January 07, 2022
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Exposure to online pornography is almost inevitable. Porn content may unexpectedly appear after one clicks certain links or ads. Premature exposure to indecent and adult content can damage kids’ psyche in more ways than you can imagine. Fortunately, you can block access to inappropriate websites and applications. This article will show you how to block porn on Mac using the best porn blocker for Mac.
Compatibility: macOS 10.12 or later, including macOS 12 Monterey
Cisdem AppCrypt, one of the best porn blockers for Mac, stands out for being useful and easy to use. It lets you block specific adult websites. It also allows you to effortlessly block all popular adult websites with a single click.
In addition, it can lock apps. You can use it to block your child’s access to apps (such as games) with age rating 17+ and other potentially unsuitable apps (such as social media apps where porn content can be found).
Cisdem AppCrypt main features:
1. Download and install AppCrypt on your Mac.
2. When you first open it, set a password.
3. In the menu bar, click its icon and choose Open Main Windows.
4. Enter the password and click OK.
5. Now you are in the main window. Click Web Block in the top right corner.
6. In the Web Block window that appears, manually add porn site URLs such as pornhub.com, xvideos.com and xnxx.com to the Block list 
.
7. This step is optional. Click Enable WebBlocker if it’s not enabled.
Also, in step 6, you can click Import and choose Porn Sites, which will add all popular porn sites to the Block list.
Now all the websites on the Block list are blocked on Safari, Google Chrome and other browsers on your Mac by the password you set. They are inaccessible.
To unblock them, one needs to disable WebBlocker or remove them from the Block list. Both approaches require the password. If your kid or someone else tries to access the blocked porn sites with an incorrect password, AppCrypt will record the failed attempt with date and time and capture a photo.
Block access to inappropriate apps on Mac
Games and apps that contain sexual content or nudity or other inappropriate content are unsuitable for children. If there are such apps on your Mac and you don’t want your kid to access them, just lock them with password. Click Add App in the top left corner, select the apps and click Add.
Keep porn away completely with the Allow list mode
There are two modes: Block list (default) and Allow list. The former allows you to block specific sources of porn. Alternatively, you can use the Allow list mode to block all websites excluding a few. This way, your child can only access the websites approved by you.
Block access to websites and apps only during certain hours
Besides blocking porn on Mac permanently, you can schedule specific times. In the main window, click Menu > Preferences. Under the Schedule tab, select an item on the left and set one or more schedules.
Cisdem AppCrypt
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Compatibility: macOS 10.15 Catalina or later
With Apple’s Screen Time, you can easily set limits on Mac, iPhone and iPad. It allows you to block porn on Mac by limiting the use of websites and apps or by only allowing certain websites. You can set age-appropriate restrictions and use a password to help enforce the restrictions. Also, this porn blocker for Mac tracks how much time children spend on applications, from social networking apps to gaming apps.
1. Open System Preferences and choose Screen Time.
2. In Options, turn on Screen Time.
3. Create a passcode, which is used to prevent the porn blocking from being removed.
4. In the sidebar, click Content & Privacy. Click Turn On in the top right corner.
5. Under the Content tab, disable Explicit language in Siri & Dictionary.
6. Under the same tab, enable Limit Adult Websites, which will automatically limit access to websites considered inappropriate by Apple on your Mac.
If it’s not enough, you can click Customize and manually add porn websites to the Restricted list.
Note that the auto block only applies to Safari. Also, it often goes too far and blocks normal websites.
With Screen Time, you can also limit apps on Mac. Choose App Limits in the sidebar and turn it on. Add app categories such as Games and Social Networking (which may potentially contain porn content). Set limits on the apps.
Compatibility: macOS 10.7 Lion - macOS 10.14 Mojave
If your MacBook Air, MacBook Pro or iMac etc. is running macOS 10.14 or earlier, then Screen Time is not available. But don’t worry. You have Parent Controls, a built-in feature similar to Screen Time. You can use this free built-in porn blocker for Mac to make sure inappropriate applications and websites (porn, pay-to-play games, drugs, etc.) are blocked.
Note that Parental Controls doesn’t apply to an administrator user account. If you want to block yourself from porn, consider the first method.
1. In System Preferences, choose Parental Controls.
2. Create a user account for your child to apply Parental Controls.
3. Under the Apps tab, check the box for Limit Applications on this Mac. Only allow apps that you think are porn-free and appropriate for your child.
4. Switch to the Web tab. Click Try to limit access to adult websites.
5. Click Customize to customize porn blocking if needed.
You can customize by adding porn site addresses to the Never allow these websites list. Don’t forget to click OK to save your settings.
Compatibility: All Mac computers with Chrome installed
Browser extension Site Blocker does well in blocking porn on Mac without taxing your system in the process. Not only can you block porn sites by typing the URLs or picking domain categories, but also by adding separate words or phrases. Plus, this Chrome porn blocker for Mac has a blocking schedule feature and site white list feature, helping you better control porn access on Mac.
But according to user reviews, it has some drawbacks.
1. Go to the Chrome Web Store to find Site Blocker and install it on Chrome.
2. Once you add the porn blocker for Mac, click its icon on the toolbar.
3. From the pop-up dialog, choose Manage blocked sites. You can also use the Block current site function, but you have to open all the porn sites that you intend to block.
4. In the Block sites tab, define a list of porn sites.
5. To strengthen the block, you can go to the Block by categories tab to select porn and save it. Also, go to Block by words to input the keyword like “porn”.
6. If necessary, make a schedule to open the blocked sites as long as it’s outside of the time you define.
Compatibility: All Mac computers with Firefox or Chrome installed
Available as an extension for both Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, FoxFilter is a free Internet filter to detect and block pornographic and other inappropriate websites. You can use it to easily block porn on Mac. It’s easy to set up and configure.
But as with other extensions, this one can be removed from your browser, which means one can easily get around the blocking.
1. On your Mac, install FoxFilter on your Firefox or Chrome.
2. Open a random website. Right-click and choose FoxFilter Settings.
3. Click the Change Limited Settings button.
4. Now you have access to FoxFilter settings. Go to the Sensitivity tab.
5. There are 4 options through which you can control how this porn blocker for Mac identifies porn websites. Selecting all 4 options will apply the strictest adult content blocking.
6. Go to the Blocked tab. FoxFilter already automatically blocks access to many websites and webpages containing porn content on your Mac browser. You can edit the Blocked Keywords & Sites list to block more.
We’ve looked at how to block porn on Mac. Whether you are going to prevent your children or yourself from seeing porn content, distracting videos, games, or social networking sites etc., a content blocker is needed all the time.
It’s possible to remove bad websites by editing your hosts file in Terminal, which is not a good idea because it involves editing system files. This article recommends 5 porn blockers for Mac. The best one is Cisdem AppCrypt. It’s more flexible, professional and feature-rich when compared to free and online porn blockers.
Peter has always had great enthusiasm for writing, programming and web development. He likes writing about software and technology, his works are featured on some tech blogs or forums like Tom's Hardware, CNET, etc.