> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://devicedaddy.mymagic.page/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # How to set up Sky Broadband parental controls: Sky Broadband Shield and WiFi Max - URL: https://devicedaddy.mymagic.page/sky-broadband-parental-controls/ - Published: 2026-10-05T12:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-05T12:00:00.000Z - Description: Set Sky Broadband Shield to PG, 13 or 18, manage exceptions, fix the 9pm switch to 18, and use WiFi Max profiles to pause devices. - Author: Philip Nixon - Tags: Guides, Sky, #Import 2026-11-09 16:05 ✅ **Verified:** Last checked on **Monday 5 October 2026** against Sky Help pages **Sky Broadband Shield** (including *Change your age rating*, *Block or allow specific websites*, *Choose when it will be active* and *Turn off Sky Broadband Shield*) and **Parental controls with Sky WiFi Max**, plus Sky's **Hello Sky: How to use parental controls at home** article. Covers **Sky Broadband** customers in the UK using **Sky Broadband Shield** (included at no extra cost) and, if you have it, the **Sky WiFi Max** parental controls in the **My Sky app**. *Note: we checked these steps against Sky's current written instructions. We haven't tested them on a Sky account for this edition, so screens may look a little different after updates.* **⏱ Time to complete:** about 10–15 minutes (plus up to 15 minutes for changes to take effect) **🔧 Difficulty:** **Easy.** You just need the Sky iD for the **account holder**. Per-device controls (bedtimes and pausing) need **Sky WiFi Max**. --- ## The short version (for very busy parents) 1. Sign in to **Sky Broadband Shield** with the **account holder's Sky iD** (on sky.com or in the **My Sky app → Broadband**). 2. Choose an age rating: **PG**, **13** or **18** (or **Custom**), then **Save settings**. 3. Use **Manage exceptions** to **block** or **allow** individual websites. 4. Check **"Choose when Sky Broadband Shield should be active"** — by default Shield switches to **18 from 9pm to 5.30am**. Change it or set it to **Always active**. 5. **Got Sky WiFi Max?** In the My Sky app, create **Parental controls profiles** for each child to **pause** their devices and set **downtime** schedules. --- ## What you'll need - The **Sky iD** (email and password) for the **main account holder**. Answers on Sky's Community forum say Shield settings can only be changed when you're signed in with the Sky iD linked to the account holder. - The **My Sky app** on your phone (optional, but it's the easiest way) — or a browser. - *For per-child controls:* **Sky WiFi Max** on your broadband package. - **10–15 minutes**. > **Can't change your settings?** Sky says you might not be able to change Shield if there's an **open order** on your account — for example, if you're changing your broadband package or moving home. Check **My orders** on sky.com. --- ## How Sky Broadband Shield works (in plain English) - It's a filter on your **whole home broadband connection**, so it covers **every device on your Sky Wi-Fi** — phones, tablets, laptops, consoles and smart TVs. - Sky switches it on **automatically** when you join, set to **13** (suitable for teenagers) during the day and **18** in the evening. - It also blocks **phishing and malware** sites and turns on **Safe Search** for Google and Bing. - Settings are **the same for every device and every person** in the house. Sky says they **can't be customised** for different devices or family members (use WiFi Max for that — Step 5). - It **doesn't work on mobile data** (4G/5G) or other people's Wi-Fi. --- ## Step-by-step ### Step 1: Sign in to Sky Broadband Shield **In the My Sky app:** 1. Open the **My Sky** app and tap **Broadband**. 2. Tap **Product Settings**, then **Broadband Shield**. **On a computer:** 1. Go to **sky.com** and sign in with the account holder's Sky iD. 2. Open the **Broadband Shield** page in My Account (it sits under your Broadband & Talk settings). The easiest route is the **Go to Sky Broadband Shield** button on Sky's Broadband Shield help page, which takes you straight there. \[Screenshot: My Sky app – Broadband → Product Settings → Broadband Shield\] --- ### Step 2: Choose an age rating 1. Choose **PG**, **13** or **18**. 2. Select **Save settings**. Here's what Sky says each rating blocks by default: | Website category | **PG** – all ages | **13** – teens and older | **18** – adults only | | ------------------------------ | ----------------- | ------------------------ | -------------------- | | Phishing & malware | Blocked | Blocked | Blocked | | Online dating | Blocked | Blocked | Allowed | | Anonymisers | Blocked | Blocked | Allowed | | File sharing & hacking | Blocked | Blocked | Allowed | | Drugs & criminal skills | Blocked | Blocked | Allowed | | Weapons, violence, gore & hate | Blocked | Blocked | Allowed | | Adult | Blocked | Blocked | Allowed | | Suicide & self-harm | Blocked | Blocked | Allowed | | Social networking | Blocked | Allowed | Allowed | | Online games | Blocked | Allowed | Allowed | **DeviceDaddy starting point:** **13** for most families with school-age children. **PG** is very strict — it blocks social networks *and* online games for everyone in the house, adults included. > ⚠️ **Gamers, read this:** Sky says **PlayStation Network and Xbox Live** sit under the **Online games** category. If you choose **PG** (or block Online games in Custom), your consoles **won't be able to sign in**. Fix it by adding them to your **allowed** list (Step 3). \[Screenshot: Broadband Shield age rating options – PG, 13, 18, Custom\] --- ### Step 3: Fine-tune with Custom and Manage exceptions **Block or allow whole categories:** 1. Select **Custom**. 2. Tick each category you want to **block**. 3. Select **Save settings**. **Block or allow individual websites** (this works even if the site's category says otherwise): 1. Select **Manage exceptions**. 2. Type in the website. 3. Select **Block website** or **Allow website**. 