> ## 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 Virgin Media parental controls: Essential Security (Web Safe) and the Connect app - URL: https://devicedaddy.mymagic.page/virgin-media-parental-controls/ - Published: 2026-10-05T12:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-05T12:00:00.000Z - Description: Switch on Essential Security parental controls in My Virgin Media, add categories and sites, and pause Wi-Fi with the Connect app. - Author: Philip Nixon - Tags: Guides, Virgin Media, #Import 2026-11-09 16:05 ✅ **Verified:** Last checked on **Monday 5 October 2026** against Virgin Media Help pages **How to set up parental controls for internet use**, **Essential Security: What is it and how can I use it?** and **Virgin Media Connect app**, plus Virgin Media's **Essential and Advanced Security** product page. Covers **Virgin Media home broadband** in the UK: the free **Essential Security** filter (the new name for **Web Safe**) managed in **My Virgin Media**, and pausing devices with the **Virgin Media Connect app** (Hub 3, 4 or 5). *Note: we checked these steps against Virgin Media's current written instructions. We haven't tested them on a Virgin Media account for this edition, so screens may look a little different after updates.* **⏱ Time to complete:** about 10–15 minutes **🔧 Difficulty:** **Easy.** Only the **main account holder** can switch parental controls on or off. --- ## The short version (for very busy parents) 1. Sign in to **My Virgin Media** as the **main account holder**. 2. Go to **Account Settings → Online Security** and make sure **Essential Security** is on. 3. Turn on **parental controls** — this automatically blocks categories such as pornography, violence, drugs, hate and suicide/self-harm. 4. Use **Categories**, **Sites** and **Timer** to block extra categories (such as gambling or social media), add exceptions, and decide when filtering applies. 5. Install the **Virgin Media Connect app** to **pause Wi-Fi** to a child's device at bedtime. --- ## What you'll need - Your **My Virgin Media** sign-in for the **main account holder**. - A phone or computer with a web browser. - *Optional:* the **Virgin Media Connect app** (iPhone or Android) and a **Hub 3, 4 or 5** — check the sticker on your hub, or look in the Connect app. - **10–15 minutes**. --- ## Essential Security, Web Safe, Advanced Security — what's the difference? | Name | What it is | Cost | | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | | **Essential Security** (previously **Web Safe**) | Filter built into your **home broadband**. Blocks scam and virus sites, and includes **parental controls** for every device on your Wi-Fi. | Included with all Virgin Media broadband | | **Advanced Security** (previously **Virgin Media Internet Security**) | App you install on each device. Virus scanning, banking protection, and parental controls that can be customised **for each child** and work **away from home**. | Add-on — Virgin Media lists it at **£3 a month** | This guide covers **Essential Security** (free) and the **Connect app** (free). > **Joined before 16 May 2024?** Virgin Media says Web Safe is switched on automatically for customers who joined **after 16 May 2024**, but **not** for customers who joined before then. If you've been with Virgin for a while, check it's on (Step 1). --- ## Step-by-step ### Step 1: Sign in and check Essential Security is on 1. Sign in to **My Virgin Media** as the main account holder. 2. Go to **Account Settings → Online Security**. 3. Check **Essential Security** is switched **on**. \[Screenshot: My Virgin Media – Account Settings → Online Security\] > **Tip:** Virgin Media emails the account holder whenever Essential Security settings are changed. If you get one of those emails and didn't make a change, sign in and check. --- ### Step 2: Turn on parental controls In the **Online Security** settings, switch on **parental controls** (Virgin Media describes this as "turning on and opting in to parental controls"). Virgin Media says these categories are then **always blocked** until you turn parental controls off: - Pornography - Child abuse - Violence - Crime - Hate - Drugs - Hacking - Suicide and self-harm - Address hiding (tools used to get round filters) If you turn parental controls off later, Virgin Media says your settings are **saved** until you turn them back on. --- ### Step 3: Add extra categories and sites Use the three filters on the page: | Filter | What it does | DeviceDaddy starting point | | -------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Categories** | Block extra categories — Virgin Media mentions **gambling, weapons, alcohol and tobacco, social media** "and more" | Block **gambling**, **weapons** and **alcohol and tobacco**. Decide on social media based on your children's ages. | | **Sites** | Allow a site that's in a blocked category, or block a specific site that isn't caught | Add any sites your child needs for school | | **Timer** | Choose dates and times when Essential Security is **deactivated** — category and site restrictions are paused during that window | Leave it **unset** if children have devices in bedrooms | \[Screenshot: Online Security – Categories, Sites and Timer filters\] > ⚠️ **Watch the Timer:** the Timer is for switching filtering **off** at set times (for example, after the children's bedtime). Any child still awake and online then gets **unfiltered** access. > > **Can't add an exception?