Do you want to block certain websites on your iPhone but don’t want to use Screen Time for doing so? you can easily block websites on iPhone without using the Screen Time feature built into iOS.
If you’re a parent, then you have probably found yourself asking how to block websites on iPhone without screen time at some point. It’s important to limit your children’s access to the internet and there are many different methods that you can use.
The internet is huge, and you can discover anything on it with a few taps and searches. We all know how can be a handy tool to quench all your queries. However, too much of the internet can also be very distracting and can make you lose your focus and work productivity.
More than that, we all know how children are always at places they are not supposed to be. So the internet has made it more convenient for children under the age of 18 to have unrestricted access to adult websites which can inevitably result in porn addiction. So you might be thinking about ways to limit adult content and remove addiction of yourself and your kids on social media sites.
So in this blog, I will give you the reasons you should block websites, why using Screen Time can be effective and other ways you can outsmart your kids to restrict their web content by blocking or filtering unnecessary and adult websites. You can also use these blocking techniques to remove your addiction to some specific websites.
Putting the whole internet in our pockets has made us connected socially. Our smartphones have provided us with instant access to everything like news, movies, directions home, the incredible recipe, families, mates, friends of friends, and strangers from all over the world.
However, we all must have already realized that our mobile devices will disrupt our sleep, deteriorate our concentration, and addict us to their constant notifications with that alarming ping noises and flashes. You may have been using apps and pages such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok, and Twitter for an extended period. This pattern may be interfering with your job.
Similarly, if your children’s examinations are approaching, you might want them to refrain from accessing those websites to concentrate on their studies. Teenagers today are becoming hooked to social media platforms and use them 24/7, day and night. This habit is causing them to lose their focus on their essential tasks and physical activities.
In reality, the average person now spends more than three hours a day staring at their phone and check their phone every three minutes. I don’t know about you, but if you ask me, that’s a lot of time to be spending on your phone.
So after reading all the facts and stats, you might want to be in charge of how they use your mobile, as well as how your phone usage extends to your whole digital life, and regain control of how you spend your time on all of your digital devices. So, you might want to impose a time limit on specific sites to reduce the addiction and take back control. Hence you can see that there are many reasons why you would choose to block websites.
Why Blocking the Websites Using Screen Time can be Ineffective?
Yes, Screen Time is an inbuilt feature in iPhones and iPads that you can use to block websites and restrict inappropriate contents. You can select or type in the URLs you want to block and create a screen time passcode to stop unrestricted access to the blocked websites.
However, as children are tech-savvy, they have found loopholes to go through the Screen Time feature and unblock the website from restrictions and get access to the web content. One way they have found to bypass or turn off the Screen Time mode on their iPhone and iPad device is through an app called Screen Time++.
Screen Time++ app can also be hidden on your device under the Settings, even though you have installed it. So if you have set up Screen Time mode on your child’s iPhone or iPad device to restrict or block websites, they can open up the Screen Time++ and pause Screen Time. After pausing the Screen Time mode, Screen Time++ pauses any feature that Screen Time is restricting.
Thus they can easily use the blocked web contents and apps. If they want to turn on the Screen Time again, they need to tap on Resume Screen Time. So this is how your children can trick you into believing that you have restricted their unnecessary web content. So as your kids are getting smarter, it would be best to learn other ways to outsmart them.
6 Ways to Block Websites on iPhone Other than Using Screen Time
Blocking websites from your iPhone is one way to screen time limit and keep your kids safe. While you can block apps on a phone, it’s easier just to block sites. Peeling back the layers of iPhone blocks several kinds of apps and web content. There are several fun iOS games that encourage unstructured playtime. These apps also happen to be some of the best ways on how to block websites on iPhone and iPad completely. This article will help you find the right app to suit your specific needs.
1. Freedom
Social networking sites, YouTube videos, shopping, gaming applications, and websites are scientifically designed to keep you hooked and returning. The cost in terms of efficiency, focus, and overall well-being may be astounding. Freedom helps control your child’s and own device by setting screen time, restricting apps, and blocking websites.
Block Websites Using Freedom
Follow these steps to block sites using Freedom App:
To block websites on iPhone using Freedom, you have to create a Freedom account if you have not done that already.
Now log in to your account and create a list of websites you want to block by clicking on “Add a Blocklist.”
Give your new blocklist a name, and then begin adding the websites you want to block.
Freedom has a series of most common preset filters that block the most frequently requested websites for your convenience. By pressing the ‘+’ next to the website name, you can add the preset filters to your blocklist.
You can also add custom websites to block by entering the URL and pressing ‘add site.’ So if the websites you want to block are not present in the current filters, type in the URL and click on ‘add site.’ You can repeat this process to block web content as many times as you want.
When you’ve done adding sites to your current blocklist, press the green Save button.
By following these simple steps, you can block any websites on your iPhone with the help of Freedom. If you want to remove the website from the blocklist, open the blocklist that you created and uncheck the green mark of the website that you want to unblock, and click on Save.
Zero Willpower is an app built for iOS to block websites on the Safari browser. For iPhone devices iOS 9 and later versions, you can use the Zero Willpower blocker for your web browser, allowing you to restrict access to annoying websites of your choice. By default, Zero Willpower blocks the following websites:
9gag.com
Facebook.com
Instagram.com
Reddit.com
Twitter.com
Twitch.tv
Vk.com
Youtube.com
This app only blocks websites and cannot be used to block apps.
