By Dan General Internet Guides 8 December 2025

Content Filtering Options & Online Safety

This article explains how URL Networks customers can use content filtering to help reduce access to online content that may be inappropriate for children or unwanted in the home.

It’s important for parents and guardians to help safeguard children when they’re online. Content filters can help lower the chance of kids accidentally seeing adult content or other harmful material, but no filter is perfect. That’s why this article also includes simple online safety tips for parents and guardians, such as supervising younger children, using kids profiles, and turning on parental controls.

To make things easier, we recommend choosing an approved Family Friendly Filter (FFF) service. These services are reviewed and approved by the Australian Telecommunications Alliance (ATA) and are designed to help families apply practical, everyday internet filtering.

Content Filtering Options (Family Friendly Filter)

If you want extra peace of mind about what can be seen on your home internet (especially for kids), the simplest option is to use a Family Friendly Filter (FFF) service.

FFF services are approved by the Australian Telecommunications Alliance (Austelco) and are designed to limit access to certain types of online content (based on Australia’s classification guidelines).

Choose an approved Family Friendly Filter (recommended)

To see the current list of approved filtering services and what they offer, visit:

Family Friendly Filter (FFF) – approved providers
https://www.austelco.org.au/news-and-resources/family-friendly-filter/

That page is the best place to start, because it lists approved options in one spot.

How to use a Family Friendly Filter

Most FFF services work in one of these ways:

1) Filter the whole home (router-level)

This is the easiest option for most “mum and dad” households because it covers:

phones and tablets on Wi-Fi
laptops and desktops
smart TVs and streaming devices

Usually, this means changing a setting on your modem/router, or using an app supplied by the filter provider.

2) Filter individual devices (device-level)

This is useful if:

your kids use mobile data a lot (not just Wi-Fi), or
you only want filtering on certain devices

Usually, this means installing an app or turning on parental controls on each device.

Tip: For best coverage, many families use both:

an FFF service (for the home connection), and
parental controls on phones/tablets (for times they’re away from home).

What URL Networks does (and doesn’t) do

We do provide information on how to get filtering tools, including approved FFF services.

We don’t control the content on the internet, so there is no filter that is perfect.

An ISP may choose to provide filtering directly. At this time, URL Networks does not supply our own filtering product, but we strongly recommend choosing a service from the approved FFF list.

Things that can stop filters from working properly

Sometimes filters don’t work as expected because of device settings, apps, or updates.
Common causes include:

a VPN being turned on
“Private DNS” / “Secure DNS” / encrypted DNS being enabled
a device using mobile data instead of your home Wi-Fi
a streaming or social media app using its own built-in connection method

If you have trouble after choosing an FFF service, the filter provider will usually have setup guides and support steps for your device/router.

Online safety tips for parents and guardians

Content filters help, but they work best when combined with a few everyday habits:

Supervise and stay involved

Keep younger kids’ devices in shared family areas when possible.
Know what apps and games your child uses, and check their age ratings.
Talk openly about what to do if they see something upsetting: stop, close it, and tell an adult.

Limit accidental exposure

Turn on Safe Search in search engines (Google/Bing) and Restricted Mode on YouTube.
Use kids profiles on streaming services (Netflix/Disney+/etc.) where available.
Set device “parental controls” (time limits, age restrictions, app installs).

Use the right filter for the situation

Whole-home (router-level) filtering helps on Wi-Fi.
Device-level filtering helps when kids are on mobile data or away from home.

What is the eSafety Commissioner and what do they do?

The eSafety Commissioner is Australia’s online safety regulator. They provide information and tools to help Australians stay safe online and run reporting processes for serious online harms and illegal or restricted content.

If you report content to eSafety, they can assess the report and may take action under their powers (for example, contacting platforms/services or using formal processes).

If you see harmful or illegal content: what to do

Stop viewing it and close the page/app.
If it’s on a website or app, use the platform’s report button (most services have one).
If it involves serious harmful content, report it to the eSafety Commissioner:
https://www.esafety.gov.au/report
If you’re unsure, or you’d like us to escalate a complaint to the eSafety Commissioner (where applicable), contact URL Networks support.

Complaints

Australian end-users have the right to complain directly to a content provider about class 1A, class 1B, class 1C or class 2 material, or unsolicited electronic messages that promote such material.

