Short answer: Open Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions, turn it on, then go to App Store, Media, Web, & Games > Web Content and choose Limit Adult Websites. The same steps work on iPad. The catch is that anyone with access to your Settings, including you in a tough moment, can switch it off again, so the second half of this guide is about making it stick.
The menu names below match Apple's own iPhone User Guide for iOS 18 and iOS 26, which use the same labels. Apple's iPad guide follows the same Screen Time menus.
This is Apple's built-in web filter. It is free and already on your device.
On an iPad the Screen Time menus work the same way. Do it once on each device you use.
No filter catches everything. Apple lets you add your own addresses to a blocked list.
Whenever you find a site that slipped through, add it here. Apple's iOS 27 parental controls guide also describes a stricter mode called Approved Websites Only, which lets only approved sites load. It works, but it makes the web very narrow, so most adults try Limit Adult Websites plus a custom list first.
Without a passcode, Content & Privacy Restrictions can be turned off in two taps. Apple's steps to create a Screen Time passcode for yourself are:
Two things matter here. First, Apple says that if you set up Screen Time Passcode Recovery, you can use your Apple Account to reset the passcode, and that recovery runs through your own Apple Account, so you could reset the passcode yourself. If the point is for someone else to hold it, think about whether to set recovery up. Second, the Screen Time passcode is separate from your phone unlock code.
If you set the passcode yourself and also know it, you have a speed bump and nothing more. The stronger version is to have a partner, a friend or a sibling type the passcode in without you looking, and keep it. You can still ask them for it when you truly need a change, which is exactly the point: the pause between wanting to switch it off and being able to is where this works.
A common way around a filter is to install a different browser or app. Apple's guide says that under Content & Privacy Restrictions, iTunes & App Store Purchases lets you choose restrictions for installing or deleting apps and in-app purchases.
That closes the door while the passcode is held by someone else. On iOS 27 Apple's parental controls guide lists the same choice as Installing Apps under the App Store settings.
Apple's Safari and Screen Time pages do not say whether Private Browsing is covered by Limit Adult Websites, so do not assume either way. If you find a gap, the custom blocked list in Step 2 and a second layer (below) are your fix.
Screen Time is a good tool and it costs nothing. It is also designed for parents and families, where the person setting the rules and the person following them are different people. When they are the same person, three things happen:
None of this is a character flaw. It is a design mismatch, and fixing it means adding friction at the right moment, not trying harder.
Can I block porn on iPad the same way?
Yes. Open Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions on the iPad and follow Steps 1 to 4. Do each device separately.
Will Limit Adult Websites block everything?
No filter is perfect. Use the Never Allow list for anything it misses and add a second layer, such as Mamori's own blocklist.
What if I forget my Screen Time passcode?
If you set up Screen Time Passcode Recovery, you can reset the passcode with your Apple Account. Setting it up when you create the passcode is the safest route.
Is it okay to ask someone else to hold the passcode?
It is one of the most effective things you can do. Choose someone calm and trusted, agree in advance when they will say no, and remember that asking for help is a normal part of changing a habit.
Mamori is a blocker built for adults who want to block adult content for themselves. On iPhone it uses Apple's Screen Time web content filter together with its own blocklist of more than 2.5 million adult domains, including Japanese sites that many Western blockers miss, and it forces SafeSearch on Google, Bing, YouTube and more.
What makes it different from Screen Time alone is the lock:
Honest design note: when protection is off, everything is off and Mamori can be uninstalled normally. The friction is the lock you set before you turn it off, not a trap. Mamori is for adults. For a child's phone, use Screen Time or Family Sharing as the base layer.
Mamori has a 7 day free trial on the monthly and annual plans, plus a one time lifetime option. Download it at mamoriblocker.com and set the lock while you are feeling clear, so future you has some help.
Last checked 12 Oct 2026. This guide is general information, not medical advice.