Parental Control

This guide helps parents set up NextDNS Blocker with maximum protection for children’s devices.

Overview

Goal: Protect children from inappropriate content and excessive screen time

Strategy:

Block harmful content permanently
Limit entertainment to scheduled hours
Use maximum friction to prevent bypass
Combine with NextDNS category blocking

Configuration

Complete Example

{
  "version": "1.0",
  "settings": {
    "timezone": "America/New_York",
    "editor": null
  },
  "blocklist": [
    {
      "domain": "youtube.com",
      "description": "Video streaming - limited hours",
      "unblock_delay": "never",
      "schedule": {
        "available_hours": [
          {
            "days": ["monday", "tuesday", "wednesday", "thursday", "friday"],
            "time_ranges": [
              {"start": "16:00", "end": "18:00"}
            ]
          },
          {
            "days": ["saturday", "sunday"],
            "time_ranges": [
              {"start": "10:00", "end": "12:00"},
              {"start": "14:00", "end": "18:00"}
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "domain": "tiktok.com",
      "description": "Short video app - weekends only",
      "unblock_delay": "never",
      "schedule": {
        "available_hours": [
          {
            "days": ["saturday", "sunday"],
            "time_ranges": [
              {"start": "14:00", "end": "17:00"}
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "domain": "instagram.com",
      "description": "Social media - weekends only",
      "unblock_delay": "never",
      "schedule": {
        "available_hours": [
          {
            "days": ["saturday", "sunday"],
            "time_ranges": [
              {"start": "14:00", "end": "17:00"}
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "domain": "snapchat.com",
      "description": "Messaging app - limited",
      "unblock_delay": "never",
      "schedule": {
        "available_hours": [
          {
            "days": ["saturday", "sunday"],
            "time_ranges": [
              {"start": "12:00", "end": "18:00"}
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "domain": "discord.com",
      "description": "Gaming chat - weekends",
      "unblock_delay": "never",
      "schedule": {
        "available_hours": [
          {
            "days": ["friday"],
            "time_ranges": [
              {"start": "18:00", "end": "21:00"}
            ]
          },
          {
            "days": ["saturday", "sunday"],
            "time_ranges": [
              {"start": "10:00", "end": "20:00"}
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "domain": "reddit.com",
      "description": "Forum - blocked",
      "unblock_delay": "never",
      "schedule": null
    },
    {
      "domain": "twitter.com",
      "description": "Social media - blocked",
      "unblock_delay": "never",
      "schedule": null
    },
    {
      "domain": "twitch.tv",
      "description": "Game streaming - weekends only",
      "unblock_delay": "never",
      "schedule": {
        "available_hours": [
          {
            "days": ["saturday", "sunday"],
            "time_ranges": [
              {"start": "14:00", "end": "18:00"}
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  ],
  "allowlist": [
    {
      "domain": "khanacademy.org",
      "description": "Educational"
    },
    {
      "domain": "wikipedia.org",
      "description": "Educational"
    },
    {
      "domain": "scratch.mit.edu",
      "description": "Educational coding"
    },
    {
      "domain": "classroom.google.com",
      "description": "School"
    },
    {
      "domain": "docs.google.com",
      "description": "School work"
    }
  ]
}

Key Features

Protected Domains (`"never"`)

All domains use unblock_delay: "never":

Children cannot manually unblock
Parent must edit config to change
Maximum protection

Limited Hours

Entertainment limited to:

Weekdays: After school (4-6 PM)
Weekends: Mid-day windows with breaks

Always Blocked

Some sites remain always blocked:

Reddit (unpredictable content)
Twitter (adult content possible)
Other inappropriate sites

Educational Allowlist

Educational resources always accessible:

Khan Academy
Wikipedia
School platforms

Combining with NextDNS

Category Blocking

In NextDNS dashboard, also enable:

Parental Control → Block inappropriate categories
Security → Block malware, phishing
Privacy → Block trackers

Services Blocking

Block by service in NextDNS:

Adult content services
VPN/Proxy services (prevent bypass)
Anonymous browsing tools

NextDNS Blocker adds scheduled access on top of these blocks.

