Hi all ,
Wondering if any of you have successfully implemented a way an app or a system to limit access and or block the TikTok app on a home network.
I have tried URL filtering and it seem to work partially for web pages, but not for the app.
I am currently with skinny for internet and I am using their smart modem.
Any advices will be very welcome .
Thank in advance.
Raspberry pie with pihole is a option, you will also need to block VPN and proxy aswell. I can help if you get stuck but its a bit of a time investment.
https://coygeek.com/docs/pihole-tiktok/
In reality, if they are smart like lbaty said, they will bypass one way or another.
+1 on the Raspberry Pi + Pi-hole option.
ChatGPT can explain:
"A pi-hole is a device that can block unwanted ads and trackers on your network. It works by acting as a DNS server, which is like a phone book for the internet.
When you type a website address, your device asks the DNS server for the corresponding IP address, which is like a phone number. The pi-hole checks the website address against a list of known ad and tracker domains, and if it finds a match, it gives your device a fake IP address instead of the real one. This way, your device cannot connect to the ad or tracker server, and you don’t see any ads or get tracked by them.
You can install pi-hole on a small computer like a Raspberry Pi, and configure your router or your devices to use it as their DNS server.
Pi-hole has a web interface that lets you see statistics on how many ads and trackers it has blocked, and also lets you manage your own blacklist and whitelist of domains. You can also adjust the privacy settings of pi-hole to suit your needs.
Pi-hole is a great way to improve your network performance, protect your privacy, and enjoy a cleaner and faster internet experience."
Not only can you block ads and trackers, but also restrict access to specified domains across the network, by device, at certain times etc. There are many blocklists available and you have the option of installing a default set when you configure the Pi-hole. Here is one specifically for TikTok: https://blocklistproject.github.io/Lists/tiktok.txt
A Pi Zero 2 W is ideal for running Pi-hole: https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/SEVRBP0360/Raspberry-Pi-Zer….
Thank you all for the great advice.
Just to answer a few questiond :
-Its for a teenager/14 year olds , so child account are not suported at their age.
-I think the algorithm of TikTok makes it really addictive for the user and i can't rely on my 14year old to manage is time on this app and whish to add some "gard rails" sort of speak.
I definetly preffer pro active interaction with a computer than passive interaction with a mobile were they can get easily cought just endlessly scrolling …
The raspberry pie option running pi-hole looks like a good option and will order a board in order to give it a go.
Thank you all for the repies.
Nice, you could even scope the block tiktok policy on specific devices so you could acess it when they are not looking..
And also could permit the traffic by disabling the rule to allow time frame periods of allowing access.
If the phone using the TikTok App has a SIM with data connection, then blocking it on the home network modem might not limit the app because it has direct access over the SIM network.
If no SIM data on the phone, blocking TikTok domain names could be a way to deny access.
https://drfone.wondershare.com/unban-tiktok/detailed-guide-o…
Unfortunately if you're trying to block someone tech-savvy or motivated you'll likely lose this game of whack-a-mole.
There are lots of ways to bypass various forms of blocking including custom DNS, proxies, VPNs, etc.
If they have a data-enabled SIM in their mobile phone they could simply disconnect from your Wifi and use mobile data.
Good luck nonetheless!
What about child accounts for the phones instead of sorting dns?
I work with schools & it's just a game of cat and mouse. I have a good anecdote about kids hiding their facebook-ing from the teacher by alt tabbing whenever they walked by… in front of me… the person whose job it is/was to stop them doing that.
Remind me of games that used to have a "Boss Key" :D
Tinder on desktop had something similar. Switched to a spreadsheet with a graph. Was a date overview spreadsheet.
What kind of reasoning and age group?
If it's a kid just use parental controls to limit it on the device rather than DNS as in many cases it's easy to bypass
For the extreme solution ditch the smart phone and buy a dumb phone instead. These are surging in sales, apparently outgrowing smartphone sales. Ironically it is tiktok that has helped make them popular! Nokia has a good range but there are other brands jumping on the trend.
Forgot to mentionned , we have a nice "vintage" Nokia 6500 that gets used from time to time when a proper reset/detox is needed.
Like others have mentioned, use pi-hole. If you aren't tech-savvy enough to set it up, then try out NextDNS, which works for both Android and iOS. You can monitor the logs in the NextDNS portal and look at the domain and the IPs and just block the traffic using custom rules. Once you have those info, you can probably set up the block on your router as well.
But to be honest, your router is kinda trash and anyone can bypass the block easily if they know enough. Like, I work in IT and I bypass things all the time, especially the network stuff. Encrypt & tunnel your traffic through DNS or HTTPS or other protocols, tunnel through Cloudflare Pages or Azure, etc. You can't really block properly.
The question is, why do you want to block TikTok? If you have access to the devices that you want to block, maybe installing a locked down profile or child lock settings would be the better idea.
Recommend posting on Geekzone as well.