How do I turn on parental controls on my device?

In this article

Parental controls help you, and your family stay safe by blockng 18-rated content being accessed on our network through a device.

What parental control settings are available?

What parental control settings are available?

We have three settings so you can choose what level of security you need:

  1.  

    Strict
  2.  

    Moderate
  3.  

    Off

Accounts with parental controls enabled have the Moderate setting applied by default.

Good to know:

Parental controls are only activated on a device when you're using our mobile network – not when you're using WiFi on your device.

Important:

Parental controls won’t work on iOS devices with iOS 15 or newer when browsing on Safari and for some app traffic when iCloud Private Relay is enabled. 

To find out more, visit the EE Community >

What are your parental control settings?

What are your parental control settings?

Moderate
This is the default setting for new and existing customers with parental controls enabled. You get access to social networking sites but not to 18-rated content in accordance with BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) guidelines or to pornography sites.

 

Off
This gives full access to the internet with no filter including to 18-rated content.

 

Strict
This is the safe setting for children under 12. It filters all 18-rated content but also content the BBFC rates higher than 'PG' as well as other content not suitable for younger children including chat, dating and unmoderated social networking sites.

Google SafeSearch is now built into our Strict settings so any Google search will not show websites that relate to unsecure or adult content. You can’t turn this feature off with this setting – you’ll need to switch your parental controls to Moderate or Off.

Good to know:

We now block secure sites for Strict users (sites with https in the URL). This means some webpages you may have been previously able to access will now show as ‘Timed out’ or ‘No response’.

Important information:
  1.  

    if you try to access 18-rated content with parental controls enabled, you’ll see a blocking page and you’ll need to complete a credit card age check using the online form if you want to view the content
  2.  

    if you're a business user, you may not have the permissions required to change the settings and will need to contact your account manager
  3.  

    Parental controls only work on EE's mobile network – not on WiFi 
  4.  

    if you try to change your parental controls, we'll check your credit card details match the name and address on your EE bill. If you're an American Express or Diners card holder, we'll take £2 from your card to check your credit card details but will refund it straight away. ‘Content Lock removed’ will show up on your credit card bill

How do I check or change parental controls?

How do I check or change parental controls?

There are several ways to change your parental controls:

The easiest way is through My EE:

My EE:
  1.  

    log in to My EE
  2.  

    choose between Off, Moderate or Strict settings
  3.  

    on the device you'd like to apply these new parental controls to - switch airplane mode on and off, or restart it to apply the controls

Alternatively you can also check or change your settings using these methods.

By text:
  1.  

    text STRICT or MODERATE to 150
  2.  

    if you have a 4GEE WiFi device, type 192.168.1.1 into your browser (password / username is admin) and use the SMS message feature
  3.  

    on the device you'd like to apply these new parental controls to - switch airplane mode on and off, or restart it to apply the controls
By phone:
  1.  

    call 1818 from the EE device you want to remove or apply parental controls to
  2.  

    or call 150 from an EE device
  3.  

    or call 08454 123 662 from any other device
  4.  

    on the device you'd like to apply these new parental controls to - switch airplane mode on and off, or restart it to apply the controls
Online:
  1.  

    remove parental controls immediately by providing your credit card details on the EE blocking page shown when trying to access the blocked website
  2.  

    by logging in to My EE if you're the bill payer
  3.  

    on the device you'd like to apply these new parental controls to - switch airplane mode on and off, or restart it to apply the controls
In store:
  1.  

    pop into an EE store with your photo ID – we'll accept a passport, full driver’s licence (photo and paper), EU card or citizen card
  2.  

    on the device you'd like to apply these new parental controls to - switch airplane mode on and off, or restart it to apply the controls

To turn Content Lock off you’ll need to complete another credit card age check.

How do I keep my family safe from 18-rated content?

How do I keep my family safe from 18-rated content?

Good to know:

The mobile industry uses the BBFC guidelines to determine what content should be rated 18. If you believe a website has been misclassified please email safeguard@ee.co.uk and we’ll review it.

What about illegal content?

Content that’s inappropriate to some may be acceptable to others which is why there’s a robust framework in place based on BBFC standards. But there’s a clear distinction between inappropriate and illegal content. If either you or your child stumbles across an image or video online which you suspect shows child sexual abuse or other illegal content you can report securely and confidentially to the:

Internet Watch Foundation >

 

Messages

If you believe your child is receiving illegal or seriously offensive messages from an adult in a chatroom or on a social networking site, you can report it to the:

Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre >

 

Important information for parents

Be careful if your child is given a second-hand device or SIM card. It's always best to call 1818 to see if parental controls are turned On or Off. If you want to apply the Strict setting for an under 12, text the word STRICT to 150 from the device you want the setting applied to. If your child is using a device connected by 4GEE WiFi, make sure you apply the correct setting of parental controls to the 4GEE WiFi.

Some content, such as apps and encrypted secure sites may contain adult material that will not be blocked by parental controls, so it’s important to stay aware of your child's internet use. Make sure your device has protection against viruses and illegal content.

 

Protecting your EE Home Broadband

Find out more about protecting your broadband >

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