How to Block Adult Websites on Google Chrome

Tech Lockdown Team

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Updated September 5, 2024

There are many good reasons to stop watching porn, but pulling the plug can be easier said than done when you've developed a habit or even an addiction. The supply of adult content online is ever-increasing and always available, meaning that it's not enough to try and avoid explicit sites. 

You ultimately have to go out of your way to ensure that you don't encounter adult content when surfing the web.

As the  leading internet browser globally , there's a good chance you use Google Chrome when you're perusing the internet. If you've recently begun your journey into quitting porn, you might be wondering how you can block explicit websites on Google Chrome to help you break the habit for good.

Later on in the article, we'll discuss what we think is the most effective way to remove porn from your life altogether. First, let's look at how you can block adult content on your Chrome browser, along with the pros and cons of taking this approach.

Turn on Google SafeSearch

Google SafeSearch is a setting that can help filter out inappropriate content from your search results on Chrome. This tool is intended to remove explicit images or videos, violent sites, 18+ sites, and other content that is considered adult or inappropriate. However, it's worth noting that SafeSearch  is not 100% accurate  in its filtering abilities.

Unfortunately, you'll need to employ another tactic for actually stopping adult websites on Google Chrome. When you use Google SafeSearch, you only block inappropriate search results rather than the sites themselves. However, this can be a helpful tool if you would rather not have unfiltered search results pop up that could trigger your porn habit or addiction.

To turn on Google SafeSearch, you can:

• Go to the Google homepage (Google.com)
• Choose Settings on the right side of the footer
• From the pop-up menu, select Search Settings
• Enable SafeSearch filters by checking the box next to Turn on SafeSearch
• Choose Save

You can also turn on SafeSearch from a Google search results page. At the top right of the page, click on Settings. You then see the option to either Show explicit results or Hide explicit results.

SafeSearch helps filter out explicit content from your search results that are violent, gory, or pornographic. This feature can be helpful if you've had success abstaining from porn but want to ensure that explicit content doesn't appear unexpectedly in your search results. 

Use the Built-In Settings on Your Device

Depending on your devices and their operating systems, there might be features or settings that can help you block porn sites from your Chrome browser. Unfortunately, you might find that this creates a frustrating outcome where non-adult sites also end up getting blocked accidentally.

OS X 10.7 Lion through macOS 10.14 Mojave

Mac has a specific tool known as Parental Controls that you can use to block adult websites on Chrome. 

By creating a denylist for porn sites and denying access to particular apps, you might find that this helps break your porn habit by prohibiting access to adult sites.

To use the built-in settings on your Mac, you can:

• Choose Parental Controls from the System Preferences icon.
• In the lower-left corner, click the lock icon and enter your password (you can create a new user accountant change it to a Parental Controls account if this is your first time using the setting)
• From the Parental Controls dialog box, select the Web tab.
• Choose the option "Try to limit access to adult websites."

You'll see in this window that you can also create a customized list of sites to block. If you find that specific websites aren't blocked through this setting, you can add them manually to the "Never allow these websites" list before clicking OK.

MacOS 10.15 Catalina or Later

If your operating system is macOS Catalina or newer, you'll find that Parental Controls has been replaced with Screen Time. 

You can use Screen Time to block adult websites from the internet browsers on your device, including Google Chrome.

To change your settings on Screen Time:

• Choose Screen Time from System Preferences
• On the left sidebar, click on Content & Privacy and turn it on
• Choose the tab named Content and choose Limit Adult Website in the list of options next to Web Content

Screen Time will then start blocking access to sites that it deems inappropriate. You also can create a customized list of websites to block.

You can choose to set a passcode for Screen Time under the Options selection. This feature can slow down the process of turning off your Screen Time settings. However, unless you have someone else set up the passcode for you without telling you what it is, this is a relatively easy blocking system to bypass. You would need to enter the passcode to have unfiltered access to explicit sites.

Like some of the other blocking systems we've discussed, another downfall of this tool is that it can limit your access to regular websites and block access to explicit content. This limitation can be inefficient and annoying, which might lead you to change your Screen Time settings and leave you with easy access to porn sites once again.

Windows PC

If you have a Windows PC, you can add sites to a list of restricted websites. 

To do this, you'll want to:

• Open Chrome and select Settings
• Select the Advanced option and click on System
• Choose Open your computer's proxy settings
• Select the Security tab at the top of the box
• Choose Restricted Sites
• Select Sites, which will open a window titled "Restricted Sites."
• Add any websites you want to block access to
• Click Close
• Click Save

Again, this can be a helpful way to slow you down from heading to adult sites before you've had time to think about it. But it's easy enough to change these settings without even needing a password or pin code. For some people, blocking access in this way might be enough to keep them from going to adult sites. For others, though, they might find that, more often than not, this is more a minor inconvenience rather than an effective method of blocking porn sites.

