How to Block Websites on iPhone (iOS 27 and Earlier)

On iOS 16 to 26, block a website in Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > App Store, Media, Web & Games > Web Content > Limit Adult Websites, then add it under Never Allow. On iOS 27, Apple rebuilt Screen Time and documents website blocking for a child's device, not your own. Either way, the block only works if you also close the side doors: other domains, other browsers and the site's own app.

Quick answer

• iOS 16 to 26, block: Web Content > Limit Adult Websites > Never Allow > Add Website.
• iOS 16 to 26, time limit: App Limits > Add Limit > Websites.
• iOS 27, child's phone: Settings > Family > [name] > Apps & Websites.
• Then: add every domain variant, test every browser, block the app too.

What changed for website blocking in iOS 27?

iOS 27 (September 2026) replaced the old layout. Per Apple's guides, App Limits became Time Allowances, Downtime became Screen Time Schedule, and website controls moved into an Apps & Websites section described for children's devices.

On a child's iPhone:

1. On your iPhone, open Settings > Family and tap your child's name.
2. Tap Apps & Websites.
3. Tap Add, enter the site and block it. It appears under Blocked.
4. For a broader filter, tap Restrictions > Filtering and pick Unrestricted, Limit Adult Websites or Approved Websites Only.

Apple says these lists apply in Safari, and that Ask to Browse works "in Safari and other supported browser apps".

On your own iPhone: Apple's iOS 27 guide for your own device covers media restrictions, built-in features and Siri, not a website block list. Some guides report the older Web Content screen still appears under Content & Privacy Restrictions. If it's there, follow the iOS 16 to 26 steps below; if not, use a third-party blocker.

Time limits: Time Allowances work by category, not by site. One useful change: Apple says that if an app declares an associated website, "the Time Allowance applies to both", so an allowance on X can count time on x.com too.

How do you block a website on iOS 16 to 26?

1. Open Settings > Screen Time. If it's off, turn on App & Website Activity.
2. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and switch it on.
3. Tap App Store, Media, Web & Games (on iOS 16 to 18.0: Content Restrictions or Store, Web, Siri & Game Center Content).
4. Tap Web Content > Limit Adult Websites.
5. Under Never Allow, tap Add Website and type the address, for example x.com.
6. Repeat for every address the site uses.

Step 6 is where most blocks quietly fail:

• X: x.com and twitter.com
• YouTube: youtube.com and m.youtube.com
• Facebook: facebook.com and m.facebook.com
• TikTok: tiktok.com
• Pinterest: pinterest.com plus your country domain

The simplest check: open the site in Safari after blocking. If it loads, add exactly what you see in the address bar. Limit Adult Websites also turns on Apple's adult filter, which occasionally catches an innocent page; add those under Always Allow.

Can you set a time limit on a website?

On iOS 16 to 26, yes, and for sites you need, a limit often lasts longer than a ban.

1. Settings > Screen Time > App Limits > Add Limit.
2. Scroll to Websites at the bottom of the list.
3. Tap Add Website and enter the domain.
4. Tap Next, set the daily time, tap Add.
5. Make sure Block at End of Limit is on.

Then set a passcode under Lock Screen Time Settings (Use Screen Time Passcode on iOS 16). Without both, you get Ignore Limit; see how to turn off "Ignore Limit".

It's a daily total, so morning checks can use up ten minutes on reddit.com by lunch. A one-minute limit works as a near-block for a site you rarely need.

Do these blocks work in Chrome and other browsers?

Not reliably, and Apple doesn't fully say. Forum reports are mixed: some people see Never Allow sites blocked in Chrome too, others say time limits stop applying there. And since iOS 17.4 in the EU and iOS 26.2 in Japan, browsers can run their own engines instead of Safari's.

So:

1. After blocking a site, open it in every browser you have.
2. If it loads in one, delete that browser, or on iOS 16 to 26 give it a 1-minute App Limit.
3. Stop yourself installing a new one: Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases > Installing Apps > Don't Allow (and Deleting Apps > Don't Allow).

Private browsing? Not in Safari: a web content filter removes the Private tab option and the ability to clear history. Chrome's incognito tabs aren't affected, which is one more reason to test.

What are the usual ways round a website block?

• The site's own app. Blocking tiktok.com does nothing to the TikTok app. Block both; see our guides for X, YouTube, TikTok and Facebook.
• Another browser. Test each one.
• In-app browsers. Links inside Instagram, Messages or Discord open in a built-in browser that Screen Time catches only some of the time.
• A domain you missed. twitter.com when you blocked x.com, or a mobile subdomain.
• Switching it off. If you know the passcode, it's a few taps from gone.
• Another device. Your Mac or iPad isn't covered unless Share Across Devices is on.

Every one, with fixes: Screen Time loopholes.

How do you make a website block stick?

Screen Time's website tools are free and the right first step. But a block is all or nothing, limits are a daily total, coverage outside Safari is uneven, and you can undo what you set. For self-control:

• Have someone else type the passcode, with their Apple ID for recovery.
• Block the app and the site together, with every domain variant.
• Remove browsers you don't need, and lock app installs.
• Pick the right shape: block the sites you never need, give a small limit to the ones you do.

If you'd rather not depend on another person, Detox (iPhone and iPad, paid with a free trial) blocks websites as well as apps, in the same rule. Its session limit lets quick visits through and steps in after a long continuous stretch, schedules lock sites at set hours, and Strict mode stops you from editing or deleting a rule, or uninstalling apps, while it blocks. On a computer, its Chrome extension blocks sites too.

The bottom line

On iOS 16 to 26, block a site under Web Content > Never Allow, or limit it under App Limits > Websites with Block at End of Limit on. On iOS 27, per-site blocking is documented for a child's device; for your own, look for Web Content or use a dedicated blocker. Then do the part that decides whether it works: every domain, the app too, every browser tested, and no easy way to switch it all off.