Explicit content controls · 2026
Hide or block explicit content, platform by platform.
Every platform has a sensitive-content setting. Almost none of them do what the label suggests. These guides give you the exact path, say honestly what the control is, and tell you who can lock it.
11 guides · First-party sources · Checked August 18, 2026
Choose your platform
Set the strongest control the platform actually has.
Each page names the control, classifies it, gives the exact path with a phone in one hand, and lists what it does not cover.
X
Display media that may contain sensitive content
Show mature (18+) content
Sensitive Content Control (Content Preferences > Sensitive content)
Threads
Sensitive Content Control (Content Preferences > Sensitive content)
Sensitive Content Control (Content preferences > Sensitive content > Show less)
YouTube
Restricted Mode
TikTok
Restricted Mode
Snapchat
Hide Sensitive Content (Family Center)
Discord
Sensitive content filters
Refine your recommendations
Search engines
SafeSearch (Google Filter, Bing Strict, DuckDuckGo Strict)
How to read a control
01
Hides labeled media
- Catches
- Only what someone labeled
- Switched off by
- You, any time
02
Filters classified content
- Catches
- What a model recognizes
- Switched off by
- You, any time
03
Blocks accounts or communities you name
- Catches
- Only what you named
- Switched off by
- You, any time
04
Lockable by another person or a network
- Catches
- Whatever it wraps
- Switched off by
- Only the lock holder
Questions answered
Can I actually block porn on X, Reddit, or Instagram with a setting?
You can hide a lot of it. Most platforms hide media that was labeled sensitive, or filter what their own model recognizes. Neither is a block: unlabeled or misclassified content still shows, and you can switch the setting back off yourself. Each guide says which kind of control you are getting.
Why does the guide say "hides labeled media" instead of "blocks"?
Because that is what the control does. Labeling depends on the poster or the platform. A search-shaped title can say "block"; the page has to tell you the truth about the setting.
How do I keep myself from switching it back off?
Most platform settings cannot be locked by the platform. The lock comes from outside: a Screen Time passcode, a supervised account, or a DNS filter on the router. The device controls family covers those.
How current are these guides?
Every guide shows the date its control and first-party sources were last checked, and links to the platform's own help page. Platforms move settings without notice; if a path has changed, email us and we will fix it.
These controls change often. Open a guide for first-party sources and its last checked date.
Want product help instead? Browse On Guard documentation.