Device controls · Mac

Checked August 18, 2026

Mac: Screen Time's web filter is a Safari setting

On a Mac, Screen Time's Limit Adult Websites sits under an option Apple labels Safari. It filters Safari; other browsers may ignore it. The Screen Time passcode is the only lock, and Apple's own page says your Mac password or Touch ID can stand in for it when you change or remove it.

Filters classified contentLimit Adult Websites (Screen Time > Content & Privacy)

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

The honest line

Apple files the Mac web filter under Safari; other browsers may ignore it; the Screen Time passcode is the lock, and your own Mac password or Touch ID can replace it.

Who can lock it: The Screen Time passcode (Lock Screen Time Settings). Apple's page says you can change or remove it by entering the passcode or by verifying your identity with your password or Touch ID, so on your own Mac the lock holds only if someone else holds the administrator password.

Availability: Paths follow Apple's current macOS 26 Mac User Guide. Screen Time lives in System Settings; you need App & Website Activity turned on before Content & Privacy appears.

On this page
Start hereFilters classified content

Limit Adult Websites

In System Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy > App Store, Media, Web, & Games, the web option is labeled Safari. Apple: Limit Adult Websites automatically limits access to many adult websites, and Customize lets you add Allowed and Restricted sites. Allowed Websites Only turns it into an allowlist.

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

On your own Mac

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Screen Time in the sidebar.

    If you are a parent or guardian in a Family Sharing group, click the Family Member pop-up menu and choose yourself.

  2. If Screen Time is off, click App & Website Activity, then click Turn On App & Website Activity.

  3. Click Content & Privacy and turn it on, then click App Store, Media, Web, & Games.

  4. Under Safari, select Limit Adult Websites. Click Customize to add Allowed or Restricted sites.

    Allowed Websites Only limits browsing to the list you build.

  5. Back in Screen Time, scroll down and turn on Lock Screen Time Settings, then enter a four-digit passcode. Official Mac destination (opens in a new tab)

For a family member under 18

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Screen Time in the sidebar.

  2. Click the Family Member pop-up menu, then choose the person.

    If you do not see the pop-up menu, make sure you are signed in to your Apple Account and using Family Sharing.

  3. Click Content & Privacy, turn it on if it is off, then click App Store, Media, Web, & Games.

  4. Under Safari, select Limit Adult Websites or Allowed Websites Only. Official Mac destination (opens in a new tab)

What it covers

  • Safari, which is the label Apple gives the setting
  • Sites you add to the Restricted list
  • Allowed Websites Only mode: everything except your list

What it does not cover

  • Apple's Mac page names only Safari; other browsers may not follow the filter, so test each one you keep, or remove them
  • A classifier: some adult sites pass and some ordinary sites get blocked
  • Photos and video inside apps are not websites; they are not judged
  • Anyone who can enter the Screen Time passcode, or the Mac's password or Touch ID, can set it back to Unrestricted Access
Also usefulHides labeled media

Store Restrictions and media ratings

Content & Privacy > Store Restrictions caps ratings for movies, TV shows and apps and lets you turn off Explicit Books, Explicit Music, Podcasts, and News, and Music Videos. It works on labels applied in Apple's stores and services.

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

On the Mac

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Screen Time, then click Content & Privacy.

  2. Click Store Restrictions.

  3. Under Allowed Content, choose a rating level for Movies, TV Shows and Apps.

  4. Turn off Explicit Books, Explicit Music, Podcasts, and News, and Music Videos as you see fit. Official Mac destination (opens in a new tab)

What it covers

  • Movies, TV shows and apps above the rating you allow, in Apple's stores
  • Explicit-tagged books, music, podcasts and news, and music videos

What it does not cover

  • Labels only; nothing an allowed app displays is checked
  • Covers Apple's stores and media services, not what a browser loads
  • Apps already on the Mac stay
Also usefulFilters classified content

Sensitive Content Warning

On-device detection that blurs a photo or video that might contain nudity before you choose to view it. On Mac Apple lists Messages, Contact Posters in the Phone and Contacts apps, and shared photo albums. Communication Safety in Screen Time adds Messages, FaceTime, the Photos picker and shared albums.

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

Turn it on

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Privacy & Security in the sidebar, then click Sensitive Content Warning.

  2. Turn on Sensitive Content Warning.

  3. Turn on access for the apps and services where you want the warning. Official Mac destination (opens in a new tab)

  4. Optionally, in Screen Time click Communication Safety and turn it on; Apple says that turns Sensitive Content Warning on automatically.

What it covers

  • Messages and shared photo albums
  • Contact Posters in the Phone app and the Contacts app
  • With Communication Safety on: FaceTime and the Photos picker as well
  • 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 blurs; Show is one click away
  • Nudity only, in photos and video; suggestive clothed content, text and links pass
The lockLockable by another person or a network

Screen Time passcode

Lock Screen Time Settings sets a four-digit passcode that must be entered before Screen Time restrictions change, for yourself or a family member under 18. Apple's Mac page adds that changing or removing it also accepts your password or Touch ID, so on your own Mac the passcode alone is not a wall.

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

Set it

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Screen Time in the sidebar.

  2. Scroll down, then turn on Lock Screen Time Settings.

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

    Turn on Share across devices if you want the same Screen Time settings on your iPhone and iPad.

  4. If you forget it, Apple points to its article on resetting a Screen Time passcode with your Apple Account. Official Mac destination (opens in a new tab)

Make it hold on your own Mac

  1. Know the hole first.

    Apple says a passcode can be changed or removed with the passcode, or by verifying your identity with your password or Touch ID.

  2. Use a standard account for daily work and let someone you trust hold the administrator password.

    Apple prompts to convert a family member's administrator account to a standard account when setting up Screen Time for them; the same logic applies to your own lock.

  3. Have that person type a Screen Time passcode you do not know.

What it covers

  • Content & Privacy restrictions, including the Safari web setting
  • Downtime, App Limits and Always Allowed
  • Your iPhone and iPad too, when Share across devices is on

What it does not cover

  • Your own Mac password or Touch ID can change or remove it, so a self-set lock on an administrator account 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

Mac questions

Does Limit Adult Websites on Mac filter Chrome or Firefox?

Apple's Mac User Guide labels the setting Safari and does not name other browsers. Treat other browsers as unfiltered unless you test them, or use a DNS filter that covers everything.

Can I lock myself out of the setting?

Only partly. Apple says the passcode can be changed or removed with the passcode or by verifying your identity with your password or Touch ID. If you know your Mac's password, you can undo it. Work from a standard account and let someone else hold the administrator password if you want it to hold.

Does Sensitive Content Warning cover Safari on Mac?

No. On Mac Apple lists Messages, Contact Posters in the Phone and Contacts apps, and shared photo albums. Communication Safety adds FaceTime and the Photos picker. Nothing on the web.

I forgot the Screen Time passcode. Now what?

Apple's article resets it through the Apple Account you set up for Screen Time Passcode Recovery: choose Change Screen Time Passcode twice and sign in. For a child, the Family organizer resets it from their own device.

What On Guard adds

On Guard on Mac detects explicit content on the screen itself, in every browser and app, keeps every frame on the device, puts up a gate, and texts an ally a check-in with no details, so it does not depend on which browser you open.

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.