tools at the category level
- Self-harm: pro-anorexia, pro-self-harm, and suicide method sites. Note that category filtering here is imperfect — many communities use coded language
- Weapons: detailed instructions for weapons manufacture, darknet marketplaces
- Drug information (context-dependent): harm reduction information vs. purchasing/use instructions
- Peer-to-peer file sharing: BitTorrent and similar — commonly used to download pirated content and malware
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I tell my child I've installed parental controls?+
Yes. Transparent controls are more effective than hidden ones. Children who know the rules are less likely to seek workarounds; children who discover hidden monitoring lose trust in parents. Explain what is filtered and why, involve them in age-appropriate decisions, and increase autonomy as they mature. The goal is to develop judgment, not just enforce compliance.
Is WhatsApp safe for children?+
WhatsApp itself is end-to-end encrypted and relatively simple. The risk for children comes from group chats — peer groups regularly share explicit images, videos, and inappropriate content in school WhatsApp groups. Configure WhatsApp for contacts-only, disable the ability to be added to groups without approval, and maintain open conversations with your child about what's being shared in groups.
My child needs YouTube for school. Can I allow it selectively?+
Yes. YouTube with Restricted Mode enforced and autoplay disabled is significantly safer than default YouTube. For school use, you can also whitelist specific educational channels while blocking the broader platform — this requires a more granular DNS filtering setup than most consumer routers support, but is achievable with enterprise-grade hardware.
How often do I need to review parental controls?+
App stores release new apps daily. New platforms emerge regularly. Review installed apps on each child's device monthly, check DNS filter logs quarterly for attempted blocked-site visits (this tells you what your child is trying to access), and revisit the overall configuration at each birthday or significant life stage change.
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