Exposure to online pornography is almost inevitable. For example, 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. Porn can be bad for adults too. Fortunately, you can block access to inappropriate websites and apps. This article will show you how to block porn on Mac using the best porn blocker for Mac.
This article lists top 5 porn-blocking tools for Mac. Whether you are a concerned parent or someone who wants to stop viewing porn, you will find the article helpful.
Cisdem AppCrypt
What is a porn blocker? It’s a tool that helps block access to porn content. There are 3 common types.
When picking a porn blocker, you can ask yourself the following questions.
The fact is that no porn blocker is perfect. That being said, some tools do a good job of blocking porn.
Compatibility: macOS 10.12 or later, including macOS 13 Ventura
Cisdem AppCrypt, the best website blocker and app locker for Mac, does an excellent job of blocking access to inappropriate content and other unwanted content. It’s easy to use, feature rich and effective. And there’s a lot of flexibility and customizability.
1. Download and install AppCrypt on your Mac.
2. When you first open it, set a password. It is recommended to select the Launch at System Startup checkbox.
3. In the menu bar, click the lock icon and choose Open Main Window.
4. Enter the password and you will see the main window.
5. Under the Web Block tab, manually add porn site URLs such as pornhub.com to the top box. Click Add.
You can add words to the block list too, such as adults, porn.
Also, you can click the Import dropdown menu and choose the Porn Sites category to block.
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.
Note: To curb one’s own porn addiction, one can ask someone else (such as a trusted friend or family member) to set the password in step 2.
If you want to temporarily stop the entire blocking, you can click Disable Web Block, which requires the password. To remove an item from the block list also requires 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.
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. Choose the App Lock tab, select the apps and click Open.
This tool provides 2 ways to import the porn site category to block. The first way is what I mentioned in step 5, which follows the schedule you set. This means, if you set a general schedule to block sites at certain times, porn sites on your block list will also only be blocked during the time you set. In addition, the blocking will temporarily stop when you click “Disable Web Block” from the menu bar.
If you want to block all porn content permanently, unaffected by the schedule feature and the Disable Web Block button, you can use the Always Block feature. Under the Web Block tab, click Exceptions in the bottom right corner. Go to the Always Block tab. click Import and choose the Porn Sites from the drop-down menu. Now porn sites are completely blocked on your Mac.
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.
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.
Screen Time let you limit adult websites on your Mac. If you child has his own device, you need to use his device to set it up. Fortunately, Apple introduced a Family Sharing feature, which allows you to invite your child’s account to join your Family Sharing group and easily manage his online activities on your device. To enable Family Sharing, click the Apple menu and choose System Preferences. Click your name then choose Family Sharing. Click Set Up Family. Then follow the prompt to set it up for your kid’s account or create a new one for him.
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 Users & Groups.
2. Click the lock icon at bottom-left corner and type in your admin password to make changes.
3. Click the plus icon on the bottom left. Select Managed with Parental Controls in the New Account dropdown.
4. Fill in the age, account name, etc. Click Create User.
5. Select the new account in the left side column. Check the box next to Enable parental controls.
6. Go back to System Preferences window and choose Parental Controls.
7. Click the lock icon at bottom-left corner and unlock Parental Controls preferences.
8. Select your child’s account from the left column.
9. 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.
10. Switch to the Web tab. Click Try to limit access to adult websites.
11. 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, Firefox or Microsoft Edge installed
If you don’t like to use apps, there are some extensions with blocking porn function that can be added to Mac browser. I recommend this porn blocker to you according to my using experience. BlockSite does well in blocking porn on Mac without taxing your system in the process. Not only can you block porn sites by typing the web address or select categories to block, but also can block URLs containing specific words or phrases. Plus, this porn blocker for Mac allow you to set a password to protect your settings, helping you better control porn access on Mac.
1. On your Mac, install this extension to Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge.2. Once you add the porn blocker for Mac, click its icon on the toolbar.
2. Once you add the porn blocker to web browser, click the Extensions icon on the tool bar. Usually it is on the upper right corner of the window.
3. Click BlockSite from the extension list.
4. From the pop-up dialog, choose Edit block lists. You can also click Block this site to block current websites directly, but you have to open all the porn sites that you intend to block.
5. Under the Block List tab, click Add to Block List. Type the URLs of porn sites you want to block to the top box. Click the Plus icon.
6. You can also go to the Categories tab and click the Plus icon next to Adults category.
7. Click Done.
It’s recommended to go to Custom Block Page to create your own blocked page. I think this step is necessary because the original page will appear a prompt: “This site is blocked by BlockSite”. This would allow kids to disable it more easily.
Apply to: Routers with web filtering
If you would like to block pornography and inappropriate content from all or some of your home devices, the easiest way is to find your router’s built-in web filtering settings. While some routers don’t have such settings, many routers are able to restrict access to certain web content. Some of them even allow you to restrict porn sites with a few clicks. It all depends on what router you have. For example, if you own an ASUS router, its AiProtection might be of help to you.
1. Login your router on a web browser.
2. Find AiProtection from the left sidebar. AiProtection is a tool added to ASUS router that provides home network security. You can restrict unwanted websites and apps on it.
3. Go to Parental Controls. Enable the Web & Apps Filters switch.
4. Click the Client Name drop-down box. Select the device you want to set restriction. If your family has multiple devices need blocking porn, repeat these steps to set up restrictions on all devices. But you should make sure the devices are connected to the Wi-Fi router.
5. Go to Content Category tab. Check the box next to Adult. Tap the plus icon then click Apply.
This method not only can block porn on Mac, but also works on all other devices that are connected to the router. Many other home routers such as TP-Link, NETGEAR also have porn blocker. The settings may be little different.
Google Search is the most popular search engine. You may worry that your child stumbles upon adult content and explicit images when he or she uses Google Search. To prevent this, you can use Google’s SafeSearch filtering. It will help hide explicit content like pornography from search results.
To turn on it, go to Google SafeSearch page. Enable the Explicit results filter switch.
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.
Rosa has worked in Mac software industry for more than eight years. She believes that the purpose of software is to make life better and work more productively. In addition to writing, Rosa is also an avid runner.
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Willi Widenmayer
I have purchased Cisdem AppCrypt. This is what I've been looking for! I'm addicted to porn for a long time and can't stop it! It's really useful for me.