** Virgin Media says you can't override a site that conflicts with a category you've blocked (for example, Gambling) or with Virgin Media's own global lists. > > **Changes not showing?** Virgin Media says you **may need to restart the device** before a newly blocked site or category takes effect. --- ### Step 4: Pause Wi-Fi with the Connect app (bedtimes) Essential Security filters content, but it doesn't do per-child screen time. For that, Virgin Media suggests the **Connect app**. 1. Install the **Virgin Media Connect** app and tap **Sign in with a Virgin Media account**, using your My Virgin Media details. 2. Make sure your phone is **connected to your Virgin Media Wi-Fi**. 3. You'll see **all your connected devices**. Choose your child's device and **pause Wi-Fi** to it. 4. Unpause it in the same place when you're ready. \[Screenshot: Virgin Media Connect app – connected devices with Pause option\] > **Tip:** Not sure which device is which? Device names can be cryptic. Pause one and see which gadget drops offline, then make a note. --- ### Step 5: Test it (2 minutes) 1. On a device connected to your Virgin Media Wi-Fi, try a site in a blocked category. You should see Virgin Media's block message. 2. On **https** sites, Virgin Media says you may see a **normal browser error** ("can't connect") instead of the branded block page — that still means it's working. 3. Pause your child's device in the Connect app and check it goes offline. --- ## Keep it working - **Home Wi-Fi only.** Virgin Media says Essential Security protects devices **only while they're connected to your home network**. On 4G/5G or at a friend's house, it doesn't apply — set up controls on the device too (Screen Time, Family Link) and ask your mobile network about its content filter. - **Report gaps.** If a site gets through that should be blocked: **My Virgin Media → Account Settings → Online Security →** scroll to **Report a Website**. - **Wrongly blocked?** Use the **Let us know** link on the block page. - **VPNs and private DNS** on a device can bypass broadband filters. Keep an eye out for VPN apps. - **TV controls are separate.** Virgin Media says Essential Security **won't change** your Virgin TV Go or TiVo parental controls — set those PINs too. - **No filter is perfect.** Virgin Media says Web Safe doesn't block all unsafe or inappropriate content. Keep talking with your children about what they see online. --- ## Related guides (links to follow) - 🌐 *Sky Broadband parental controls* — **\[link to add\]** - 🌐 *TalkTalk and Plusnet parental controls* — **\[link to add\]** - 🌐 *Router-level filtering with OpenDNS (any broadband provider)* — **\[link to add\]** - 📱 *Google Family Link on Android* — **\[link to add\]** --- ## Spotted a change? Tell us Virgin Media renames and updates its security tools from time to time. If something doesn't match, **\[report a change: add DeviceDaddy contact form or email link here\]**. Tell us your hub model and what's different. The ✅ stamp shows when we last checked. --- ### Sources (checked 5 October 2026) - Virgin Media Help: How to set up parental controls for internet use — [https://www.virginmedia.com/help/security/parental-controls](https://www.virginmedia.com/help/security/parental-controls?ref=devicedaddy.mymagic.page) - Virgin Media Help: Essential Security — what is it and how can I use it? — [https://www.virginmedia.com/help/how-to/security/essential-security](https://www.virginmedia.com/help/how-to/security/essential-security?ref=devicedaddy.mymagic.page) - Virgin Media: Essential and Advanced Security — [https://www.virginmedia.com/broadband/essential-and-advanced-security](https://www.virginmedia.com/broadband/essential-and-advanced-security?ref=devicedaddy.mymagic.page) - Virgin Media: Virgin Media Connect app — [https://www.virginmedia.com/broadband/connect-app](https://www.virginmedia.com/broadband/connect-app?ref=devicedaddy.mymagic.page) - Virgin Media: Parental controls and web safety for children — [https://www.virginmedia.com/broadband/parental-control](https://www.virginmedia.com/broadband/parental-control?ref=devicedaddy.mymagic.page)