Parental control settings by age: under 8, 8 to 12, and teens

Under 8

Young kids don't need the open internet. The goal is a small, safe garden.

• Block adult sites, gambling and scams, plus social media, online games, AI chatbots and chat-with-strangers apps.
• Force SafeSearch and YouTube Restricted Mode (or use YouTube Kids).
• Approve every app download.
• An internet bedtime (Sheepdog Filter starts at 9 PM; many families move it earlier for little ones).

Sheepdog Filter's Under 8 preset does all of this when you add the child.

8 to 12

Tweens want games, videos and, increasingly, friends online. This is where most families need the most help.

• Keep adult sites, gambling, dating, scams and VPNs blocked.
• Keep social media and AI companion apps off for now (many apps set 13 as the minimum age), but consider allowing one messaging app the family uses.
• Allow games, with homework time and a bedtime. Sheepdog Filter's Homework mode switches off games, social and video until a time you pick.
• Turn on new-app alerts so you hear when a new app appears.

The 8 to 12 preset starts here.

13 to 17

Teens need privacy and practice making good choices. Heavy blocking backfires.

• Keep the non-negotiables: adult sites, gambling, scams, VPNs and proxies.
• Allow social media, and talk about it.
• Keep a bedtime. Sleep is the single best reason to keep any rule for teens.
• Use Allow for a bit for exceptions, like a game with friends on a Saturday night, instead of switching protections off entirely.

The 13 to 17 preset is the lightest of the three.

Whatever their age

Tell your child what's blocked and why, and give them a way to ask. Sheepdog Filter's Ask to unblock page lets kids send a request; you get an email and answer with one tap.