How to Block Adult Websites on Google Chrome
If you're trying to block adult websites while using Chrome, you have several options to consider. In addition to some of the standard ways to block adult content traditionally (by toggling on SafeSearch for example), there other, more powerful ways that are significantly harder to undo later. Many of these options can enabled at the same time, meaning that you can achieve a solid blocking system.
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 browsing the web. Some of your options to limit adult content are specific to Chrome, for example:
- Enable and enforce SafeSearch so that it can't be disabled in a variety of different ways.
- Set browser restrictions that prevent deleting browsing history or browsing incognito.
- Set other restrictions, like using guest profiles or accessing other sensitive settings.
However, there are other ways that are a bit more broad and can block content or lock settings across all browsers:
- Block specific websites that are a stumbling block.
- Enforce restrictions on other browsers.
- Disable features on either Mac, Windows, or smartphone devices.
Let's look at some of the options available specifically to Google Chrome first.
Filter Explicit Search Results
The first (and easiest) step you can take is to limit search results as much as possible.
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.
There are several ways that you can enabled SafeSearch in such a way that it cannot be disabled. Since you may need to account for the many differences across different device platforms, I've gone into more detail in the dedicated guide to force Google SafeSearch . Additionally, many of the restrictions I discuss in the guide can apply to other browsers, not just Chrome.
However, it's worth noting that SafeSearch is not 100% accurate in its filtering abilities. You'll need to employ another tactic for actually stopping adult websites being visited as opposed to limited search results. Even if you use Google SafeSearch, you only block inappropriate search results rather than the sites themselves. I'd recommend check out my other recommendations below.
Block Websites Based on Categories
SafeSearch is great first step if you're trying to remove adult content results, but how can you block websites specifically?
The most comprehensive approach is block websites that match a specific category, like adult content or adult themes. The easiest way to do this across all of your devices is with a Content Policy .
A content policy allows you to assign an action to a specific type of content. For example, if I'm trying to block adult content, I can customize my policy to block any website that matches the adult content/adult themes categories.
Even better, you can also Enforce SafeSearch or YouTube Restricted mode with your policy, either instead of or in addition to other techniques. However, if you need a more strict approach to filtering content, combine multiple approaches at once to make it far more difficult to undo later.
Block Websites That Use Certain Keywords
Some websites might use keywords that are a strong signal for something you'd want to block.
You can also use a Content Policy to block websites based on the keywords used in the website address.
It'll look something like this:
- I don't want the ability to access any website with the "example" keyword in it's name.
- I'll create a block that checks a website domain for the "example" keyword.
- If I later try to visit "example.com" or "someexamplewebsite.com", both websites will be blocked.
This is called "Keyword Filtering", and it can be particularly effective against new websites or websites that potentially cover content you'd want to block. A more advanced version of this is called "URL Filtering", which goes a step further and blocks any keyword that appears in the entire URL in your browser's search bar.
I talk more about both of these options in the dedicated guide to filtering website keywords . Especially when it comes to URL filtering, there are many options you'll need to consider depending on which device you're using.
Filtering Image and Video Searches
Another problem you may need to consider is how you can limit images or videos that are searchable using the Google Images feature. Google Images in particular can be difficult to fully remove without causing the rest of Google Search to fail.
Similar to the topics I've discussed above, there's a lot of complexity around how to do this effectively. If you're interested, I'd recommend checking my dedicated guide to blocking Google Images if this sounds like an option for you.
Increase Browsing Transparency
If you are working with an Accountability Partner or loved one to break habits online, another option you can consider is to make your browser more transparent.
By more transparent, I mean removing features that could be used to hide browsing activity, like:
- Deleting Search and Browsing History
- Using Incognito Windows
- Using Guest Profiles or adding new Browser Profiles
Most browsers have all of these features enabled by default, but it possible to disable these features in such a way that it can't be re-enabled later through your browser's settings. Many of these restrictions work on other browser too, like Safari or Microsoft Edge.
Learn how to disable these features in my dedicated guide to disabling incognito mode and private browsing.
You can take this a step further and monitor websites visited using DNS Traffic Logs. If you've connected your devices to a Content Policy , you can choose to examine DNS logs, which will show a list of websites visited.