Short answer
Set up Sheepdog Filter on your parents' router and phone. Known phishing pages, fake bank and shipping sites, tech-support scam pop-ups and malware sites stop loading, with new ones added every hour. It's free, there's nothing for them to learn, and you get an email if something looks wrong.
What it blocks
- Phishing pages: fake bank, Amazon, Medicare, shipping and email logins.
- Tech-support scams: the "your computer is infected, call this number" pages.
- Fake stores and crypto scams.
- Malware sites that push fake updates.
Lists come from respected community sources, refreshed every few hours, with newly seen sites checked every hour.
Setting it up for them
- Create a free account for their household.
- On their router: paste your address into the DNS setting (step-by-step by router). That covers their computer, tablet and TV at home.
- On their phone: install the setup link (iPhone) or set Private DNS (Android), so they're protected on mobile data too. See iPhone and Android.
Switch off kid-only categories like games and social media for them; scam, malware and adult protection stay on.
Talk about it too
No filter catches everything. Agree on one rule: nobody legitimate asks for gift cards, wire transfers or remote access to a computer. If in doubt, hang up and call you.
Sheepdog Filter
The internet, childproofed in five minutes.
One switch per worry, every device in the house, and a plain-English report each week. Free to start, no app to install.
Start freeQuestions parents ask
Will they notice anything different?
Only that scam pages don't open. Email, video calls, news and shopping work as normal.
Does it stop scam phone calls or texts?
It can't stop the call or text itself, but if they tap a scam link in a text, the page won't load.