Can a VPN Bypass Qustodio? Yes, and Here's How!

Qustodio is one of the best parental control apps to monitor children’s Internet and app use on all their devices.

However, there are ways to get around it and hide online activity from the tracker. 

Below, we’ll discuss whether a VPN is an effective bypassing strategy and other ways to trick the software.

Can a VPN bypass Qustodio?

Yes, a VPN is an excellent and easy way to bypass all blocks Qustodio sets up. 

A reputable service, like ExpressVPN, will encrypt the Internet traffic and route it through a server in another location, preventing the parental control app from tracking the activity.

What’s more, this strategy can give your child access to the web from another IP address, overcoming all restrictions you have set through the software.

However, Qustodio blocks access to VPN websites, among other online locations. That means your child would need to either have a VPN installed or find another way to get the installation file.

If they manage to get VPN software on their device, accessing blocked sites becomes easy.

Here’s how they’d do it:

1. First, they’d need a VPN subscription to be able to use their account.

2. Then, they’d install the software on their device.

3. Log in with their credentials.

4. Connect to a server by clicking the big power button in the middle.

5. Once they do that, they’d be able to access blocked sites.

To avoid this, when setting up Qustodio, check if your child doesn’t have a VPN installed. 

Additionally, if you already have a subscription, make sure they don’t have your credentials.

Also, don’t let them use your credit card for online shopping without supervision, as it may be an opportunity to purchase a VPN subscription.

ExpressVPN

Even if your child doesn’t need a VPN, you can definitely benefit from this premium service!

Check Price Visit Website

Now that we’ve answered the big question — can a VPN bypass Qustodio; you’re probably wondering how else your kid can go around the software’s blocks.

Can my child turn off Qustodio?

Yes, there are ways to turn off the app and disable parental control on any device. If your kid knows your credentials, it’ll be no trouble for them to do so. However, it’s also possible to achieve that through the Task Manager. 

Let’s take a look at the first method!

When you click on the Q icon in the task/notification bar, there’s a disable Qustodio button. But to actually do it, you have to log into your account.

So, make sure your child doesn’t have your login details, and they won’t be able to turn it off that easily.

However, they can still disable Qustodio through the Task Manager. Here’s how this strategy works:

1. First, press CTRL + ALT + DEL on the keyboard and select Task Manager.
2. Under background processes, find a file called qengine, right-click it, and choose Open Services.

3. In the new window, find qengine again, right-click it, and press Properties.

4. Use the drop-down menu next to Startup time to change it from Automatic to Manual.

5. Press Apply to save the change.
6. Right-click qengine again and click Stop.

7. Browse the web without the restrictions of the parental control app.

The good news is that you can disable the Task Manager for all logged users on the device in a few simple steps.

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Type gpedit.msc and click the top result to open Local Group Policy Editor.

3. Depending on your preferences, choose User or Computer Configuration, then go to Administrative Templates > System > Ctrl + Alt + Del Options and double-click the Remove Task Manager on the right side.

That will prevent your child from completing all the above-listed steps and ensure Custodio keeps running.

What browsers can Qustodio not track?

The parental control app can track and block activity only through some Internet browsers:

• Windows: Chrome, Firefox, and Edge
• Mac: Chrome, Firefox, and Safari
• Android: Chrome and Firefox
• iOS: Chrome and Safari
• Kindle: Amazon Silk

Turning on incognito mode also doesn’t prevent Qustodio from restricting access to taboo sites.

However, the software doesn’t work with other browsers, but it will prohibit their use entirely by default.

Therefore, make sure you keep the Block unsupported browsers toggle turned on. You’ll find it under Web filtering in the parent’s dashboard.

Remember that Qustodio only works when the device is connected to the Internet. It also doesn’t track the activity on browsers not installed on the device.

How do you make Qustodio invisible?

When installing the software on Windows and Mac, it will ask if you want to hide it on that device. Check the box, and your child won’t be able to see it.

If you didn’t select this option upon installation, you can still do it later on.

Just follow these four simple steps:

1. Log into your parent’s dashboard using the email you registered with.

2. Click on Devices in the toolbar on the left side of the screen.

3. Select the device you want to hide Qustodio on.

4. Toggle on the Hide Qustodio button by clicking on it.

Once you do this, your child won’t be able to see that Qustodio is on their device. The Q icon will no longer show on the task/notification bar.

Otherwise, when they try to enter a blocked website, they’d see a blue screen saying Qustodio has blocked it. But, when you hide the software from the device, it’ll redirect them to the Google Search page instead.

Keep in mind that this option is only available on Windows and Mac. Due to technical limitations, you can’t hide Qustodio on Android, iOS, and Kindle.

If you install the app on one of those devices, Qustodio suggests discussing with your child why you did it and establishing rules for their Internet use.

While capable of monitoring which sites your kid visits, it won’t tell you what exactly they do on them.

YouTube is an exception as there’s a dedicated feature for the platform that shows you what they searched and watched.

However, such information on other sites and platforms is missing:

• Instagram — The software keeps a log of calls and text messages, but it doesn’t track DMs on the popular platform.
• Facebook — You can receive notifications whenever your child uses social media, but you can’t see their posts and messages.
• TikTok — You can monitor how much time your child spent on TikTok, but not the videos they watched.
• Reddit — Qustodio can detect that your child has been on the platform, but it doesn’t provide a list of threads they read or comments they’ve made.
• Discord — You can see that they used Discord, but you have no access to their messages. However, Qustodio has a detailed guide on how to keep your child safe on the platform.

Wrap up

So, can a VPN bypass Qustodio?

Yes, but to do so, your child would have to either have a VPN installed or find a way to set it up without access to any VPN site.

Since there are ways to circumvent the software’s blocks, it might be a good idea to keep an eye on what your kid is doing online, even with Qustodio installed.