Device controls · iPhone & iPad

Checked August 18, 2026

iPhone and iPad: what Screen Time really filters

Screen Time's Limit Adult Websites filters web pages in Safari and in apps that use Apple's web engine. It does not judge photos or video inside social apps. Sensitive Content Warning blurs nudity in Messages, AirDrop and a few Apple features, nowhere on the web. The Screen Time passcode is the only lock.

Filters classified contentLimit Adult Websites (Screen Time)

A platform-side model decides what counts. Misses are common on suggestive content, and the model changes without notice.

The honest line

Screen Time web limits cover Safari-style browsing, not every app; Sensitive Content Warning covers Messages and AirDrop, not the web or social apps; the passcode is the lock.

Who can lock it: The Screen Time passcode. If you set it yourself and add Passcode Recovery, your Apple Account can reset it, so the lock is only as strong as your resolve. Have someone you trust type the passcode, or skip recovery, if you want it to hold.

Availability: Paths follow Apple's current iOS 26 pages. Older iOS versions keep the same Content & Privacy Restrictions layout with slightly different names.

On this page
Start hereFilters classified content

Limit Adult Websites

Apple's built-in web filter. Apple says it limits access to many adult websites automatically and lets you add sites under Never Allow. Switch to Only Approved Websites and the device browses only the list you build. Apple describes the built-in filter as restricting Safari and third-party apps.

A platform-side model decides what counts. Misses are common on suggestive content, and the model changes without notice.

On your own iPhone or iPad

  1. Open the Settings app, then tap Screen Time.

  2. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions, then turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions.

  3. Tap App Store, Media, Web, & Games, then tap Web Content.

  4. Choose Limit Adult Websites. To block a specific site, tap Add Website below Never Allow and enter its address.

    Choose Only Approved Websites instead if you want browsing limited to a list you approve.

  5. Go back to Screen Time, tap Lock Screen Time Settings, and set a four-digit passcode so the choice sticks. Official iPhone & iPad destination (opens in a new tab)

For a family member under 18 (Family Sharing)

  1. On your own device, open Settings and tap Screen Time.

  2. Under Family, tap the person's name.

  3. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. If asked, enter your Screen Time passcode.

  4. Tap App Store, Media, Web, & Games, then tap Web Content.

  5. Choose Unrestricted, Limit Adult Websites, or Only Approved Websites. Official iPhone & iPad destination (opens in a new tab)

What it covers

  • Safari
  • Web pages inside apps that use Apple's web engine (Apple: the built-in filter restricts Safari and third-party apps)
  • Sites you add under Never Allow
  • Only Approved Websites mode: everything except your list

What it does not cover

  • Photos and video inside an app's own feed are not web pages, so the filter does not judge them
  • Automatic filtering is a classifier: some adult sites pass and some ordinary sites get caught
  • Apple's consumer page does not name which third-party browsers follow it; test the browser you keep
  • Anyone who knows the Screen Time passcode can set it back to Unrestricted
Also usefulHides labeled media

App and media ratings

In the same Content & Privacy Restrictions screen you can stop explicit music, podcasts, news and fitness content, cap movie, TV show and book ratings, and hide apps above an age rating. It works on labels the store applies, so it says nothing about what an allowed app shows.

Depends on the poster or the platform marking the media as sensitive. Unlabeled suggestive content passes.

On the device

  1. Open Settings, tap Screen Time, then tap Content & Privacy Restrictions.

  2. Tap App Store, Media, Web, & Games.

  3. Under Allowed Media Services Content, tap a type of content and choose what to allow.

    Music, Podcasts, News, Fitness: prevent the playback of explicit content. Movies, TV Shows, Books: prevent specific ratings. Apps: prevent apps with specific ratings.

  4. Lock the choice with the Screen Time passcode. Official iPhone & iPad destination (opens in a new tab)

What it covers

  • Explicit-tagged music, podcasts, news and fitness content from Apple's services
  • Movies, TV shows and books above the rating you allow
  • Apps above the age rating you allow

What it does not cover

  • Ratings are labels from the store and the developer; what an allowed app streams is not checked
  • Applies to Apple's stores and media services, not to what a browser loads
  • Apps already installed stay until you remove them
Also usefulFilters classified content

Sensitive Content Warning

On-device detection that blurs a photo or video that might contain nudity before you view it, with a Show button and safety resources. Apple lists where it works on iPhone and iPad: Messages, AirDrop, shared photo albums, Contact Posters in the Phone and Contacts apps, and FaceTime calls and video messages. Apple does not receive the images.