Filtering Priority

NextDNS processes filtering rules in this order:

Priority	Source	Result
1 (Highest)	Allowlist	ALLOWED
2	Denylist	BLOCKED
3	Parental Control (categories/services)	BLOCKED
4	Privacy blocklists	BLOCKED
5	Normal resolution	ALLOWED

Key point: Allowlist always wins over any blocking rule.

Exception Example: Discord with Gaming Block

Block the gaming category but allow Discord for communication:

{
  "nextdns": {
    "categories": [
      {
        "id": "gaming",
        "description": "Block gaming sites",
        "unblock_delay": "never"
      }
    ]
  },
  "allowlist": [
    {
      "domain": "discord.com",
      "description": "Exception to gaming block - communication allowed"
    }
  ]
}

Result:

Steam, Fortnite, Roblox, etc. → Blocked (by gaming category)
Discord → Allowed (allowlist overrides category block)

This pattern is useful when a category blocks more than intended. See Filtering Priority for more examples.

Setup Steps

1. Set Up on Child’s Device

Install NextDNS Blocker on the device you want to control:

pip install nextdns-blocker
nextdns-blocker init

2. Use Shared NextDNS Profile

Create a NextDNS profile specifically for children:

Create new profile at my.nextdns.io
Enable parental controls
Use that profile ID in setup

3. Apply Configuration

nextdns-blocker config edit
# Paste the configuration above

4. Install Watchdog

nextdns-blocker watchdog install

5. Secure the Installation

Protect against tampering:

Hide terminal access (age-appropriate):

Younger children: Don’t show terminal exists
Older children: They’ll find it eventually

Protect config files:

# Make config read-only
chmod 444 ~/.config/nextdns-blocker/config.json

Monitor changes:

Check audit.log periodically
Enable Discord notifications to parent’s phone

6. Enable Notifications

Get alerts when blocking events occur:

# In .env
DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL=https://discord.com/api/webhooks/...
DISCORD_NOTIFICATIONS_ENABLED=true

Age-Appropriate Adjustments

Young Children (Under 10)

// Very limited access
"schedule": {
  "available_hours": [
    {
      "days": ["saturday", "sunday"],
      "time_ranges": [
        {"start": "10:00", "end": "11:00"},
        {"start": "15:00", "end": "16:00"}
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Pre-Teens (10-12)

// Moderate access
"schedule": {
  "available_hours": [
    {
      "days": ["monday", "tuesday", "wednesday", "thursday", "friday"],
      "time_ranges": [
        {"start": "16:00", "end": "18:00"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "days": ["saturday", "sunday"],
      "time_ranges": [
        {"start": "10:00", "end": "18:00"}
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Teenagers (13+)

// More freedom with accountability
"schedule": {
  "available_hours": [
    {
      "days": ["monday", "tuesday", "wednesday", "thursday", "friday"],
      "time_ranges": [
        {"start": "16:00", "end": "21:00"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "days": ["saturday", "sunday"],
      "time_ranges": [
        {"start": "10:00", "end": "22:00"}
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Consider reducing unblock_delay to allow some autonomy:

"unblock_delay": "4h"  // Instead of "never"

Conversation Tips

Explain the Rules

Be transparent about what’s blocked
Explain why (not just “because I said so”)
Show them the schedule

Gradual Trust

As they demonstrate responsibility:

Extend available hours
Reduce unblock delays
Remove some sites from blocklist

Handle Pushback

When they complain:

Listen to specific concerns
Adjust if reasonable
Stand firm on harmful content

Troubleshooting

Child Bypassed Blocking

Check how:

Different browser?
VPN/Proxy?
Mobile data instead of WiFi?

Solutions:

Enable VPN blocking in NextDNS
Apply NextDNS to all devices
Use router-level DNS

Homework Requires Blocked Site

Temporarily allow:

nextdns-blocker allow specific-site.com

Or adjust schedule for that site.

Child Needs More Time

If legitimate need, adjust schedule:

nextdns-blocker config edit
# Increase hours, save
nextdns-blocker config push