Setting Up a VPN for Your Parents Over the Holidays

The best VPN setup for parents is one they can ignore. Put the account in your name, install the app on each of their devices, turn on auto-connect and the kill switch, and switch on the provider's scam-site blocking. Then spend ten minutes on how scams actually reach them, because a VPN covers only part of the problem.

Here's how to do it in one visit.

What a VPN does and doesn't do for your parents

A VPN encrypts the connection between their device and the VPN server. That matters most on public Wi-Fi at a hospital, a hotel, a café, or the airport, where other people share the network. It also hides their browsing from the Wi-Fi owner and their internet provider.

The bigger benefit for many older users comes from the extras bundled with the VPN: blocking known malicious and phishing sites, and in higher tiers, antivirus and breach alerts.

What a VPN can't do:

• Stop someone who calls pretending to be their bank, Medicare, or a grandchild in trouble.
• Stop them from typing their password into a fake site that isn't on a blocklist yet.
• Make a weak or reused password safe.

Keep expectations honest. Our post on when you don't need a VPN is a useful reality check.

Pick a plan you can manage

Choose one account that covers your devices and theirs. NordVPN allows 10 devices at once on every plan. Surfshark allows unlimited devices. Either way, a single plan in your name can cover a household or two.

For most parents, the middle tier is the sweet spot: NordVPN Complete or Surfshark One. Both are on Black Friday pricing right now. Before you buy, read our guide to the Black Friday renewal trap so the second-year price doesn't surprise you.

The one-visit setup checklist

Do this with the devices in front of you. Write down nothing they'll have to type later.

1. Update everything first. Install pending phone, tablet, and computer updates before adding new apps. It avoids odd errors and closes known security holes.
2. Install from the official store. Get the VPN app from the App Store, Google Play, or the provider's own website. Avoid look-alike apps with similar names.
3. Sign in with your account. Log in yourself. Don't create a separate password they'll need to remember.
4. Turn on auto-connect. Both NordVPN and Surfshark have an auto-connect setting that starts the VPN when the device goes online. Set it to connect on all networks, not just public Wi-Fi, so there's nothing to decide.
5. Turn on the kill switch. It blocks internet traffic if the VPN connection drops, so nothing slips out unprotected.
6. Turn on site blocking. In NordVPN, enable the scam, phishing, and malware protection settings. In Surfshark, turn on CleanWeb.
7. Accept the system prompt. Phones ask permission to add a VPN configuration. Explain that this pop-up is expected, once, so they don't panic later.
8. Test it together. Open a few of the sites they use daily, including their bank. If one breaks, use split tunneling (NordVPN) or Bypasser (Surfshark) to exclude that app, rather than teaching them to switch the VPN off.

Scam-blocking features worth turning on

NordVPN

Every NordVPN plan includes scam and phishing protection that filters traffic through Nord's DNS servers to block malicious domains while the VPN is connected. Complete and Prime add a desktop antivirus that scans downloaded files and keeps running even without a VPN connection, a desktop ad and tracker blocker, email protection for Gmail and Yahoo on desktop, call protection, and message protection on Android (Nord says iOS is coming).

Nord also shows independent test results on its feature page, including an AV-Comparatives anti-phishing certification from 2025. Those are Nord's published results, not ours.

Surfshark

CleanWeb is included in every Surfshark plan. In the VPN app, it blocks ads, trackers, and malware, and it works only while the VPN is connected. The Surfshark browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge also blocks ads, trackers, and cookie pop-ups, and warns about malicious sites, with or without the VPN on.

Surfshark One adds antivirus with real-time protection, Alert for data leaks, and scam protection. Surfshark describes the scam protection as an email scam checker and scam text protection.

For a deeper look at how these two compare, see our VPN vs antivirus guide.

The scam talk (10 minutes, no lecture)

The FTC lists four signs that almost every scam shares. Teach these, not a list of specific scams that will change next month:

1. They pretend to be someone you trust. A government agency, a bank, a tech company, or a family member. Caller ID can be faked.
2. There's a problem or a prize. You owe money, your computer has a virus, your account is locked, or you won something.
3. They pressure you to act now. Stay on the line, don't tell anyone, or you'll be arrested.
4. They want an unusual payment. Gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, payment apps, or cash.

Give them one rule to fall back on: hang up and call back using a number they already have, like the one on the back of their bank card. The FTC also points out it will never tell anyone to move money to "protect" it or to buy gold.

Agree on a family code word for real emergencies. If a "grandchild" calls asking for bail money and doesn't know the word, it's a scam.

Lock down the rest while you're there

• Turn on two-factor authentication for their email and bank. Email is the key to every password reset.
• Set up a password manager if they'll use one. NordVPN Complete and Prime include NordPass.
• Add breach monitoring for their main email addresses using Nord's Dark Web Monitor or Surfshark Alert, so you hear about leaks.
• Freeze their credit. It's free at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, and it blocks new accounts in their name. They can lift it when they need credit.
• Save the reporting site. Bookmark ReportFraud.ftc.gov and tell them to call you first.

Device-by-device notes

iPhone and iPad

The first time the VPN connects, iOS asks to add a VPN configuration and may ask for the device passcode. That's normal. After that, the VPN icon appears in the status bar when it's on, which is an easy thing for your parents to glance at.

Android phones

Android shows a key icon when a VPN is active. Some phones have aggressive battery savers that close background apps; if the VPN keeps dropping, exclude the VPN app from battery optimization in Settings. Our battery and data tips cover the details.

Windows and Mac computers

Set the VPN app to launch at startup and connect automatically. This is also where the antivirus in NordVPN Complete or Surfshark One does its work, since downloads and email attachments mostly happen on a computer.

Smart TVs and streaming boxes

You can usually skip these. A TV that only streams from big services doesn't gain much from a VPN, and a VPN on the TV is one more thing that can confuse a streaming app.

What to do after you leave

Put the renewal date in your own calendar. Check in once a month at first: is the VPN still on, did anything stop working, did they get any odd calls? Most problems show up as "the internet is slow" or "my bank app won't open," and both are usually fixed by excluding one app from the VPN.

If they ever lose a phone, sign in to your VPN account and remove the device. If they get a breach alert, change that password first, then check that two-factor authentication is still on for the account.

For family setups that include kids, our family VPN guide covers sharing one plan across generations.