Screen Guardian

iPhone Blocking

How to Block Websites on iPhone & iPad Permanently (Safari)

Three modes of website blocking in Safari, plus the passcode setting that separates a real block from a ten-second bypass.

By The Screen Guardian Team· Product Team8 min read

iPhone & iPad — Website Blocking

A Screen Guardian guide

Blocking specific websites on iPhone and iPad — and making the block permanent — is done through Safari’s Web Content restrictions inside Screen Time. This guide covers three modes: always-allow a curated list only, never-allow a blocklist, and the broader Limit Adult Websites category filter. Plus the settings that stop the person you’re trying to protect (often yourself) from lifting the block in ten seconds.

Three modes of website blocking

Safari on iPhone respects three separate Web Content settings inside Screen Time:

  • Unrestricted. The default — Safari loads anything.
  • Limit Adult Websites. Apple’s category filter blocks a curated list of adult sites. You can add specific domains to a per-user Always Allow or Never Allow list under the same screen.
  • Allowed Websites Only. Safari refuses everything except your explicit allow-list. Aggressive; usually appropriate only for a young child’s device.

Most people want Limit Adult Websites + a Never Allow list: the built-in filter catches the obvious stuff, and you add specific domains you want blocked but that Apple’s filter doesn’t catch. That’s the recipe below.

Blocking specific websites — the steps

Step 1

Open Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions

Turn the master toggle ON at the top. If Screen Time isn’t enabled yet, enable it first (Settings → Screen Time → Turn On Screen Time), then come back.
Content & Privacy Restrictions — the master toggle for the Web Content settings.

Step 2

Open Content Restrictions → Web Content

Tap Content Restrictions → Web Content. Choose Limit Adult Websites. Two lists appear below: Always Allow and Never Allow. Under Never Allow, tap Add Website and enter the domain (like example.com) — repeat for every site you want blocked. Under Always Allow, add domains you need access to that the broad filter catches by mistake.
Web Content — choose Limit Adult Websites, then add specific Never Allow domains below.

Step 3

Delete non-Safari browsers

Chrome, Firefox, Brave, Edge, DuckDuckGo, Arc, Opera — all of them ignore Safari’s Web Content filter. If any of them are installed, your block is a two-tap workaround. Delete them, then close the reinstall path: Content & Privacy Restrictions → iTunes & App Store Purchases → Installing Apps → Don’t Allow.
Installing Apps set to Don't Allow — so deleted browsers can't be reinstalled.

Step 4

Set a Screen Time passcode you don't use elsewhere

The whole system is enforced by the Screen Time passcode. Set one that’s different from the device unlock code, and — critically — skip the Apple ID recovery prompt during setup. Recovery via Apple ID means the block is one password-reset email away from being lifted.

iOS 27 changes

iOS 27 renamed the menu chain (Content & Privacy instead of the longer name, Manage Screen Time as the top-level entry). The Web Content screen itself is unchanged — same three modes, same Always/Never Allow lists. If a menu label is missing, look one level up and expect it to have moved.

Making it permanent

Every setting above is enforced by the Screen Time passcode. That’s the design assumption: whoever knows the passcode can lift every block on the phone in about ten seconds. On a child’s device that’s the parent, and the design works. On your own phone that’s you — and the block usually lasts until the first weak moment.

Screen Guardian is the mechanism that closes that specific loophole: a random passcode generated server-side, delivered to iOS through a voice ceremony you can’t remember, held under a timer you can’t shorten. The settings above stay in place; the ability to change them disappears for the duration you committed to.

What not to do

  • Don’t rely on the browser’s own site-blocking extensions. They’re per-browser and per-profile; a new profile or a different browser bypasses them.
  • Don’t block only the website — block the app that surfaces it. Reddit and X have in-app browsers that don’t honor Safari’s filter. If a site’s content is served through an app, blocking the domain in Safari doesn’t cover it. See our block adult content everywhere guide.
  • Don’t skip the Installing Apps toggle. A deleted browser reinstalled from the App Store defeats the entire filter in about a minute.

Bottom line

Blocking websites permanently on iPhone or iPad is: Safari’s Web Content filter + a Never Allow list + no other browsers + Installing Apps disabled + a Screen Time passcode you don’t control. The first four take five minutes. The fifth is the whole reason self-installed blocks fail.

Frequently asked questions

How do I block a website in Safari on iPhone?
Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → Content Restrictions → Web Content → Limit Adult Websites, then add the domain under Never Allow. Safari refuses to load that domain until the entry is removed.
Can I block a website permanently on iPhone?
The block is permanent only if the Screen Time passcode is permanent — meaning you can't recall it and change your mind at 1am. That's the mechanism sealed-passcode commitment tools provide.
Does Never Allow support wildcards or subdomains?
No. Each Never Allow entry matches one exact domain. To cover subdomains and mobile variants (m.example.com, www.example.com), add each individually.
Can I block websites on Chrome or Firefox on iPhone?
Safari's Web Content filter only applies to Safari. To block a site in Chrome you need Chrome-specific extensions or a DNS-based filter — or, cleaner, delete Chrome and block Installing Apps so the block covers every browser on the phone.
Does Allowed Websites Only work for adults?
It's aggressive — Safari refuses everything except your explicit list. Fine for a child's device; on an adult's phone it's usually too restrictive to live with. Prefer Limit Adult Websites + a Never Allow list.

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