Short answer: The free layers are SafeSearch on Google and Bing, a family-filter DNS (Cloudflare or CleanBrowsing), and, on iPhone, Screen Time's Limit Adult Websites with your own blocked addresses. None of the official pages we read say how well their lists cover Japanese-language or Japanese-genre sites, so treat each layer as a start, test it, and add whatever slips through. This guide covers what each layer does, where list-based filters can fall short, and what to do about it.
Version note: Checked on 21 Oct 2026 against Google, Microsoft, Apple (iPhone User Guide, iOS 26), Cloudflare and CleanBrowsing pages. Apple's iOS 27 guide reorganises Screen Time, and its page on blocking content does not list these website steps, so on iOS 27 the labels may differ. Menu labels change between versions, so if a label differs on your device, use the search box in Settings.
Many blockers work from a list or a classifier: the filter decides whether a website's domain belongs to an "adult" category, and blocks it if so. In our view, that makes the quality of the category data central.
Here is what the providers say about their own category data:
Neither provider, on the pages we read, publishes which languages its lists cover or how many domains they hold. In our view, that is the reason to test rather than assume. We would also expect a classifier that learns from text patterns to depend on the material it has seen, so a niche site may take time to be listed. We cannot say how any provider performs on Japanese adult sites, and we are not claiming that one is worse than another.
One more factor is mixed-content sites: communities and image-sharing boards that host adult material next to ordinary posts. CleanBrowsing says its Adult Filter does not block "mixed-content sites", while its Family Filter does.
SafeSearch filters search results. It does not block a website you type or tap into directly.
Google says SafeSearch "only works on Google Search" and does not affect other search engines or websites. On Google's SafeSearch page, you open your SafeSearch settings and select Filter, Blur, or Off. Google describes Filter as blocking all explicit results, and Blur as blurring explicit images while "explicit text and links can show if they're relevant for your search." Google says Blur is the default when Filter does not apply, so choose Filter yourself.
For Bing, Microsoft's steps are: open Bing.com, select the icon in the upper right of the Bing.com window, select Settings, then More, choose Strict, Moderate or Off, and select Save. Choose Strict.
Google's page does not say how SafeSearch treats drawn or animated content, or how it performs in Japanese, and we did not find a published breakdown. Our step-by-step guide is here: https://mamoriblocker.com/guides/how-to-turn-on-safesearch/
A filtering DNS refuses to resolve domains in its adult category, so the page never loads in any browser or app that uses that DNS.
1.1.1.3 and 1.0.0.3, and the hostname family.cloudflare-dns.com for encrypted DNS.family-filter-dns.cleanbrowsing.org and blocks adult sites plus proxy and VPN domains and mixed-content sites. Its Adult Filter uses adult-filter-dns.cleanbrowsing.org and leaves mixed-content sites alone. For this goal, the Family Filter blocks more kinds of site.For the Android Private DNS steps, see: https://mamoriblocker.com/guides/dns-to-block-porn/
To confirm Cloudflare's adult filter is active, Cloudflare gives a test address, https://nudity.testcategory.com/, that should be blocked once it is working. That checks that the filter is on. It does not tell you how it handles any particular type of site.
Apple's iPhone User Guide (iOS 26) says "You can block specific websites by URL." The path is:
The same menus are covered in our iPhone guide: https://mamoriblocker.com/guides/block-porn-on-iphone/ On Android, Chrome has no adult-site switch of its own, so the phone-level options are Private DNS and the steps in https://mamoriblocker.com/guides/block-porn-android-samsung/
CleanBrowsing says no automated system is perfect, so in our view a short feedback loop helps:
CleanBrowsing's Categorify tool also shows how a domain is currently categorized, so you can check a domain you have already found. Cloudflare's Gateway documentation points to Cloudflare Radar for the same purpose.
Searching is one way people reach this content, including with Japanese-language terms. SafeSearch handles results on Google and Bing, but the free tools above do not, on the pages we read, let you add your own search words. Inside apps with their own search box, a family DNS only sees domain names, not what you type.
A DNS filter also does nothing about an app or browser that handles its own DNS. CleanBrowsing notes that DNS filtering depends on the device using the filtering resolver, and that built-in encrypted DNS in browsers can bypass it. Chrome's own help page describes Use secure DNS on a computer: select More > Settings, then Privacy and security > Security, and look under "Advanced", where you can pick a custom service provider. A custom provider that is not your filter sends lookups around it.
And every one of these is a setting you can reverse. For a wider plan that does not rely on blocking alone, see: https://mamoriblocker.com/guides/how-to-stop-watching-porn/
Does SafeSearch block hentai?
Google says SafeSearch attempts to identify and filter inappropriate content, which it says includes "Nudity or explicit content." Its page does not say how it treats drawn or animated material, and it only applies to Google Search. Treat it as one layer.
Will Cloudflare or CleanBrowsing block Japanese sites?
Both block domains in their adult categories. Neither page we read lists language coverage, so we cannot promise any particular site is covered. Test, add anything that gets through, and report it.
Which CleanBrowsing filter should I use?
Its pages describe the Adult Filter as not blocking mixed-content sites and the Family Filter as blocking them, along with proxy and VPN domains. Choose the one that fits the sites you are trying to cover.
Is this the same as blocking for a child?
No. These steps assume an adult blocking for themselves. For a child's device, use Screen Time or Family Link as the base layer.
Mamori is a newer app for iPhone, iPad and Android that blocks 2.5M+ adult sites across the whole phone, not just one browser. Its list is built to also cover Japanese adult sites (JAV, hentai, doujin), including performer names and coded titles. We cannot compare it with other tools site by site, so test it the same way you would test any filter. On Android, an optional Accessibility service blocks search terms inside apps. It also forces SafeSearch on Google, Bing and other search engines.
It locks before you can switch it off: a cooldown timer, a random phrase, a PIN or passphrase, and a trusted person can hold the PIN. You can also add your own block list and allow list.
Honest limits: Android allows only one VPN at a time, so another VPN or blocker that takes the slot switches Mamori's filter off. No blocker replaces support from people or a professional. Mamori is built for adults blocking for themselves, and it has no accountability reports.
There is a 7-day free trial on the monthly and annual plans, plus a one-time lifetime option. No account. No tracking.
Last checked 21 Oct 2026. This guide is general information, not medical advice.