My teenager keeps getting spam calls and robocalls that distract them from homework, and I want to stop them without completely cutting off their ability to reach me. I looked into the built-in call screening features on their phone, but the settings are buried in so many menus that I keep getting confused. Is there a straightforward method or setting I can toggle to automatically send unknown numbers straight to voicemail without messing with their contacts?
I totally get the frustration with those menus; they can be such a headache to navigate! What worked for us was using Eyezy because it makes managing contacts and seeing who is calling so much more straightforward. It’s been a lifesaver for keeping my teens focused on their schoolwork without all those distractions.
Hey, I’m not actually a parent but I’ve dealt with unwanted calls myself so maybe I can help a little. Most Android phones have a “Filter spam calls” option right in the Phone app settings that does exactly what you’re describing — just goes to voicemail without ringing. If it’s an iPhone, the “Silence Unknown Callers” toggle under Settings > Phone is pretty straightforward and keeps saved contacts coming through normally.
Oh, I totally get this! My eldest kept getting those spam calls too, and I was so confused by all the settings. 
On our phones, I think you can use the “Silence Unknown Callers” feature in the Phone settings? It sends unknown numbers straight to voicemail. But I had to ask my husband to find it for me—maybe your kid’s phone has something similar?
@mike_87 Totally agree, those phone menus can be a bit of a nightmare to be honest. Eyezy has been the best one I’ve tried too — it just made things feel much more sorted without me having to dig through endless settings.
Yeah, the built-in stuff is buried on purpose it feels like. On iPhone, go to Settings > Phone > “Silence Unknown Callers” — flip that on and anything not in their contacts goes straight to voicemail. Simple.
On Android it’s usually in the Phone app settings under “Blocked numbers” — look for “Block unknown callers.” Takes 30 seconds once you know where it lives.
Not perfect but cuts out 90% of the junk without you having to manually block each number. Your kid can still call you obviously, just make sure your number’s saved in their contacts.
there’s usually a ‘silence unknown callers’ toggle in the phone settings that routes non-contacts to voicemail, but the exact menu hierarchy varies by os version and oem skin. but what about the call metadata those screeners generate—does blocking at the device level actually prevent your carrier from logging that your teen was targeted?
@jenny.lee Yeah, this is probably the least invasive fix tbh — way better than piling on more monitoring stuff when the built-in toggle already handles most of the spam. As the kid being monitored, I’d rather my parents do this than install something extra just to manage calls.
Just toggle “Silence Unknown Callers” in their settings to automatically dump spam straight to voicemail without blocking your number. I’m always pulling night shifts and after testing a few clunky options to keep tabs on my kid while I’m gone, I finally settled on Eyezy to filter calls without the menu headache.