How to block porn on iPhone, and make it stick
Screen Time can block adult sites in every browser. How to set it up, and how to make it hard to undo in a weak moment.
By the rerute team3 min readUpdated
the short answer
On iPhone, open Settings, tap Screen Time, then Content & Privacy Restrictions, and turn them on. Go to App Store, Media, Web & Games, then Web Content, and choose Limit Adult Websites. To make it stick, let someone else hold the Screen Time passcode, or use a blocker that makes loosening slow. Blocking buys you time in a weak moment. It doesn't remove the urge, so pair it with a plan.
The built-in way: Screen Time
- Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
- Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn it on.
- Tap App Store, Media, Web & Games, then Web Content. On older versions of iOS this sits under Content Restrictions.
- Choose Limit Adult Websites.
- Optional: add specific sites under Never Allow.
Menu names shift a little between iOS versions, but the filter has been there for years, and it's free.
The weak spot: you hold the key
The filter can be switched off in a few taps by the person it's meant to protect. At 1am, that's the person you least want making the decision. Two ways to close the gap:
- Give someone else the passcode. Set a Screen Time passcode and have a trusted friend or partner type it in. If you don't know it, you can't undo the block on impulse.
- Make loosening slow. Put a delay between wanting to turn the block off and being able to.
Why a speed bump is enough
An urge crests and passes within minutes. A block doesn't need to be unbreakable. It needs to take longer to undo than the urge lasts. Odysseus didn't trust his resolve against the sirens, so he had himself tied to the mast while his head was clear. How long urges last.
What else to limit
- Search. Turn on safe search in your browser and search engine settings.
- Short-video feeds. For many people the first small step isn't a porn site. It's an endless feed. Time limits on those apps can matter more than the adult-site filter.
- Apps you use as a doorway. Some social apps carry explicit content that a website filter won't catch.
- The bedroom. The simplest block of all is a phone that charges in another room.
The rope in rerute
rerute includes optional blocking built on Apple's Screen Time, called the rope. It can block adult sites in every browser, turn on safe search, limit short-video feeds and apps you choose, and tie a night rope around your riskiest hours.
The rule is simple: tightening is instant, and loosening takes a 500 meter walk. To switch something off, you walk it first, and when you're done the app asks whether you still want to. If you add a trusted person, they also get a one-time code by email. After a temporary loosening, the rope ties itself again. rerute never learns which sites or apps you opened. It only counts that the rope held.
What blocking can't do
A block doesn't remove the itch or change what you believe porn does for you. People who rely on blocks alone often feel caged, and they go looking for gaps. Use the block to buy time, and use that time for the things that actually end the habit: understanding the loop, meeting urges and having a plan for your riskiest moments. How to quit porn.
Questions people ask
Can you block porn on iPhone for free?
Yes. Screen Time's Limit Adult Websites filter is built in and free. Its weakness is that you can switch it off yourself in a few taps unless someone else holds the passcode.
Does Screen Time block porn in other browsers, not just Safari?
The web content filter is applied by the system rather than by Safari, so it covers other browsers on iPhone too. Apps with their own feeds, like some social apps, need limits of their own.
Is blocking enough to quit porn?
On its own, rarely. Every block has gaps, and a determined 1am self can find them. Blocking works best as a speed bump that gives your plan time to kick in.
Written and reviewed by the rerute team. rerute is a self-help tool, not medical advice or treatment. If your porn use is tangled up with depression, trauma or thoughts of harming yourself, talk to a professional. If you're in danger, contact your local emergency number.
