Parental controls on your router aren't blocking what they should

Router parental controls fail for a few main reasons: your router is using a different DNS instead of the router's, parental controls are disabled by accident, or your router is connecting to mobile data instead of your WiFi. First, restart the router and check that parental controls are actually turned on in the settings. If they're on but sites are still loading, your router is using a different internet path to get around your rules.

Router parental controls work by checking websites against a blacklist as data passes through the router. If a website is blocked, the router stops the data from getting through. Parental controls fail when a device is using a different internet path (like mobile data or a VPN) instead of going through your router, or when the controls are turned off. They also fail if you've set up rules that are too broad or too narrow — a rule to block 'youtube' won't catch 'youtubedownloader' or similar sites.