List of keywords to block for parental control?

Short answer: yes, keyword blocking is worth setting up, and it is the layer most parents skip. Domain filters stop websites; only keywords catch intent ("how to make a bomb" is a search, not a site). Below is the list we hand out, how to deploy it, and the two apps we actually recommend for it.

First, the part most guides get wrong

There are two different mechanisms:

1. Network and device filters - iOS Screen Time, Google Family Link, or a DNS filter such as NextDNS, CleanBrowsing or Cloudflare for Families. These block domains. They stop porn, gambling and known-bad sites, but they cannot see a search phrase.
2. Keyword alerts inside a monitoring app - the app reads messages, searches and social DMs and flags matches. This is the only way to catch phrase-level risk.

You want both. The list below is for the second layer.

The list

Self-harm and mental health suicide, self harm, self-harm, cutting, "kill myself", kms, overdose, proana, thinspo, "want to die", "no one would miss me"

Grooming and predatory contact "send nudes", "send pics", "don't tell your parents", "our secret", "how old are you", "you're mature for your age", "meet up", "delete this chat", "i'll buy you" - plus the apps used to move the conversation somewhere private: kik, telegram, discord, wickr, signal

Violence and weapons "kill you", "beat you up", "school shooting", "make a bomb", "pipe bomb", "gun for sale", "knife"

Runaway and abduction "run away", "meet me at", "don't tell mom", "pack a bag", "i'm coming to get you"

Drugs and alcohol weed, vape, juul, xanax, percocet, adderall, "plug", edibles, lean, "get high", drunk, vodka, "fake id"

Sexual content porn, nude, nudes, onlyfans, hentai, nsfw, "cp"

Scams and sextortion "send money", "gift card", "crypto giveaway", "free robux", "i have your photos", "i'll post them"

Bypass attempts - the most important category vpn, incognito, "delete history", "hide apps", "parental controls off", "screen time passcode", jailbreak, "factory reset", "new account"

Bullying kys, "kill yourself", "you're worthless", "everyone hates you", "ugly", "fat" - and your child's own name next to those words

Tuning matters more than the list

Start broad for two weeks, then delete the noise. "Kill" fires on every video game, "gun" on Nerf, "weed" on gardening, and "snap" on the app rather than the act. Read each alert in context before you react: the goal is a conversation, not a verdict. Age matters too - a 9-year-old and a 16-year-old should not share the same list.

The setup we recommend

For keyword alerts across messengers, searches and social apps, the two we test and use are:

• mSpy - strongest keyword and social-app coverage, screen recorder, alerts on specific words across WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram, Telegram and the rest. Best if you want depth.
• Eyezy - simpler dashboard, fast to set up, keyword alerts plus social media and location in one panel. Best if you want something you can run without a manual.

Both work on iPhone and Android and let you add the words above as alert keywords rather than just blocklists.

Disclosure: those two links are affiliate links. The price is the same for you and we earn a small commission - it is how we keep the guides free. We only link tools we have tested.

Three steps

1. Put the operating-system filter on first (Screen Time or Family Link) so the obvious sites are blocked before anything else.
2. Add the keyword list above to the monitoring app and set alerts to email or push.
3. Review alerts once a day for the first week and prune the list. Then tell your child what is installed and why - the setup works far better when it is not a secret.

Two rules we won't skip

Only install this on a device you own or have explicit consent to monitor. For a minor in your care that is normally fine, but tell them it is there. And use keyword alerts to open a conversation, not to win an argument.