General
What exactly does Comment Shield do? +
Comment Shield detects toxic, aggressive, or demeaning comments on YouTube, Reddit, Instagram, TikTok, and X and automatically blurs them — with the option to show them anyway.
Does Comment Shield cost anything? +
No, Comment Shield is completely free and stays that way. No pro version, no ads, no hidden costs.
Does it work on mobile? +
Not currently — Chrome extensions technically don't run in mobile browser apps (neither Android nor iOS). Comment Shield is built for the desktop browser.
Which browsers does Comment Shield support? +
Comment Shield is built for Google Chrome (Manifest V3). Chromium-based browsers like Edge or Brave generally work too, but aren't officially tested. Firefox isn't currently supported.
Who's behind Comment Shield? +
Comment Shield is a product of voglair.com, an independent digital studio that also builds NewShade.
Which platforms does it support? +
Currently YouTube, Reddit, Instagram, TikTok, and X (Twitter). Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitch chat aren't supported yet due to technical hurdles (login requirements, unstable page structure, or their own iframe architecture).
How it works & detection
How does Comment Shield detect toxic comments? +
Through a word-list and pattern-based heuristic: term matches from a built-in list (in 5 languages), caps ratio, exclamation density, and direct-attack patterns ("you're...") combine into a toxicity score. No AI model, no server — everything runs locally in the browser.
Can I adjust how strict detection is? +
Yes, the popup offers three levels: Low (only clear-cut cases), Medium (default), and High (more sensitive, hides more).
Can Comment Shield detect sarcasm or irony? +
No. Detection is based on word lists and simple patterns, not real language understanding. Subtle sarcasm or irony without clear trigger words is usually missed — deliberately, to under-hide rather than over-hide.
What do I do if a harmless comment gets hidden by mistake? +
Just click "Show anyway" — the blur disappears instantly for that one comment. If misfires pile up around certain terms, you can lower the sensitivity.
Can I re-hide comments I revealed? +
Yes — a small shield button in the corner of the comment hides it again anytime.
Can I add my own words to the detection? +
Yes, in the advanced settings you can add your own terms that should count as toxic in addition to the built-in list.
Can I exempt certain people? +
Yes, via the whitelist in the advanced settings — comments from those usernames are never checked or hidden.
Can I choose between blurring and fully removing comments? +
Yes, under "Display mode" in the advanced settings: either blur with a "Show anyway" option (default), or fully remove with no way to show it.
Newer features
What does the number on the extension icon mean? +
That's the badge counter — it shows how many comments have been hidden today, right on the toolbar icon, no need to open the popup.
How does evidence export work? +
Every flagged comment has a 📄 button. Clicking it saves the comment text, author, platform, timestamp, and page URL as a text file on your device — handy if you want to document or report a case.
What is constructive mode? +
An optional toggle in the advanced settings that additionally highlights especially kind comments in a subtle green — a small counterpoint to just hiding the negative.
What does focus mode do? +
A floating button in the bottom-left corner hides the entire comment section with one click — not just toxic hits, all captured comments. Handy when you just don't want to see comments at all. The state is deliberately not persistent, each new page starts normal.
How do I set up the parental PIN lock? +
In the advanced settings under "Parental lock", set a PIN. After that, the settings page can only be opened with that PIN, and the master toggle in the popup can't be switched off without it. Important: this is a simple barrier, not encryption.
What does the weekly overview show? +
In the advanced settings you'll find a short summary of the last 7 days: how many comments were hidden in total and which platform was busiest.
Privacy
Is my data sent anywhere? +
No. Detection runs entirely locally in the browser, there's no server connection and no tracking. Details in the privacy policy.
Are comments stored anywhere? +
Only if you actively use evidence export — then the text file is saved locally on your device, nowhere else. Without export, Comment Shield only holds comment text briefly in memory to compute the toxicity score.
Is Comment Shield GDPR-compliant? +
Since no personal data is transmitted to or stored by us, using Comment Shield itself creates no meaningful privacy touchpoints. Settings optionally sync via your Chrome account (Google), which is outside our control.
Where are my settings stored? +
Via Chrome's own storage APIs — partly synced through your Chrome account, partly purely local on your device. Never through our servers, since we don't have any.
Doomscrolling protection
What does the doomscrolling protection do? +
It locally tracks active time per platform and day, and shows a gentle break reminder after a configurable threshold (default: 30 minutes) — non-blocking, dismissible anytime.
Can I turn off doomscrolling protection? +
Yes, in the advanced settings you can fully disable it or adjust the threshold (15/30/45/60 minutes).
Does Comment Shield remember my total scroll time? +
Only locally, and only for the break reminder and weekly overview — none of it ever leaves your device.
Installation & troubleshooting
How do I install Comment Shield? +
Via the Chrome Web Store with one click on "Add to Chrome". After installation, the advanced settings open automatically so you can get started right away.
Comment Shield suddenly stopped detecting comments — what now? +
Usually the platform changed its page structure. First check whether the extension and that platform are enabled in the settings. If that doesn't help, we'd appreciate a report — the selectors get updated accordingly.
How do I uninstall Comment Shield? +
Right-click the extension icon in the toolbar → "Remove extension". Or via chrome://extensions.
For parents
Is Comment Shield suitable for children and teens? +
Yes, that's actually one of the main target groups. Our mental health page and bullying help page have additional age-appropriate information and resources.
Can my child just turn the protection off? +
Without a PIN, yes — that's why the optional parental lock exists. With a PIN set, the master toggle in the popup can't be disabled without it, and the settings page stays locked.
Languages
Which languages is Comment Shield available in? +
The interface (popup, settings) is available in German, English, Spanish, French, and Brazilian Portuguese — it follows your Chrome language automatically.
Does Comment Shield also detect comments in other languages? +
Yes — the toxicity word list always runs in all 5 languages at once, regardless of your interface language. An English-language channel with Spanish hate comments gets checked just the same.