Short answer: Use Google Family Link as the base layer. It lets a parent filter Chrome, restrict what can be downloaded from Google Play, block individual apps and require approval for new ones. No filter is perfect, other browsers can sidestep the Chrome settings, and a talk with your child matters as much as any setting. This guide gives the steps Google publishes, the gaps to expect, and an honest note on where Mamori does and does not fit.
Version note: Checked against Google and Samsung help pages on 12 Oct 2026. Google says supervised devices need Android 6.0 or later, and Samsung says Family Link on Galaxy works on One UI 2.0 or later. Menu names change, so if yours differ, use the search in the app. Family Link may not be available in every country.
Google lists what a parent needs: a Google Account and an Android device (6.0+), iPhone or iPad (iOS 16+), or a Chromebook that supports Android apps, in the same country as the child. The child needs a Google Account and an Android device. You can create an account for a child under 13 (or the applicable age in your country) in the Family Link app, or add supervision to an existing account. Parents manage things from the Family Link app, or at g.co/YourFamily.
On a Samsung Galaxy, Samsung gives this path: Settings > Digital Wellbeing and parental controls > Parental controls > Let's do this, then sign in to the child's Google account and follow the prompts.
In the Family Link app:
Under Manage sites you can add approved or blocked sites. Google says "No filter is perfect". The child must be signed in to Chrome with the Family Link account for this to apply, and Google notes that other browsers may sidestep these settings. Incognito is turned off while the child is signed in to Chrome with a supervised account.
In the Family Link app: select your child, tap Controls > Google Play, tap the content type you want to filter and choose how.
Google lists these types: apps and games (by content rating), movies, TV and books (it blocks most sexually explicit books). Google is clear about the limits: restricted content can still appear in search results or through a direct link, apps downloaded before the limit was set stay on the device, and the book filter does not catch everything. Restrictions apply on Android devices where the child is signed in.
In the Family Link app: select your child, tap Controls > Google Play, then under "Purchases & download approvals" tap Require approval for. The options are All content, Paid content only, In-app purchases only or Never. Google notes children under 18 managed with Family Link need approval for any content, even free, and that purchase approval settings apply only to purchases through Google Play's billing system. Approval settings do not block apps you already allowed.
Because the Chrome filter does not cover other browsers, you may want to block apps you do not want used. In Family Link: select your child, tap Screen time > Time limits > App limits, select the app, switch Allowed to Blocked and tap Done. Google says it takes effect in about 5 minutes or when the device is online, that the child gets a one-minute warning if the app is in use, and that some apps cannot be blocked because the device or supervision needs them.
A family-filter Private DNS hostname can add a layer on the phone (Android 9 and later). Our Android guide has the steps: https://mamoriblocker.com/guides/block-porn-android-samsung/ Google also warns that Chrome's secure DNS setting is not available on parental-controlled devices.
Can my child just switch the filter off?
Google says a parent in the family group must use their Google Account password to set up or change the Play restrictions. A child can still look for ways around any filter, which is why the conversation matters.
Do I need Mamori for a child?
Not as the base layer. See below.
What about iPhones?
Family Link cannot supervise iPhones. This guide is Android only.
Mamori is built for adults who want to block adult content on their own phone, not for parents to monitor a child. It has no parental-control reporting and no accountability reports, so it is not a substitute for Family Link on a child's phone. Use Family Link or Screen Time as the base layer.
Where it can help: an older teen, with their agreement, who wants a stronger lock than the built-in settings. It blocks 2.5M+ adult domains across the whole phone using an on-device DNS filter through Android's VPN service (no remote VPN server, no browsing logs, nothing uploaded), forces SafeSearch on Google, Bing, YouTube and more, and lets the person pick a lock such as a cooldown timer, random phrase, PIN or passphrase, with a trusted person able to hold the PIN. While protection is on, uninstalling is blocked; by design, when protection is off, everything is off and Mamori can be uninstalled normally.
Honest limits: Android allows only one VPN at a time, so another VPN or blocker that takes the slot can switch Mamori's filter off. There is a 7-day free trial on the monthly and annual plans, plus a one-time lifetime option. No account, no tracking.
Last checked 12 Oct 2026. This guide is general information, not medical advice.