How to Block Porn on Android

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: March 14, 2021 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to prevent someone from accessing pornography on an Android smartphone or tablet.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Enabling SafeSearch

1
Open Google Chrome
. Tap the Chrome app icon, which resembles a red, yellow, green, and blue sphere.
2
Open the Search Settings page. Go to https://www.google.com/preferences in the Chrome address bar at the top of the page.^{[1]
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3
Tap the "Filter explicit results" checkbox. It's near the top of the screen. This will enable the SafeSearch filter, which blocks mature content up to and including pornography, in Chrome.
4
Scroll down and tap Save. This blue button is at the bottom of the page. Doing so saves your settings and reloads the Google search page.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Using SPIN Safe Browser

1
Open the
Google Play Store. Tap the Google Play Store app icon, which resembles a multicolored triangle, to do so.
- SPIN Safe Browser is an app which prevents sexually explicit content (among other age-restricted content) from appearing in search results.
2
Tap the search bar. It's at the top of the screen. Doing so brings up your Android's on-screen keyboard.
3
Search for the SPIN Safe Browser app. Type spin browser into the search bar, then tap SPIN Safe Browser in the drop-down menu.
4
Tap INSTALL. It's near the top of the screen.
5
Tap ACCEPT when prompted. Doing so will prompt the SPIN Safe Browser app to begin installing.
6
Open the SPIN Safe Browser. Tap OPEN in the Google Play Store, or tap the SPIN Safe Browser app icon.
7
Browse without worrying about porn. Typing any search query that would usually produce explicit results into the SPIN Browser search bar will only show SafeSearch-approved results, meaning that porn sites won't even appear as links or images.
- Keep in mind that porn will still be accessible in other browsers such as Google Chrome, Firefox, and so on. Removing these browsers from the Android in question will limit your options for viewing porn.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Enabling SafeSearch in the Google App

1
Open the Google app. Tap the Google app icon, which resembles a red, yellow, green, and blue "G".
2
Tap ☰. It's in the bottom-right corner of the screen. A menu will appear.
3
Tap Settings. You'll find it near the bottom of the menu.
4
Tap Accounts & privacy. This option is near the middle of the screen. Selecting it opens a menu.
5
Tap the grey "SafeSearch filter" switch
. It will turn blue
. From this point on, the Google app will filter out sexually explicit search results.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Using Google Family Link

1
Make sure that you qualify to use Family Link. You must meet the following criteria before you can use Family Link:^{[2]
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- Your kid must be under 13 years old.
  - You can also just create a Google Account for a sub-13-year-old if you want to use Family Link for a teenager.
- Your kid's phone or tablet must use Android Nougat (Android 7.0) or higher.
- You must have a Google Account.
- You must live in a supported area.
  - Supported areas include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and United States.
2
Download the Family Link app on your Android. Be sure to do this on the Android from which you want to control another Android, not on the Android on which you want to block porn. Open the
Google Play Store, then do the following:
- Tap the search bar.
- Type in family link
- Tap Google Family Link
- Tap INSTALL
- Tap ACCEPT when prompted.
3
Open Family Link. Tap OPEN in the Google Play Store, or tap the Family Link app icon. The Family Link app will open to the introduction screen.
4
Tap
three times. This icon is at the bottom of the screen. Doing so will take you to the beginning of the Family Link setup process.
5
Tap GET STARTED. You'll see this option at the bottom of the screen.
6
Tap START. It's in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
7
Answer the questions. In order to set up Family Link on your Android, you'll have to select the correct answers by doing the following in the lower-right corner of the screen:
- Tap YES
- Tap YES
- Tap YES, I AGREE
8
Tap NEXT twice. This will take you to the account creation section.
9
Create a Google Account for your kid. Unfortunately, even if your kid already has a Google Account, you'll have to create a new one for them. Do the following:
- Enter your kid's name and tap NEXT
- Enter your kid's date of birth and tap NEXT
- Enter an email address for your kid and tap NEXT
- Enter a password for your kid and tap NEXT twice.
- Check the "I agree" box, then tap AGREE
- Enter your card details for the $0.01 confirmation transaction, then tap ACCEPT
10
Connect the kid's phone to your Family Link account. Tap NEXT twice, then follow the on-screen instructions to set up your kid's phone with Family Link. Once you've finished adding the kid's phone to Family Link, you can proceed.
11
Change app permissions. Each Android phone comes with a certain set of pre-installed apps; once you're finished setting up Family Link, you'll be prompted to allow or block each app before the setup process is complete.
- Blocking apps such as Google Play Music will help moderate the content that your kid can access.
- Apps like YouTube and Android Pay are blocked by default as you must be over 13 years old to use them.^{[3]
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12
Enable SafeSearch for browsers. Like most Android phones, your kid's phone most likely has up to three built-in browsers: Google Chrome, Google Search, and a stock "Web" or "Internet" browser. You can enable SafeSearch—a filter which blocks pornography—by doing the following for each browser:
- Select the app in question (e.g., Google Chrome).
- Tap Permissions
- Find and tap the SafeSearch option.
13
Finish setting up Family Link. Once you're done with the setup process, your child will have an Android phone that cannot access pornography, mature content, or unapproved apps without your explicit permission.

Community Q&A

Question

How can I block all dirty sites?

Community Answer

You can block the majority of them with software such as Net Nanny or K9 Web Administrator.
Question

How do I forget the password so I can't access the porn by unblocking?

Community Answer

Blindly type anything, or you can let a helping friend put the password in for you.
Question

Does this cost money?

Community Answer

No.