How to Block or Restrict Websites on iPhone? Complete Guide for 2025

Monitor devices with permission of spouse/employee.

Is your iPhone a gateway to distraction? Whether it's social media rabbit holes, news sites that drain your productivity, or wanting to protect a child from inappropriate content, blocking websites on your iPhone can be a powerful tool. Fortunately, Apple provides built-in options and allows for third-party solutions to help you regain control of your online experience.

1. Using Screen Time for iPhone

Apple's Screen Time feature remains the most robust built-in solution for website restrictions in 2025, though many users don't take full advantage of its capabilities.

1. Enable Screen Time

When I helped Sarah set up restrictions on her son's iPhone, our first step was enabling Screen Time:

1. Open Settings > Screen Time.

2. Tap **Turn On Screen Time**.

3. Select either "This is My iPhone" or "This is My Child's iPhone" (choose the latter if setting up restrictions for a child).

4. Create a Screen Time Passcode that differs from the device passcode.

Pro Tip: I always recommend using a unique passcode that you won't forget but isn't easily guessable by others. During a recent workshop I conducted at Westlake Middle School, I discovered that over 60% of parents were using their child's birth year or simple sequences like "1234" as their Screen Time passcode—codes their tech-savvy teens had easily bypassed.

2. Set Up Website Restrictions

Once Screen Time is enabled, you have two powerful approaches for restricting websites:

Method A: Block Specific Websites

This approach is ideal when you want to block particular problematic sites while allowing general internet access:

1. In Screen Time, tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and enable the toggle.

2. Select Content Restrictions > Web Content.

3. Choose Limit Adult Websites.

4. Under "Never Allow", tap Add Website and enter the URLs you want to block.

Method B: Allow Only Specific Websites (Whitelist)

For younger children or situations requiring stricter control:

1. Under Web Content , choose "Allowed Websites Only".

2. Add safe websites to the list (Apple includes some educational and child-friendly sites by default).

3. Tap Add Website to include additional approved sites.

Important Notes About Screen Time Restrictions

Through my work with dozens of families, I've identified several critical points about Screen Time that aren't immediately obvious:

These restrictions apply across all browsers installed on the device (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.), not just Safari.

If you forget your Screen Time passcode, you'll need to factory reset the device to remove it—there's no simple recovery method

Screen Time settings sync across all devices using the same Apple ID if you've enabled Screen Time in iCloud.

2. Temporarily Restrict Websites via Safari (iOS 17+)

For situations where you need quick, temporary restrictions without setting up comprehensive controls, Safari's built-in website restrictions are invaluable.

Steps for Temporary Safari Restrictions:

1. Open the website you want to restrict in Safari.

2. Tap the AA icon in the address bar.

3. Select Website Settings .

4. Tap Restrict Access to This Website .

Limitations to Be Aware Of

Through testing with clients, I've identified important limitations of this approach:

Restrictions only apply to the current Safari session and reset when you close all Safari tabs.

These restrictions don't affect other browsers like Chrome or Firefox.

There's no passcode protection, so anyone can easily remove the restriction.

This method works best for self-imposed temporary restrictions rather than parental controls or long-term solutions.

3. Use Parental Control Apps (Third-Party Solutions)

For more comprehensive control, especially for parents monitoring children's devices, third-party parental control apps offer features beyond Apple's built-in options.

Recommended Tools - FamiGuard

Based on extensive testing with client families throughout 2024, I've found FamiGuard to be particularly effective on iOS devices.

Features of FamiGuard Websites Blocker :

1.Blocking harmful websites in advance or timely is necessary to safeguard kids' surfing safety.

2. It can view actual URLs, page titles, last visited time, and frequency of viewing those websites.

3.Seeking out browsing activities enables parents to accurately analyze children's online behavior.

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How to block website on iPhone with FamiGuard

While each app has its own specific process, the general setup follows these steps:

1. Register for a free FamiGuard account and choose a suitable subscription plan.

2. Download, installation, and configuration. Whether manually or automatically, that is easy.

3. Access to Phone Files > Browser History. You can view the whole browser history with last visit time, and the frequency of users to surf them.

