How To Block Websites on Your iPhone or iPad

By Hari Ravichandran

Hari Ravichandran is the CEO and founder of Aura, with over 40 approved or pending technology patents to his name. He was recognized by Forbes magazine as one of the most powerful CEOs 40 and Under in 2014 and 2015. Hari holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BS in Computer Engineering from Mississippi State University.

Reviewed by Jory MacKay

Jory MacKay is a writer and award-winning editor with over a decade of experience for online and print publications. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Victoria and a passion for helping people identify and avoid fraud.

Can You Block a Specific Website on an iPhone?

Parental controls on Apple devices show you how to block websites on iPhones and iPads. But here are other (universal) tools to set up age-gated content.

1. Using Apple’s Screen Time

This past September, Apple introduced a host of Screen Time updates that include more intuitive parental controls and website-blocking features inside iOS 16 and iPad OS 16.

Age-based default settings: Previous versions of Screen Time required you to meander through at least 30 steps to set up age-based restrictions for various iOS apps, TV shows, movies, music, and books. These filters are now auto-selected when parents add children on Family Sharing.
Quick start setup: When you bring any new iOS device near another one already connected to your network, a quick start menu appears. The new iPad or iPhone automatically mirrors the parental controls of the authorizing device.
Screen Time requests: When children reach screen limits on their devices, they can send iMessages to parents to ask for more time. Parents can quickly approve or deny these requests within iMessage without having to take their child's iPhone and manually adjust settings.
Family Checklist: Family Checklist offers practical tips about parental controls, location sharing, subscriptions, and other Family Sharing features. Parental controls that were once sprinkled in the far corners of the Settings app, Content & Privacy Restrictions, Medical ID, and other features now live in one place.

To turn on content restrictions on your iOS device:

From your home screen, go to Settings.
Scroll down to select Screen Time.
Navigate to Content → Privacy Restrictions → Content Restrictions.
Tap Web Content to see three options:
- Unrestricted: Enables free browsing across all websites without any oversight.
- Limit Adult Websites: Blocks the private browsing mode and restricts access to explicit content.
- Allowed Websites: Permits access to a limited list of family-friendly websites, which you can modify — for example, Disney, Funbrain, and PBS Kids.

These restriction settings work in all browsers across all devices, not just on Safari. However, these settings won’t apply to certain apps, such as Facebook and YouTube.

2. Using Free Website-blocking Apps

Parents aren't the only ones who know how to block websites on iPhones; your kids can also reconfigure these settings. The App Store has many free website-blocking apps — like BlockSite — that can tighten restrictions.

With apps like BlockSite, you can:

Block websites by category — limit adult content, and social media or gaming apps.
Block a list of individual websites that you manually select.
Sync restrictions across mobiles, desktops, and tablets.
Analyze usage reports on how your family uses devices.

Setting up BlockSite on your iOS device

On the browser extension:

Select the BlockSite toolbar icon.
Select the settings/gear icon.
On the left-hand menu, select the Block Sites tab.
On the bar on the right, add the websites that you wish to block.
Confirm your blocklist by selecting Enter.

On the mobile app:

Select the bottom left shield icon called Block List.
Tap the green circle on the bottom right.
Add websites to your block list by entering the website address, keyword, or category.
Confirm your blocklist by selecting Done at the top, right-hand corner.

3. Using Router-level Restrictions

Most Wi-Fi routers include parental control features. However, routers don't gatekeep your internet activity like device security software does; they record website traffic and list IP addresses.

To block websites through your router:

Open a web browser on your device, and type in your router’s IP address.
Log in to access your router’s settings.
Navigate to the website blocking tool.
Enter the specific website URLs that you wish to block.
Save all changes.
Restart your router.

4. Using Aura Parental Controls

The Aura Family Plan gives you access to several features that keep your kids safe online and offer higher levels of security, including the following:

Individual profiles for each family member: Create profiles for everyone in the house.
Custom content filters: Determine what type of content your child can (or can’t) view online.
View blocked activity: Add specific sites to never allow access, and review permissions daily.
Time limits: Set daily screen time limits for each profile.
Time online: Keep tabs on how much time your child spends on individual apps or categories of apps.
Parent and child notifications: Receive instant updates when your child reaches preset website or app time limits.
Dashboards for kids: Let your children see their designated time limits and content filters.

Managing screen time is easier with Aura. Try Aura Parental Controls today.

As digital natives, your children need guidance and boundaries to find a healthy balance between screen time and movement away from their devices.

Enforce formal or informal household rules for daily internet and device usage.
Set up content filters to ensure appropriate websites, apps, games, and streaming services.
Default to “Friends or contacts only” settings on social media.
Install antivirus software to protect devices against threats.
Use a virtual private network (VPN) when you’re surfing the internet.
Research family identity theft protection services to continuously monitor your family’s identity online.