The internet has an equal share of brilliant and destructive resources. While you cannot possibly shun the influence of the internet on your kids, you can definitely control their access to the various resources. This post will help you implement such controls on iPhone and iPad. This could also be helpful for adults struggling with attention-span issues.
Updated October 2026. Menu names now follow Apple’s current iPhone User Guide (iOS 26) and parental-controls support page, including the newer Family settings path for child accounts.
Apple’s Screen Time feature lets you control how your kids use their iPhone or iPad. You can create downtimes, restrict certain websites, and allow only specific sites using this feature. This post will discuss how you can use it to prevent your kids from accessing harmful resources on the internet, getting distracted too often, or building bad habits.
That being said, these steps are not meant for the kids alone. As adults, we also give in to bad habits – we stall while working, procrastinate, or end up spending too much time on adult websites. Not to mention the cyber threats – malware, phishing schemes, ransomware attacks – you may be subject to while surfing around shady adult websites.
How to block adult content?
If you use an iPhone or iPad and you want to block access to adult content, you are in luck because Apple has a built-in feature to help you do that. Exact menu names can change between iOS versions; the steps below follow Apple’s iPhone User Guide for iOS 26.
Open the Settings app and tap Screen Time. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions. Then tap App Store, Media, Web, & Games, and tap Web Content. Select Limit Adult Websites.
If you manage a child’s account through Family Sharing, Apple’s parental-controls guide describes a newer path: open Settings, tap Family, tap your child’s name, tap Apps & Websites, tap Restrictions, then tap Filtering under Websites and choose Limit Adult Websites. Apple says Limit Adult Websites is turned on by default for children under 18.
You have successfully restricted access to adult content. That means Safari will automatically block websites that Apple detects as containing adult content.
Note: While Safari can block adult websites, it cannot block sites that might have hidden adult material or feature violence. That is to say that it is not a fool proof solution.
Also Read – 5 Safari Browser Alternatives for iOS and iPadOS
How to block specific websites
If you want, you can restrict access to specific websites using the Screentime feature on iPhones and iPads. This allows you to block as many websites that you want. This feature lets you restrict access to social media sites as well. Here’s how to do it.
Go to Settings => Screen Time => Content & Privacy Restrictions => App Store, Media, Web, & Games => Web Content.
Select Limit Adult Websites, then tap Add Website below Never Allow. Enter the URL for the website you want to block. You can add as many websites as you wish using the same steps.
You can get the URLs of the websites from your Safari address bar.
Only allow specific sites
If you are feeling overly concerned about your kid’s browsing habits you can bind their access to only the websites that you want them to access. That means Safari will block every website other than the ones you add. Here’s how to do it.
On a child’s account, go to Settings => Family => your child’s name => Apps & Websites => Restrictions => Filtering (under Websites).
Choose Approved Websites Only and add the URLs for the websites you want your kids to have access to. Safari will then block all sites except the approved ones. On older iOS versions, the equivalent option is under Screen Time => Content & Privacy Restrictions => App Store, Media, Web, & Games => Web Content.
Remember, this is kind of an overkill step, so make sure you are generous about allowing the sites. Make sure they have access to the harmless sites they like to visit.
Conclusion
These features can be very helpful when it comes to managing and controlling your children’s exposure to the internet. Share this information with your loved ones. Let us all browse safely.
