How It WorksUpdated 10/15/2026

How ParentSEE Works

ParentSEE monitors your child's online activity at the DNS level. It is the most privacy-respecting way to see what they're doing online.

What is DNS?

Every time a device visits a website or opens an app, it makes a DNS query to look up the server's address. Think of it like a phone book lookup. Before you can call someone, you need to know their number. Before a device can load instagram.com, it asks "what's the address for instagram.com?"

How ParentSEE uses DNS

ParentSEE becomes the DNS provider for your child's device. Every domain lookup goes through our secure servers, so we see which domains are queried. We see domain names only. Never page content, messages, photos, search queries, or anything typed.

How alerts work

Each domain is automatically categorized (social media, gaming, education, adult content, etc.). If a domain matches one of your enabled safety categories, ParentSEE creates an alert. Critical safety alerts (self-harm, suicide-related) are delivered instantly as push notifications, even during quiet hours.

How it stays running

Depending on the platform, ParentSEE uses different mechanisms to stay active:

Android: Private DNS setting, which persists across reboots

iPhone/iPad: DNS configuration profile, which stays active unless manually removed; or the ParentSEE Web Monitor Safari extension, which stays active while it's enabled in Safari

Mac: DNS profile + disabled browser DNS, which stays active unless manually removed

Windows: Background service + DNS configuration, which starts on boot automatically

Chromebook: Chrome extension, active whenever Chrome is open

For more detail, see What ParentSEE Can and Can't See.