Each of the five filters can be set to one of four age ratings.
As you move to lower age ratings, SafetyMode blocks a wider range of content. For example, the age 8 rating blocks more borderline or suggestive material, not just the most extreme examples.
Quick comparison:
Age 8 rating
Strictly filtered for younger children around the age of 8, similar to a film's age rating. Only age-appropriate content gets through. This filter level blocks a wider range of lower-level, ambiguous, or sexualised content.
Age 12 rating
Suitable for children around the age of 12. Blocks more suggestive images and more offensive or inappropriate language.
Age 15 rating
Suitable for children around the age of 15. Blocks the clearest harmful, abusive, explicit, or nude content.
None
No text or image filtering.
Age 8 rating
The most cautious setting. It is designed to block not only clearly harmful or explicit content, but also more ambiguous or borderline harmful content.
Best for:
Younger children aged around 8 or below, or families who want the strongest possible level of filtering and the lowest chance of explicit or sexualised content getting through.
Text filtering at Age 8 rating
Designed to catch milder offensive language as well as stronger harmful content.
Text it will usually block:
Text it will usually block:
milder bullying and rude insults
more swearing and obscene language
more sexual or graphic wording
hateful or threatening language at a lower threshold
content that feels inappropriate even if it is not extreme
Text it may also block:
Text it may also block:
jokes or teasing that use offensive language
messages that are rude rather than deeply abusive
low-level crude or vulgar content
content that may be context-dependent but still inappropriate for younger users
Image filtering at Age 8 rating
Age 8 is the strongest setting for image filtering. It blocks clear nudity, covered nudity, and a wider range of images that may appear sexualised or involve high body exposure.
Images it will usually block:
Images it will usually block:
all clear nudity
lingerie and underwear imagery
many swimwear images
suggestive or sexualised poses
some artistic nude photography
some fitness, dance, or fashion content with high skin exposure
some minimal-clothing imagery, even where the image is not explicitly sexual
Because age 8 rating is intentionally cautious, it is more likely to block some images that are not intended to be sexual.
Images it might block:
Images it might block:
some sportswear or gym images
some beach or poolside images
some cropped, sleeveless, or revealing outfits
some fashion and performance imagery
Age 12 rating
Intended to reduce exposure to both serious abuse and more common offensive or inappropriate content.
Age 12 rating is designed for children around the age of 12 to catch full nudity, as well as more awkward, suggestive, or sexualised imagery.
Best for:
Younger teens, or families who want stronger protection from borderline or suggestive content as well as clearly harmful material.
Text filtering at age 12 rating
Age 12 rating is designed to catch a wide range of harmful or offensive language.
Text it will usually block:
Text it will usually block:
clearer bullying or repeated insults
stronger rude or abusive language
more obscene or sexual language
more hateful or threatening language
more borderline harmful content that Safe might let through
Text it may also block:
Text it may also block:
more heated arguments
stronger swearing
sexual jokes or crude comments
language that feels degrading or humiliating, even if it is not extremely severe
Image filtering at age 12 rating
Age 12 rating will block some covered or implied nudity, as well as explicit nudity.
Images it will usually block:
Images it will usually block:
underwear and lingerie images
suggestive images where intimate areas are covered but clearly emphasised
some bikini or swimwear images
sexualised fashion or influencer content
images that strongly imply nudity without full exposure
Images it will usually allow:
Images it will usually allow:
many ordinary family or social photos
everyday clothing and non-sexual images
some standard sports, beach, or fashion images, depending on context
Age 15 rating
Designed to catch the most obvious harmful or explicit content, while avoiding unnecessary blocking of normal day-to-day content. It is suitable for children around the age of 15.
Best for:
Older children and teens who use the internet more independently, where parents want strong protection from clearly harmful or explicit content without over-blocking everyday content.
Text filtering at age 15 rating
Age 15 rating is designed to catch the worst kinds of harmful text.
Text it will usually block:
Text it will usually block:
aggressive insults aimed directly at someone
very explicit sexual language
graphic obscene language
serious threats
serious bullying
extreme hateful abuse
Text it will usually allow:
Text it will usually allow:
mild slang
lower-level rudeness
everyday arguments that are not strongly abusive
non-explicit swearing in some contexts
Image filtering at age 15 rating
Age 15 rating is designed to block clear nudity and explicit sexual imagery.
Images it will usually block:
Images it will usually block:
pornographic images
nude selfies
full nudity
explicit adult images where intimate body parts are clearly visible
Images it will usually allow:
Images it will usually allow:
everyday dressed photos
most non-sexual social media images
most swimwear photos
standard fashion photography where there is no clear nudity
None
At this level, SafetyMode does not block text or images based on harmful or explicit content rules.
Best for:
Families who do not want filtering switched on.
What to expect:
Messages are not filtered for bullying, swearing, threats, or explicit language
Images are not filtered for nudity or sexualised content
If Save screenshots or Send me emails are enabled, there will generally be nothing to record or notify for this category because filtering is not active.
Still unsure which level to choose?
Choose age 15 rating if:
your child is younger
you want the strongest level of protection available
you are happy for the filter to be more cautious, even if that means some normal content is blocked too
Choose age 15 rating if:
you want stronger protection from rude, suggestive, or sexualised content
your child is younger, or you want fewer borderline images and messages to get through
you are comfortable with slightly broader filtering
Choose age 15 rating if:
your child is older and uses the internet more independently
you mainly want to block the clearest harmful or explicit content
you want a lighter-touch setting that avoids over-blocking