A platform-side model decides what counts. Misses are common on suggestive content, and the model changes without notice.

Turn it on

  1. Open Settings, then tap Privacy & Security.

  2. Scroll down and tap Sensitive Content Warning.

  3. Turn on Sensitive Content Warning.

    Apple: it turns on for all supported apps and you can manage access for each app.

  4. Optionally turn on Communication Safety under Settings > Screen Time; Apple says that also turns on Sensitive Content Warning. Official iPhone & iPad destination (opens in a new tab)

What it covers

  • Messages, AirDrop and shared photo albums
  • Contact Posters in the Phone app and the Contacts app
  • FaceTime calls and video messages
  • Nudity in photos and video, judged on the device

What it does not cover

  • Not Safari, not the web, not social or video apps
  • It warns and blurs; Show is one tap away
  • Nudity only, in photos and video; suggestive clothed content, text and links pass
  • It lives in Privacy & Security, outside the Content & Privacy Restrictions the passcode guards
The lockLockable by another person or a network

Screen Time passcode

A four-digit passcode that must be entered before Screen Time settings change, for yourself or for a family member under 18. Share Across Devices carries the same settings and passcode to your iPad and Mac. If you add Screen Time Passcode Recovery, your Apple Account can reset it.

A passcode, a supervisor, or DNS keeps the setting from being switched back off in a weak moment.

Set a passcode for yourself

  1. Open Settings, tap Screen Time, then scroll down and tap Lock Screen Time Settings.

  2. Enter a four-digit passcode, then enter it again to verify it.

  3. Decide about Screen Time Passcode Recovery.

    With it, your Apple Account can reset the passcode; without it, a forgotten passcode is hard to undo. Apple recommends adding it. If you want the lock to hold, have someone you trust type a passcode you do not know.

  4. Turn on Share Across Devices so the same settings and passcode apply on your iPad and Mac. Official iPhone & iPad destination (opens in a new tab)

Hold the passcode for a family member under 18

  1. On your own device, open Settings, tap Screen Time, then tap the person's name under Family.

  2. Scroll down, tap Manage Screen Time, then tap Lock Screen Time Settings.

  3. Enter a four-digit passcode, then enter it again.

    You get a notification when the passcode is used on their device (iOS 18.5 or later).

  4. If you forget it, reset it from your own device: Manage Screen Time > Change Screen Time Passcode. Official iPhone & iPad destination (opens in a new tab)

What it covers

  • Every Content & Privacy Restrictions setting, including Web Content
  • Downtime, App Limits and Always Allowed
  • Your iPad and Mac too, when Share Across Devices is on

What it does not cover

  • With Passcode Recovery on, your Apple Account resets it, so a self-set lock is only as strong as your resolve
  • Whoever knows the four digits can change everything
  • Family Sharing manages Screen Time only for members under 18; another adult cannot hold your settings for you, though they can type a passcode you do not know

iPhone & iPad questions

Does Limit Adult Websites work in Chrome or other browsers on iPhone?

Apple's current consumer page only says the setting filters web content. Its deployment guide says the built-in filter restricts Safari and third-party apps. Apple does not publish a list of browsers, so test the browser you keep after turning it on.

Does Sensitive Content Warning blur things in Safari or in social apps?

No. On iPhone and iPad Apple lists Messages, AirDrop, shared photo albums, Contact Posters in the Phone and Contacts apps, and FaceTime calls and video messages. Nothing on the web.

Can I lock Screen Time so I cannot undo it myself?

The passcode is the lock. If you add Screen Time Passcode Recovery, your Apple Account can reset it. Skip recovery, or have someone you trust type the passcode. Apple recommends recovery, so weigh forgetting it against undoing it.

What if I forget the Screen Time passcode?

With recovery set up, go to Settings > Screen Time, tap Change Screen Time Passcode twice, and sign in with the Apple Account you used. For a child, the Family organizer resets it from their own device under Manage Screen Time.

What On Guard adds

On iPhone and iPad, On Guard works through these same Screen Time controls and adds the ally: if defense is switched off or the device goes quiet, the person you chose hears about it. The real-time engine runs on Mac, Windows, and Android.

The controls above are worth setting either way. On Guard is the layer for the moment a setting is not enough. How it works, explained.