Use web & app filters

Want to block web content or apps on your child’s device that aren’t age-appropriate? With the AT&T Secure Family app, you can.

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Categories group many similar apps and websites to help parents easily manage what their child can access. You choose a filter level—Low, Medium, or High—and the app automatically allows, blocks, or ignores content in each category. Categories include things like Games, Social Media, Education, Dating, and more. The SafePath app also explains what each category means. To use web and app filters make sure you have:

The AT&T Secure Family® app on parent devices
The Secure Family Companion® app on child devices paired to the parent app
A virtual private network (VPN) creates a secure connection between a mobile device and the internet. Secure Family Companion uses the local VPN connection on your child’s device to monitor and restrict internet-related activity. When setting up your child’s device with Secure Family Companion, follow the steps in the app to enable the VPN to ensure the Parental Controls you create for their profile can be implemented on their device.

Review the Secure Family FAQ (PDF, 637KB)

Filter internet access

Use Secure Family Filters to manage a child’s access to internet-based apps and websites. You can set internet filters by:

Choosing an age group filter
High: Use to filter out content deemed inappropriate for younger children but allows access to kid-safe experiences. Medium: Use to filter out mature or adult-oriented content but allows access to most general use platforms, categories, and apps and is intended for pre-teens. Low: Use to filter out explicit content but allows access to nearly all platforms, categories, and apps and is intended for teens.
Customizing filter permissions
Adding custom website filters

A filter level must be applied before you can customize filter permissions or add websites that you want to manage.

FYI: Apps that run directly on your child’s device without using the internet may not be blocked. This includes standalone games or videos downloaded before content filters were activated.

Block apps and websites

The selected filter level (Low/Medium/High) automatically sets filter permissions (Allow/Block/Always Allow) for each category. Then, you can block by category or enter specific websites and apps to block. Select from categories such as:

App stores & downloads
Chat & forums
Explicit content
Dating
Online games & shopping
Social media

Enabling Safe Search blocks Yahoo searches and eliminates sexually explicit content from search results on Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo.

Enabling YouTube Restricted uses Restricted Mode on the YouTube app and website, which restricts access to potentially mature or objectionable content. The child is also blocked from viewing and writing comments on YouTube videos.

Customize available apps and sites

Change the filter permissions for apps, websites, and categories. Filter permissions can be set to:

Allow: Gives access to the app, website, or category. Parents can track and manage use with other Secure Family Parental Controls.
Block: Blocks access to an app, website, or category at all times.
- However, any app, video, or other media on the child's device that does not require internet access is not blocked. For example, if you block a gaming app but the child has already downloaded a version of the app they can play offline, that game is not blocked.
Always Allow: Gives access to the app, website, or category. It can’t be tracked or managed by Secure Family parental controls.

When apps or websites are blocked, your child won’t be able to access them. For internet pages, they’ll get a message saying the site is blocked. Blocked apps will show the app has no internet connection, is unable to load, or a similar error message.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Last updated: September 3, 2025