screen time, explained
How to block websites on iPhone and in Safari
You can block a website on iPhone without installing anything. The setting is part of Screen Time, and Safari follows it. This is Apple's own tool. finit, the app we make, doesn't block anything, so this page only walks through Apple's settings, as Apple's guide for iOS 26 describes them.
On iOS 27, Apple reorganized parts of Screen Time for devices that all run iOS 27, and its newest guide no longer shows these steps. If your menus look different, the Content & Privacy Restrictions screen is still the place to start.
Block a specific website#
Open Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions at the top of that screen. Then:
- Tap App Store, Media, Web, & Games, then Web Content.
- Choose Limit Adult Websites.
- Under Never Allow, tap Add Website and enter the address, for example youtube.com.
- Repeat for each site you want blocked.
One side effect comes with this. The Never Allow list only exists under Limit Adult Websites, so choosing it also turns on Apple's automatic filter for known adult sites. The note under the setting says so: "Limit access to known adult websites automatically. Specify websites to allow and restrict below." The same screen has a second list for sites that should always open, in case the filter catches one you need.
The three Web Content settings#
Web Content offers three choices, and one applies at a time:
- Unrestricted filters nothing.
- Limit Adult Websites adds Apple's adult filter and your own Never Allow list. This is the one for blocking a few sites.
- Only Approved Websites works the other way round. Only the sites on your list open, and everything else is blocked. It suits a young child's iPhone, or a stretch of work where you want two or three sites and nothing else.
Make it hold with a Screen Time passcode#
Without a passcode, the block lasts until someone opens the same screen and taps Unrestricted. Often that someone is you, late in the evening. A Screen Time passcode closes that gap, because the setting can't be changed without it. It is a separate code from the one that unlocks your phone. To set one, open Settings → Screen Time and tap Lock Screen Time Settings. If you don't see it, look under Manage Screen Time. Pick a code you don't type on autopilot. If you forget it later, here is how to reset the Screen Time passcode.
What the block covers#
The filter applies in Safari and in apps that show web pages through Apple's web view. If you use another browser, check in that browser whether a blocked site stays blocked. A browser that doesn't use the system's web content filter may not follow the setting.
Apps are a separate matter. Blocking youtube.com leaves the YouTube app as open as before. For the app itself, use an App Limit, or see how to lock apps on iPhone.
A time limit instead of a block#
Sometimes a full block is too much, and an hour of YouTube a day is the goal. App Limits covers websites as well as apps: when you add a limit, the picker includes websites, and you can add the domain there. Turn on Block at End of Limit so the limit ends in a block screen and not only a notice. If a limit doesn't hold, the App Limits checklist finds the usual cause. To block by time of day, Downtime is the setting to use.
If Apple's tools aren't enough, our roundup of app blockers for iPhone compares the third-party options. We don't sell one.
The short answers#
How do I block a website on my iPhone?
Open Settings, tap Screen Time, and turn on Content and Privacy Restrictions. Tap App Store, Media, Web, and Games, then Web Content, and choose Limit Adult Websites. Under Never Allow, add the address of the site you want to block.
How do I block websites on Safari?
Safari follows the Screen Time Web Content setting, so the steps are the same: choose Limit Adult Websites and add the site under Never Allow. A Screen Time passcode keeps the setting from being switched back.
Why can I still open a blocked website?
Check that Content and Privacy Restrictions is turned on and that the exact address is on the Never Allow list. The filter covers Safari and apps that use Apple's web view, so if you use another browser, check whether it follows the setting.
Can I allow only certain websites on iPhone?
Yes. Under Web Content, choose Only Approved Websites. Only the sites on that list will open, and everything else is blocked.
A block changes what the phone will open. Whether it changed your days is a question for a longer record, and that is the one finit keeps.