Complaints Steps

Complain to the content provider first
If unresolved, report to eSafety – https://www.esafety.gov.au/report
You can also lodge certain complaints with URL Networks and we will refer them to eSafety

Report to the eSafety Commissioner

If you have complained directly to a content provider about class 1A, class 1B, class 1C or class 2 material, or unsolicited electronic messages that promote such material and your complaint remains unresolved, or you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can then report directly to the Office of the eSafety Commissioner.

Report to URL Networks

You can also make a complaint about a content provider’s class 1C or class 2 material, or unsolicited electronic messages that promote such material, directly with us. We will acknowledge your complaint and then refer your complaint directly to the Office of the eSafety Commissioner on your behalf.

You can submit a complaint to us using the following methods:

Email: support@url.net.au
Phone: 1300 33 11 78

Glossary

Class 1 Material: any material, including but not limited to a film or the contents of a film, computer game, publication or contents of a publication that is classified as ‘Refused Classification’ by the Classification Board or if not classified, would likely be classified as Refused Classification if it were to be classified. Classes 1A, 1B and 1C are subcategories of Class 1 Material.
- Class 1A Material: child sexual exploitation material, pro-terror material, and extreme
  crime and violence material.
- Class 1B Material: crime and violence material, and drug material.
- Class 1C Material: particular online pornography that depicts or otherwise deals with
  sex in a way that it offends the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally
  accepted by reasonable adults or includes/contains gratuitous, exploitative or offensive
  depictions of sexual activity accompanied by offensive or abhorrent fetishes, practices or
  fantasies.
Class 2 Material: any material, including but not limited to a film or the contents of a film, computer game, publication or contents of a publication that is classified as X +18 or R+18, by the Classification Board, or if it is not classified, would be likely classified as X+18 or
R+18. Classes 2A and 2B, and Self-harm Material are subcategories of Class 2 Material.
- Class 2A Material: material depicting actual (not simulated) sexual activity between
  consenting adults.
- Class 2B Material: material depicting high-impact sexually explicit images, including
  high-impact nudity.
FFF or Family Friendly Filter: filter programs designed to limit access to certain types of content on the internet that have been approved by the Australian Telecommunications Alliance as meeting criteria that correspond to the national Classification Guidelines for
films and computer games.
Online pornography: Class 1C, Class 2A and Class 2B Material.
Self-harm Material: material that encourages, promotes or provides instruction for suicide, an act of deliberate self-injury and/or an eating disorder or behaviour associated with an eating disorder.
Australian Telecommunications Alliance (ATA) / Austelco: The Australian Telecommunications Alliance (ATA) is the peak body of the Australian telecommunications industry. Their purpose is to lead a growing and sustainable telecommunications industry that benefits all Australians by protecting consumers, promoting competition, and rewarding investment. Website: https://www.austelco.org.au/
Content filter / Content filtering: A tool or service that helps block or limit access to certain websites, apps, or types of online content.
Filtering provider: A company that offers a content filtering product or service (including approved FFF providers).
Whole-home filtering (router-level filtering): Filtering that is set up on your modem/router so it applies to most devices connected to your home Wi-Fi.
Device-level filtering: Filtering that is set up on a specific device (phone/tablet/computer) and usually only applies to that device.
Parental controls: Settings on devices, apps, or services that let parents limit content, set time limits, and manage access.
Modem/Router: The device in your home that connects you to the internet and shares the connection via Wi-Fi and/or Ethernet.
Wi-Fi: Your home wireless network.
Mobile data: Internet access through a phone’s SIM/mobile network. Filters set on your home router usually do not apply when using mobile data.
DNS (Domain Name System): A service that helps your device find websites. Some filters work by using a “family safe” DNS service.
Encrypted DNS / Secure DNS / Private DNS: A privacy feature on some devices/browsers that can bypass or reduce the effectiveness of some DNS-based filters.
VPN (Virtual Private Network): A service that routes internet traffic through another network. VPNs can bypass many types of filtering.
Content provider: The website, app, or online service where the content appears (for example, a social media platform or website owner).
eSafety Commissioner: Australia’s independent regulator that provides online safety resources and takes reports about serious online harm.