Block Websites Using Zero Willpower App
To block the website using Zero Willpower, you have to enable the app on the Safari Browser. To do that:
First, download and install the Zero Willpower app from App Store.
Open your iPhone’s Settings.
Search for the Safari App on your Settings. Tap on it and then switch Content Blockers
Finally, enable Zero Willpower.
Now that you have enabled the app, you can now open the app, click on the plus sign and start entering the URL of the websites you want to block on your iPhone. You can view the list of sites you have blocked on the home screen. If you want to unblock the site, swipe left on the particular site from the list, and the app will remove the website from the block list.
3. Forest
Forest is an app for your phone and a chrome plug-in that blocks distracting websites and apps and helps you focus on your work.
The best part about the Forest App is the work it does to create a green environment. The Forest Team collaborates with Trees for the Future, a real-tree planting group, to plant real trees on Earth. When Forest’s users use their virtual coins earned in Forest to plant real trees, the Forest team donates to their partner and generates planting orders.
Block Websites Using Forest App
Although the extension plug-in is free, you have to pay for the app if you want to use it on your iPhone. Follow these steps to limit web content and adult content using Forest App:
So at first, download and install the app from App Store.
Open the parameters and adjust your standards.
When you have to concentrate on your work, set a timer and start. Grow a tree.
As you concentrate on your job, your tree will grow.
If you exit the app halfway through, your tree will die.
Hence you can see that Forest uses a different approach to block websites.
4. BlockSite
BlockSite is a self-control app that does all of the work for you and allows you to keep track of what you’re browsing. From the time you start using the app, it helps limit adult content, and you will be able to stop procrastination, improve focus, and have even improved time management. You will be able to concentrate on what matters rather than wasting hours online searching the internet in vain.
It helps you to:
Block URLs by categorizing them for your convenience.
You may choose whether to block whole divisions or specific websites within a category. Some categories include adult content, news, social media, sports, and gambling.
To stay productive, add sites manually or choose from predefined categories.
If you have a problem with gambling or porn sites, blocking these sites is as simple as clicking a button – turn on the desired category, and you’re done.
Block Websites Using BlockSite App
Follow these steps to block websites on iPhone using BLockSite App:
First, on your iPhone device, download and install the app.
When you open the app for the first time, you will be prompted to “Enable Accessibility.” When you tap on the option, you will be taken to the settings page. Enabling the BlockSite toggle button will allow this app complete control of your device.
By tapping OK, you will then be asked to confirm that you want the app to watch your activities and block websites.
Return to the app. On the home screen, press the green “+” button in the lower right corner.
Now, enter the website URL that you want to block and press the green check icon.
By clicking on the “Alarm Clock” button, you can also choose the time and day you want to block the website.
To set the timer, turn on the toggle switch next to the schedule.
Refrain is a free app that you can download on your iPhone. If you want to block websites on your iPhone in a quick, free, and easy-to-use way, you can try Refrain. It is a third-party iOS app that can quickly prevent the phone from accessing the given website URLs. Though, it comes with a catch. And if you use Refrain to ban specific websites on an iOS device, your children will uninstall the software and circumvent the restrictions.
Block Websites Using Refrain App
This app is compatible with all iOS 10 and above version iPhones. Follow these steps for enabling restrictions using Refrain App:
First, go to the App Store and then download and install the app.
Once the Refrain app is installed, open the app. On the home screen, tap on the “Distracting Site List” option.
Enter the distracting URLs of the websites you want to block, and then save the updates from blocking websites on your iPhone.
If you want to build a blocking schedule, go to the “Extras” menu. However, it is a paid feature. Therefore, you will have to pay a certain amount to gain access to the additional functionality.
6. Restriction on iPhone
iOS smartphones have a built-in feature that allows you to block websites. When you enable the restriction option, you’ll see a message on your iPad or iPhone stating that the page is restricted and denied access. Please keep in mind that the Restriction feature is only available on iPhones 8 and above.
Block Websites Using Restriction Feature
Take the following basic steps to enable the restriction feature:
Go to the configuration menu. Navigate to General and then to Restrictions.
Turn on the Restrictions option. You’ll then be prompted to enter a four-digit passcode.
Set the passcode, then scroll down to Websites. Tap it to activate it. You may choose to ban all websites, restrict adult explicit or pornographic contents, or only specific websites.
To ban adult websites, tap and choose “Limit Adult Content.”
If you want to block individual websites, go to “NEVER ALLOW” and choose “Add a Website.” Now enter the URLs of the websites you can block.
My Final Thoughts
It is safest to block websites to discourage children from consuming adult content and posting inappropriate content on the internet. You will also need to ban certain websites from breaking your addiction to them. Similarly, teenagers can get addicted to constantly accessing social media websites. So, you can use website blockers to restrict their access to these pages.
On iPhone or iPad devices, to block websites without using Screen Time, you can use another inbuilt function called ‘Restriction.’ However, this feature is available to iPhone 8 and above. You can also use third-party apps like Freedom, Zero Willpower, BlockSite, Refrain, and Forest to block websites on your iPhone. You can also set up a parental control app to set up screen time to limit your kids from accessing web content.
