Identify the Block Source
Each block page has a distinct visual signature. Match what you see on screen to the descriptions below.Recognize an Admin Filtering Policy Block
The GoGuardian Admin filtering policy block page displays a padlock icon and the GoGuardian logo. The Bypass button is always visible on the Admin Policy block page. To remove it, you must explicitly hide it using CSS customization (see Remove the Bypass Button).- To allow temporary access: The student clicks Bypass and enters a valid bypass password. Configure and manage bypass passwords on the Bypass page. See Configure Bypass Passwords.
- To adjust the policy: Go to Filtering > Policies and update the policy assigned to the student. See Create a Filtering Policy.
- To assign a policy to a student group: Go to Filtering > Assign and update the assignment.
Recognize a Smart Alerts Block
A Smart Alerts block page displays a custom trigger message configured for your organization. It fires when a student’s browsing activity matches a trigger rule in GoGuardian Beacon.- To review or update trigger rules: Go to the Triggers page in Smart Alerts.
Spot a Parent App Filter Block
A Parent App block page appears when a guardian has applied out-of-school-hours filtering through the GoGuardian parent app. This block is set by the student’s guardian, not by your organization’s policies, and applies only during the hours the guardian has configured. No admin action is required unless a guardian contacts the school about the block.
Spot a Browsing Disabled by Teacher Block
The “Browsing Disabled by Teacher” block page appears when a GoGuardian Teacher session is active and a teacher has used the Lock Screen command to pause browsing.- To restore access: Any teacher with an active session can issue the Unlock Screen command from GoGuardian Teacher.
If a student joins a new GoGuardian Teacher session before a previous session ends, the student’s screen may remain locked until the previous session closes. The new session’s unlock command will not release a lock held by a different session.
Identify a Scene Filter Block
A scene filter block displays a “Hey there” page. It appears when a GoGuardian Teacher scene is active and the scene’s filtering settings restrict the current site.- To restore access: The teacher ends the scene or applies a scene that permits the site.
Identify a GoGuardian DNS Block
The GoGuardian DNS block page appears when network-level DNS filtering has blocked the request. This page does not display a Bypass button. HTTPS variant: On HTTPS sites, a DNS block may display “Your connection is not private” along with a certificate fromblocked.com-default.ws. This is expected behavior, not a certificate error on the destination site.
Organizations using both GoGuardian DNS filtering and The GoGuardian App v1.17.4 or later see the standard DNS block page for HTTPS requests. Earlier versions of The GoGuardian App may show the certificate warning instead.
Spot a YouTube Block from Admin Policies
When a GoGuardian Admin filtering policy blocks a YouTube video, the video appears blurred with the message: “This video is blocked because it belongs to category [category name].”- To adjust video access: Update the YouTube rules in the filtering policy assigned to the student. See Configure YouTube Filtering.
Recognize a YouTube Block from Google Admin Console
When Google Admin Console Restricted Mode is blocking a YouTube video, the page displays “Video Unavailable,” not a GoGuardian block page. To adjust this setting in Google Admin Console:- Go to Device Settings > Chrome Management > User Settings.
- Find the Safe Search and Restricted Mode section.
- Update the Restricted Mode setting as needed for your organization.
Recognize a Site Block from Google Admin Console
When Google Admin Console URL blocking is responsible, the browser displaysERR_BLOCKED_BY_ADMINISTRATOR, not a GoGuardian block page.
To adjust this setting in Google Admin Console:
- Go to Device Settings > Chrome Management > User Settings.
- Find the URL Blocking section.
- Review and update the URL blocking list as needed.
The URL Blocking setting applies per organizational unit (OU). Check the setting for each OU and sub-OU individually. A change at the top-level OU does not automatically propagate to all child OUs.
Customize the Admin Policy Block Page
GoGuardian Admin lets you modify the appearance and behavior of the Admin filtering policy block page. All customizations are applied in Configuration > Advanced Config > Global Config.You build and edit the custom block page yourself, directly in the configuration field — no request to GoGuardian is required. The examples below are optional starting points you can copy, adapt, or ignore. Use as many or as few as fit your school.
You build and edit the custom block page yourself, directly in the configuration field — no request to GoGuardian is required. The examples below are optional starting points you can copy, adapt, or ignore. Use as many or as few as fit your school.
Remove the Bypass Button
To prevent students from bypassing the block page entirely, add the following CSS to the block page configuration:Add a Site-Request Form
To give students a way to request access to a blocked site, link to a Google Form or similar survey from the block page. This reduces informal bypass requests and gives you a reviewable record of student requests. Add the form link in the block page configuration using standard HTML anchor syntax. Configure the form to require users to be logged in with their school Google account before submitting a request. This ensures each submission is tied to an identifiable user and prevents anonymous or duplicate requests.Add an Image or GIF
To add a custom image or animated GIF to the block page, add the following HTML:IMAGE_URL with the publicly accessible URL of your image or GIF.
Include a Personal-Device Disclaimer
If your organization filters personal devices, include a disclaimer on the block page to inform students. The following is a sample you can adapt:Do not use language that implies the organization is reviewing or recording student activity beyond what your policy permits. Use “filtered by GoGuardian,” not “reviewed by GoGuardian.”
Resources
Configure Bypass Passwords
Set up, delete, and review bypass passwords for the Admin Policy block page.
Create a Filtering Policy
Build or adjust the filtering policy that controls which sites produce Admin block pages.
Review DNS Filtering
Understand how DNS filtering works and where the DNS block page fits in your filtering stack.
Configure YouTube Filtering
Manage YouTube access, channels, videos, and playback restrictions at the policy level.