How to stop a child using a VPN or another browser

Why this question comes up

A parent sets up a safe browser or filter, and a week later finds the child reaching sites they should not. Often the reason is the simplest one: the child installed another browser, or downloaded a free VPN that routes around the filter.

Children rarely do this out of malice. A friend mentions an app, it is a tap to install, and it works. The fix is to stop the install and the setting from being available, rather than to rely on the child's judgement every time.

The ways round a filter

• A second browser that does not follow the filter
• A VPN app, which hides which websites are being visited
• A proxy or DNS changer app, which swaps the filter for another path
• The phone's own VPN or Private DNS setting
• Incognito or private tabs in the same browser
• Installing apps from outside the Play Store

What blocks each one

Skie, running as the Android device owner, closes these off. More than 50 alternative browsers are always blocked, whatever an app list says. VPN apps, proxy apps and DNS changer apps are always blocked. VPN setup and the Private DNS setting are blocked in system settings. Incognito mode is blocked in Chrome. Unknown sources are blocked, so an app cannot be installed from a downloaded file.

The install guard removes silently any app that is installed after setup and is not allowed. A baseline snapshot of apps present at setup means your existing apps are not wrongly removed. Essential system apps are never touched.

Why an ordinary app struggles here

An app without device-owner status cannot block another app from being installed or stop a setting being changed. It can notice after the fact and tell you, which is useful but late. That is a real difference in design, not marketing. See Android device owner mode explained.

Family Link and similar tools do cover app approvals well. If you already use one, our comparison shows where device-owner rules go further.

A practical setup

Set the browser to restricted in the parent dashboard, so only Chrome with the enforced rules is used. Hide the Play Store. Check that VPN setup is blocked by trying to add one yourself in Settings. Leave the date and time set to automatic, which Skie forces on.

Watch the compliance score on the dashboard. After every change, the device reads each protection back from Android and reports whether it is in place.

Alongside the technology

Say plainly what you have blocked and why. A child who understands that VPNs are blocked because they hide unsafe sites is less likely to feel hunted. See talking to your child about parental controls. Skie does not read messages, and the phone shows that it is managed.

Why free VPNs are a particular concern

Many free VPN apps are easy to find, easy to install and attractive to children because they promise access to blocked content. Some collect data about the user. A parent does not need to judge each one: blocking the category removes the choice.

Skie blocks VPN apps, proxy apps and DNS changer apps whatever an app list says, so a new one that appears next month is covered by category, not just by name. Alternative browsers work the same way, with more than 50 blocked and Chrome kept as the controlled browser.

What to look for in a dashboard

• A report if the filter is bypassed on a network
• The compliance score after each change
• Last seen and sync status for the device
• A clear record of what was removed by the install guard
• A warning if the network blocks the filter port, so you know the device has fallen back to the network's own DNS

Tablets and borrowed devices

Tablets are as likely to be used for VPN attempts as phones, and the same blocks apply. A child using a friend's device, or a school computer, is outside your control, so agree on expectations there too. If your child needs a VPN for a legitimate reason, such as a school requirement, talk to the school, and allow the specific app yourself rather than leaving it open.

Frequently asked questions