QWIT
DNS blocker vs app blocker vs accountability software — which one fits you
"Just install a blocker" is common advice, but it treats a whole category of tools as one thing when they actually work at different layers of the phone, and each one closes a different gap. Picking the wrong type — or only one type — is a big part of why blockers so often get quietly worked around within a few weeks.
DNS-level filters: broad, network-wide, easy to set and forget
A DNS filter works before a page even loads, by refusing to resolve known adult domains at the network or router level. Its strength is coverage: it applies to every browser and most apps on a device without needing per-app setup, and it's genuinely simple to configure once. Its weakness is that it only catches what's on its list, so new or unlisted sites, and anything inside an app rather than a browser, can slip through untouched.
App-level blockers: narrower, but harder to bypass casually
App blockers sit closer to where the behaviour actually happens — inside specific apps, browsers or search results — and can catch things a DNS filter misses, like search terms or in-app content. They tend to require more setup and maintenance, since each app or category needs its own rule, but they close gaps a network-wide filter leaves open, particularly around social platforms and search engines.
Accountability software: friction through visibility, not blocking
Accountability tools don't block anything directly; they log activity and, in most versions, send a report to a trusted person you choose. Their mechanism is different from the other two: instead of making access harder, they make it visible, which changes the decision itself for a lot of people, since the choice stops being private. This works well for people motivated by not wanting to explain something to someone they respect, and does very little for people who wouldn't mind that report at all — it's worth being honest with yourself about which kind of person you are.
Combining them beats relying on one
Each of these three closes a different door, and someone determined enough can eventually find the door that's still open if only one is installed. A DNS filter for broad, low-effort coverage, an app blocker on the specific apps or browsers where urges actually show up, and accountability software if visibility genuinely changes your decisions, layered together, cover most of the realistic paths back to old content — without needing any one layer to be perfect on its own.
Start with whichever layer is easiest to set up today rather than waiting to install all three at once — a single DNS filter added this evening already closes more gaps than a perfect three-layer plan that never gets finished. The other layers can be added over the following weeks as it becomes clearer which specific gaps still need covering.
Sources: World Health Organization, guidance on digital wellbeing tools; peer-reviewed literature on environmental design and self-control, as summarised in behavioural science reviews; NHS, notes on managing compulsive online behaviour.