Block Porn
How to Block Porn on Safari
Effectively block porn on Apple devices that use Safari. Learn how to handle common conflicts that bypass content filtering.
If you need to effectively block adult content on Apple devices, chances are you've tried to filter content in the Safari browser. It is possible to block porn in Safari, but you'll likely need to consider multiple approaches to ensure reliability.
In some cases, it's better to consider approaches that work across multiple browsers and effectively filter content, as opposed to techniques that only apply to Safari.
Choosing an Effective Approach
The traditional approach to blocking porn in Safari on Apple devices is to use Screen Time. However, as we've seen with our own customers and with numerous complaints about Screen Time online , we don't recommend solely relying on it.
Here's what I mean.
In the example below, I've configured Screen Time to block a website. As you can see in the below screenshot, that website is blocked on Safari but not in another browser:
Since filtering can be unreliable, especially with other browsers, we recommend using a multi-layered approach for more comprehensive porn blocking in Safari.
- There are universal porn blocking techniques that work for Safari as well as other browsers that can be used alongside Apple's adult content filter.
- The reliability of Apple's built-in adult content filtering can be improved with an Apple Config Generator .
Block Adult Content on Safari Using Config Files
A more reliable way to block porn on Safari is to use Apple Config Files instead of configuring Screen Time directly.
You can use a config file to enforce adult website restrictions on your Mac or iPhone directly in a more comprehensive way.
Here's what I mean.
In the below screen shot, I've configured Screen Time to block a website. As you can see, the website is blocked in Safari but it is not blocked in the other browser:
This is where an Apple Config Generator can improve the reliability of adult content filtering on Mac and iPhone.
When using an Apple config file to add adult website restrictions, a website is blocked in Safari and other browsers as well:
You can install the same config file on both Mac and iOS. If a webpage is blocked on Safari, an iPhone will display a restricted message like this:
When it comes to blocking porn websites in Safari, Config Files can be customized with web content filtering rules:
- Built-in Adult Content Filtering: Automatically block adult content when accessed through Safari and other browsers, without defining a large list of websites that should be blocked. The filter automatically determines if a website should be blocked.
- Manually Blocking Websites by URL: Specify websites that should be blocked that might not be categorized as adult content but you might want to restrict anyway.
Block Adult Content with a DNS Content Policy
Another effective way to block porn in Safari is to configure a Content Policy that blocks content on your Mac or iPhone's internet connection.
A Content Policy allows you to create web content filtering rules which can be used to comprehensively block adult websites.
Here are our recommended Content Policy restrictions that will be the most helpful if you actively use Safari and want to block porn websites:
- Enforce SafeSearch on Google and other search engines to prevent discovery of explicit images, videos, or websites.
- Block websites based on category or keyword to restrict websites that have been categorized as adult themed or pornographic.
Enforcing SafeSearch with a Content Policy
Some search engines like Google provide a built-in adult content filter for online searches. When enabled, it can prevent discovery of explicit images, videos, or websites.
It is also possible to enable and protect SafeSearch in Safari and other web browsers.
You can add a SafeSearch rule to your Content Policy to quickly enable and protect the SafeSearch setting so that it is forced on.
Blocking based on Category and Keyword
It's possible to block millions of websites by simply specifying a category or keyword in your Content Policy . This can be used to quickly block adult websites in Safari.
You can refine the categories to target varying levels of adult themes that you might want to restrict:
You can also specify keywords to block websites that use a word in their name:
Block Adult Websites with the Hosts File
One free way to block adult content in all browsers on MacOS, not just Safari, is to use the Mac's hosts file.
The hosts file is used to control how websites behave and includes the ability to block certain websites. You can add website blocklists to your Mac's hosts file to quickly block thousands of explicit sites in Safari.
We recommend using the Hosts file to create a list of websites you never want to have access to on your Mac.
We cover how to modify the Hosts file to block websites in a separate guide.
Restrict Keywords in Safari
There might be some cases where you'd like to block a specific Search Term in Safari as opposed to blocking websites completely.
In most cases, this can be done for Safari by using a URL blocking application to detect and block keywords .
Frequently Asked Questions
What's a more powerful alternative to Screen Time for iPhone and Mac?
If you're trying to restrict your own devices, you can use Apple's alternative to screen time to enforce content filtering in a more restrictive way.
Why Consider Config Files?
Config Files can enforce many of the same restrictions that Screen Time can (for example, Apple's built-in adult content filter). However, Config Files can enable many more features than Screen Time currently offers, especially on a Mac or supervised iPhone.
The restrictions enabled with a Config File can also be more reliably enforced and require outside help to remove.
How to create custom Config Files
Config Files need to be customized and created using an Apple Config Generator , such as the one provided by Tech Lockdown.
After choosing your restrictions, the Config File can then be installed on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac device to apply your restrictions.
Filtering Adult Content on Social Media websites
Safari can be used to access "mixed-content" or social networking sites that might display adult content. If you don't want to block these websites entirely, you can reference our guide on blocking porn on social media to learn about some options.