4. Select **Save settings**. (To remove one later, select the **X** next to it.) > **Good to know:** Sky says some sites are **always blocked** because of copyright court orders or because they're on the **Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)** list. You can't unblock those. --- ### Step 4: Check when Shield is active (the 9pm switch) This is the setting most parents don't know about. Out of the box, Sky **automatically switches to the 18 rating from 9pm to 5.30am** — so if your teenager is online late, they're on adult settings. 1. In Broadband Shield, make sure you've selected **PG**, **13** or **Custom** (this option doesn't appear if you're on 18). 2. Go to **Choose when Sky Broadband Shield should be active**. 3. Pick one: - **Always active** — your chosen rating applies all day, every day. **(Our recommendation if children have devices in their bedrooms.)** - **Inactive certain times of the day** — choose the hours when the **18** rating applies instead. 4. Select **Save settings**. Sky notes that websites on your **blocked or allowed lists** still follow those lists during inactive times. \[Screenshot: "Choose when Sky Broadband Shield should be active" – Always active selected\] Changes can take **around 15 minutes** to kick in. --- ### Step 5 (Sky WiFi Max only): Per-child profiles, pause and downtime If your package includes **Sky WiFi Max**, the My Sky app adds controls for **individual devices**. **Create a profile for each child:** 1. Open the **My Sky** app and tap **Broadband**. 2. Scroll down to **Parental controls**. 3. First time? Tap **Create a profile**, give it a name and **add their devices** (phone, tablet, console). Already have one? Tap **Manage profiles → Create a profile**. **Set a downtime schedule** (bedtime, homework, mealtimes): 1. Under **Parental controls**, tap the child's profile. 2. Tap **Create a downtime schedule** and give it a name. 3. Choose the **days and times** they can't use the internet. Add more with **Create another schedule**. **Pause the internet:** - **Whole profile:** tap the profile → **Pause all devices** → choose how long (**30 minutes**, **1 hour**, **2 hours**, a **custom time**, or **until you wake it up**) → **Pause devices**. - **One device** (for example, just the Xbox): tap the device under **Assigned devices** → **Pause this Device** → choose how long → **Pause device**. - To undo, tap **Wake up**. During a downtime, **Wake up** lets them back on without cancelling the schedule. \[Screenshot: My Sky app – Parental controls profile with Pause all devices\] > **Tip:** Sky says that if your hub is **replaced or reset**, these settings have to download to it again — it happens automatically but can take **up to an hour**. Also, pausing won't stop a video that's **already downloaded** to the device, and buffered video may keep playing for a few minutes. --- ### Step 6: Test it (2 minutes) 1. On a device connected to your Sky Wi-Fi, try a site in a category you've blocked — you should see Sky's block page. 2. If you have consoles, check they can still **sign in** to PlayStation Network or Xbox. 3. If you use WiFi Max, **pause** your child's device and check it goes offline. --- ## Keep it working - **Mobile data bypasses it.** Shield only filters your **home broadband**. Set up controls on the phone itself too (Screen Time on iPhone, Family Link on Android) and ask your mobile network for its adult-content filter. - **VPNs and private DNS can bypass it.** Look out for VPN apps on your child's devices. - **Privacy features can get in the way.** Other UK providers warn that Apple's **iCloud Private Relay** and "secure DNS" browser settings can stop broadband filters working on that device. If filtering seems patchy on one device, check those settings. - **Re-check after moving home or changing package** — Sky says open orders can block changes. - **Don't turn Shield off completely.** Sky recommends setting it to **18** instead, so you keep the phishing and malware protection. - **No filter is perfect.** Sky says Shield **can't guarantee** it will stop every inappropriate website, or bullying or grooming by others. Keep talking with your children about what they see online. - **Sky TV controls are separate.** Set PIN controls on your Sky Q, Sky Glass or Sky Stream box as well. --- ## Related guides (links to follow) - 🌐 *Virgin Media parental controls* — **\[link to add\]** - 🌐 *TalkTalk and Plusnet parental controls* — **\[link to add\]** - 🌐 *Router-level filtering with OpenDNS (any broadband provider)* — **\[link to add\]** - 🍎 *iPhone and iPad Screen Time* — **\[link to add\]** --- ## Spotted a change? Tell us Sky updates its apps and account pages from time to time. If something doesn't match, **\[report a change: add DeviceDaddy contact form or email link here\]**. Tell us whether you used the My Sky app or the website, and what's different. The ✅ stamp shows when we last checked. --- ### Sources (checked 5 October 2026) - Sky Help: Sky Broadband Shield (Using Sky Broadband Shield, change age rating, block or allow websites, choose when it will be active, turn off) — [https://www.sky.com/help/broadband/security-and-protection/sky-broadband-shield](https://www.sky.com/help/broadband/security-and-protection/sky-broadband-shield?ref=devicedaddy.mymagic.page) - Sky Help: Parental controls with Sky WiFi Max — [https://www.sky.com/help/articles/sky-wifi-max-parental-controls](https://www.sky.com/help/articles/sky-wifi-max-parental-controls?ref=devicedaddy.mymagic.page) - Hello Sky: How to use parental controls at home — [https://www.sky.com/hello-sky/tv/how-to-use-parental-controls](https://www.sky.com/hello-sky/tv/how-to-use-parental-controls?ref=devicedaddy.mymagic.page) - Sky My Account: Broadband Shield settings (sign-in required) — [https://www.sky.com/myaccount/bb-and-talk/broadband-shield](https://www.sky.com/myaccount/bb-and-talk/broadband-shield?ref=devicedaddy.mymagic.page) - Sky Community forum (customer answers, not official help): Parental controls — [https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Broadband/Parental-controls/m-p/4698581/highlight/true](https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Broadband/Parental-controls/m-p/4698581/highlight/true?ref=devicedaddy.mymagic.page)