Block Adult Websites on Google Chrome With Extensions

Another option you can block adult websites from Chrome is using a website blocker extension. There are several different extensions that you can choose from, many of which let you decide whether you want the blocker on all the time or during specific times of the day.

Some of the most popular porn blockers include:

• Adult Website Blocker
• BlockerX
• Site Blocker
• Adult Blocker
• Parental Control

While these extensions can help to keep you from thoughtlessly heading to an adult site, they are far from perfect.

First of all, using one of these Chrome extensions will only block adult sites on Chrome, not on other browsers. You can easily bypass the blocker by heading over to Firefox, Safari, or any different internet browser. Secondly, many of these extensions are easy to turn off, meaning that they only create an obstacle to viewing porn rather than truly stopping you in your tracks.

The Advantages of Blocking Adult Content on Google Chrome

As you can see, all of these methods for blocking adult websites on Google Chrome are ultimately not complete solutions for removing porn from your life. However, these tools can be helpful if you need a quick, cheap, temporary solution to having easy access to explicit content. For example, if you are in a public place on a shared computer and want to ensure no embarrassing search results pop up, using Google SafeSearch is an entirely reasonable tactic.

Similarly, if you are trying to ensure that you don't accidentally navigate to explicit sites while on your laptop at work or in a coffee shop, one of the site blocker extensions might suit your needs.

If your habit is in its early stages, you might find that using one of these blocking methods for Google Chrome is as effective as you need it to be. If it is enough for you to encounter obstacles when going to adult websites, many of the extensions listed above will probably get the job done. 

However, more holistic blocking methods are necessary for people with more developed porn habits. Otherwise, they will likely find an easy workaround when the desire hits.

The Disadvantages of Blocking Adult Content on Google Chrome

We've talked a lot about breaking a bad habit, starting with clearing your environment of any visual cues. If you're trying to break a porn habit or addiction, the first step is to ensure that adult content isn't just a click or search away. While blocking content on Google Chrome is better than nothing, it's ultimately too easy to turn off the extensions or settings you've set up or use a different browser.

The fact is that the videos and images you come across online aren't going to be the only things that trigger your desire to go to adult sites. You might start wandering over to porn sites when you're bored, lonely, or stressed because it's become a coping mechanism for you over time. If this is the case, only blocking adult search results or sites on your browser won't be a powerful disincentive to keep you from falling into bad habits.

If you're serious about removing porn from your life, you will probably need to do more than just blocking adult content on Google Chrome. 

If your brain decides it wants that  dopamine hit , it will find a way to get what it's looking for on other browsers or devices. On top of that, many of these tools can't be 100% effective, meaning that explicit content can still find its way onto your screen even when you've done everything right.

Another downside is that some methods won't block porn in incognito mode . Bypassing the system that you set up is as easy as opening a private window.

Rather than relying on browser-based or device-based porn blockers, we highly recommend  configuring a DNS filter  on your devices and your home network. Combined with our complete porn blocking guide, this is the most effective way to remove access to adult sites no matter what device or browser you're using.

What Is the Most Effective Way to Completely Remove Porn From Your Life?

As you can see, all of these strategies for blocking adult content from Google Chrome seem to fall a little short. They tend to have easy workarounds, meaning that these blocking systems slow you down rather than keep you from visiting porn sites. Whether you change the settings, use a different browser, or use another device, it's all too simple to have access to explicit content if you want to.

On top of that, some of these methods can end up blocking regular, non-explicit sites that make it frustrating to browse the internet or get your work done. If that's the case, there's a good chance you'll end up disabling the settings or extensions to use the internet in a friction-less way.

Tech Lockdown isn't just another porn blocker. Instead, it's a full-on blocking system to help you stop compulsive porn viewing. Rather than focusing on one browser or device, this is a holistic system that works on all of your devices.

The system we've built at Tech Lockdown is also designed to prevent circumvention. That means that you can't simply change a setting or enter a pin code to gain access to adult sites. When you implement our system and utilize our modern internet filtering service, you benefit from adding privacy to your browsing and protecting yourself from phishing, malware, and more.

By offering access to the most advanced DNS filtering and giving you step-by-step tutorials on creating the most effective blocking methods,  Tech Lockdown  is specifically designed for people serious about breaking their porn habit for good. Removing these temptations from your devices makes it much easier to resist unhealthy distractions and improve your life.