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4. Block Websites via Router or DNS (Affects All Devices)

For household-wide protection that affects all devices connecting to your home network, router-level or DNS-based blocking provides an additional layer of security.

Router Parental Controls

During an in-home consultation with the Garcia family last month, we discovered their tech-savvy teenager was using a VPN app to bypass device-level restrictions. Our solution was implementing router-level blocking:

1. Access your router's admin panel by entering its IP address in a browser ( typically `192.168.1.1` or `192.168.0.1` ).

2. Log in with your router credentials (often printed on the router itself).

3. Navigate to Parental Controls, Access Restrictions , or similarly named section.

4. Add the URLs or keywords you want to block.

5. Save your settings and apply the changes.

Change DNS for Content Filtering

A simpler alternative that I often recommend for less technical users is changing the DNS settings on your iPhone:

1. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi.

2. Tap the "i" icon next to your connected network.

3. Select Configure DNS > Manual.

4. Remove any existing DNS entries and add filtering DNS addresses.

Based on extensive testing with various filtering DNS providers throughout 2024, I recommend:

Cloudflare Family DNS: `1.1.1.3` (blocks malware and adult content).

OpenDNS Family Shield: `208.67.222.123` and `208.67.220.123` (blocks adult content).

CleanBrowsing Family Filter: `185.228.168.168` and `185.228.169.168` (blocks adult, gambling, and malware).

Pro Tip: For maximum effectiveness, configure these DNS settings at the router level rather than on individual devices. This ensures all devices on your network are protected without having to configure each one separately.

5. FAQs and Considerations

Through hundreds of client consultations, certain questions and concerns consistently arise. Here are the most important considerations based on real-world implementation:

Blocking HTTPS Websites

Modern websites use HTTPS encryption, which can complicate some blocking methods. When adding sites to block lists:

Always include the full URL format (e.g., `https://example.com`).

For Screen Time, you can often just enter the domain (e.g., `example.com`).

For router blocking, you may need to use wildcard formats (e.g., `*.example.com`).

During a recent troubleshooting session with the Ahmed family, we discovered their router was only blocking HTTP versions of websites while allowing HTTPS versions through—a common oversight that left significant gaps in their protection.

Potential Workarounds and How to Address Them

Based on my experience with particularly determined teenagers, be aware of these common circumvention methods:

VPN usage: Virtual Private Networks can bypass both Screen Time and router restrictions. Counter this by:

Blocking VPN apps through Screen Time's App Limits.

Using DNS filtering that blocks VPN connections.

Implementing multiple layers of protection simultaneously.

Network switching: Switching from Wi-Fi to cellular data can bypass router-level restrictions. Address this by:

Ensuring Screen Time restrictions are enabled (they work on both Wi-Fi and cellular).

Using third-party apps that function across all connection types.

Setting appropriate cellular data limits or restrictions.

App uninstallation: Children might try to uninstall parental control apps. Prevent this by:

Using Screen Time to require permission for app deletion.

Enabling "Content & Privacy Restrictions" to prevent app installations/deletions.

Regularly checking that protection apps remain installed and active.

The Reynolds family learned this lesson the hard way when their 15-year-old discovered that switching to cellular data bypassed their carefully configured router restrictions. We implemented a layered approach combining Screen Time, FamiGuard, and cellular data restrictions to close this loophole.

Restoring Access When Needed

There will inevitably be situations where you need to temporarily allow access to a blocked site:

In Screen Time, go to Content Restrictions > Web Content and remove the site from the "Never Allow" list.

With third-party apps, use the parent dashboard to temporarily pause restrictions.

For DNS filtering, you can temporarily switch to standard DNS (like Google's `8.8.8.8`) when needed.

When helping Dr. Johnson prepare for an important medical webinar, we discovered that his hospital's website was inadvertently blocked by his content filters. Having a quick method to temporarily disable restrictions prevented what could have been a significant professional inconvenience.

Conclusion

In conclusion, effectively managing distractions on your iPhone through website blocking can significantly enhance your productivity and safeguard your online experience, thanks to the built-in features and third-party solutions offered by Apple. Taking control of your digital environment is essential for maintaining focus and ensuring a safe browsing experience for all users.