How to block porn on your own phone and computer (for good)

Most people who try to block porn on their own phone find the setting they turned on is just as easy to turn off. Here's a setup that holds.

Updated November 12, 2026·2 min read

Short answer

Set a DNS filter like Sheepdog Filter on each of your devices (one setup link on iPhone and Mac, Private DNS on Android, a setting on Windows), force SafeSearch, block VPNs, and name an accountability partner. With a partner, adult blocking is locked on, there's no pause button, and any change that loosens the filter waits for their OK. Your partner hears the same hour if a device goes quiet or a VPN is tried.

Why the usual fixes don't last

  • Screen Time or Family Link on your own phone: you know the passcode.
  • Browser blockers and extensions: another browser, or private mode, gets around them.
  • Deleting apps: they reinstall in seconds.

What holds is a filter you can't quietly switch off, plus someone who'd notice if you did.

The setup

  1. Sign up and name a partner at sheepdogfilter.com/accountability. Strong blocking is on from the first minute.
  2. Protect each device:
  • iPhone and iPad: tap the setup link and approve the profile.
  • Android: paste your address into Private DNS.
  • Mac: install the setup profile.
  • Windows: set encrypted DNS, plus the browser lock for Chrome, Edge, Brave and Firefox.
  1. Your partner says yes. From then on the filter is locked.

What's blocked

Adult sites (millions, with new ones added every hour), explicit search results through forced SafeSearch, VPNs, proxies and other DNS services, plus anything else you switch on, like gambling or dating.

What a partner adds

  • Adult blocking locked on, and no pause button.
  • Anything that loosens the filter waits for their OK.
  • Same-hour alerts for VPN tries and devices taken off the filter; a device that simply goes quiet is flagged after 12 waking hours.
  • A short weekly report, with a streak to celebrate.

Honest limits

A DNS filter blocks sites, not individual posts inside apps like Reddit or X. Your partner sees how often you used those, so you can talk about it. If those apps are where you struggle, block them too.

Sheepdog Filter

Easier with someone in your corner.

Porn locked off on your phone and computer, no pause button, and a short honest report each week for one person you trust. Free to start.

Start with a partner

Questions parents ask

Why do I need a partner?

The partner is what makes the filter hold. Once they say yes, adult blocking is locked on, there's no pause button, and anything that loosens the filter waits for their OK. Without someone to answer to, any blocker is one setting away from off.

Will it slow my phone down?

No. DNS lookups take milliseconds, and there's no app running in the background.

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