Delete the Reddit app, then block the website. On iPhone with iOS 18 or 26, go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > App Store, Media, Web, & Games > Web Content, choose Limit Adult Websites and add reddit.com under Never Allow. To hide only NSFW posts, turn off Show mature (18+) content in Reddit's settings.
First decide what you want gone
There are three different goals, and they need different tools:
- All of Reddit, because the scrolling eats your evenings. Delete the app and block the domain.
- Only NSFW content, because that is where your browsing ends up. Start with Reddit's own setting, then decide whether that is enough.
- Less Reddit, not none. A daily time limit does that, as long as you accept that limits are easy to wave away.
How to block Reddit on iPhone
These are Apple's steps for iOS 18 and iOS 26. Check your version in Settings > General > About.
- Delete the appTouch and hold the Reddit app on the Home Screen, tap Remove App, then tap Delete App.
- Turn on Content & Privacy RestrictionsGo to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- Open Web ContentTap App Store, Media, Web, & Games, then tap Web Content, and select Limit Adult Websites.
- Add Reddit under Never AllowTap Add Website below Never Allow and enter reddit.com. Add www.reddit.com and old.reddit.com the same way.
- Stop the app coming backIn Content & Privacy Restrictions, tap iTunes & App Store Purchases and set Installing Apps to Don't Allow for the first few weeks. Turn it back on when you need to install something.
- Lock itIn Settings > Screen Time, scroll down, tap Lock Screen Time Settings and set a four-digit passcode. Ideally someone else types it.
Apple describes the web filter for Safari. If you use another browser on your iPhone, open reddit.com in it after setting the block and check that it stays closed.
How to block Reddit on Mac
On macOS 15 and 26, open System Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy > App Store, Media, Web, & Games. Under Safari, choose Limit Adult Websites, click Customize and add reddit.com and www.reddit.com to the Restricted list.
That only covers Safari. For Chrome and Firefox, add lines to the hosts file, which every browser respects: 0.0.0.0 reddit.com, 0.0.0.0 www.reddit.com and 0.0.0.0 old.reddit.com. Reddit also serves images and video from redd.it addresses (i.redd.it, v.redd.it), so add those if previews still load. Our guide to blocking websites on Mac has the full Terminal steps and the macOS 27 changes.
How to block NSFW on Reddit (and keep the rest)
Reddit has its own switch for adult content. Turning it off hides NSFW communities and posts that are marked as mature.
- Website: log in at reddit.com, open Settings, go to the Preferences tab and turn off Show mature (18+) content.
- iPhone app: Reddit says these settings are managed on the website "to comply with Apple Guidelines". Change it at reddit.com in a browser, then restart the app.
- Android app: Settings > View Options, turn off Show NSFW Content (I'm over 18).
- Old Reddit: in preferences, under content options, clear "I am over eighteen years old and willing to view adult content".
If you want to keep the setting on but see less, Reddit also offers Blur mature (18+) images and media. To stop specific communities appearing in your feed, open the community, tap the overflow menu and choose Mute. Muted communities are listed in your preferences.
Limit Reddit instead of blocking it
On iOS 18 and 26, go to Settings > Screen Time > App Limits > Add Limit, tap a category to see its apps, select Reddit, tap Next and set a daily time. Apple notes that by default limits can be ignored once reached, so set a Screen Time passcode as well. On iOS 27, Time Allowances work by category, and Apple says an allowance also applies to the website an app declares.
Want to see what the habit actually costs? Add up your daily average for a year.
Screen time calculatorYour daily screen time, added up over a year and a lifetime. And what one hour less gives you back.Why Reddit is hard to block
Reddit reaches you from many directions: the app, the website, Reddit threads in search results, links in group chats, and old.reddit.com. A block that covers only one of these just moves the habit to the next. That is why the order above matters: app gone, domain blocked on every browser, reinstall blocked, settings locked.
The second weakness is the off switch. Every method here can be undone by whoever knows the passcode or admin password. If you set the code yourself, you are the person it has to stop. Giving the code to someone else, or attaching a commitment to staying off, closes that gap better than another blocker.
Questions
How do I block Reddit on my iPhone?
Delete the app, then on iOS 18 or 26 go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > App Store, Media, Web, & Games > Web Content, select Limit Adult Websites and add reddit.com under Never Allow. Lock it with a Screen Time passcode.
How do I block NSFW content on Reddit?
Log in at reddit.com, open Settings > Preferences and turn off Show mature (18+) content. The iPhone app follows the website setting after a restart.
Can I block specific subreddits?
Not with Screen Time, DNS filters or the hosts file: they work on domains, so they block all of Reddit or none of it. Inside Reddit you can mute a community so it stops showing up in your feeds and notifications.
How do I block Reddit on a MacBook?
Add reddit.com and www.reddit.com to the Restricted list in Screen Time for Safari, and add the same addresses to the hosts file for Chrome and Firefox. See our Mac guide for the steps.
Will blocking reddit.com also stop Reddit links in Google?
Yes. The search results still appear, but the pages won't open once the domain is blocked in that browser.
Related guides
- How to block a website on Mac: Safari, Chrome and every other browserBlock any website on a Mac: Screen Time for Safari, the hosts file and DNS filtering for Chrome and Firefox, parental controls, and what each method can't stop.
- How to block a website on iPhone, and make the block stickBlock any website on iPhone with Screen Time: exact steps for iOS 18, 26 and 27, what the filter misses, and how to make a block you can't undo in two taps.
- How to stop doomscrolling: nine changes that work on your phoneWhy you doomscroll and how to stop: grayscale, batched notifications, a Screen Time schedule, a phone-free bedroom and something better to do with your hands.
- Social media detox: what it does, and a 7-day and 30-day planWhat a social media detox does according to the trials, the signs of social media addiction, and a 7-day and 30-day plan to quit or cut back for good.
Sources
- Apple, Block apps, app downloads, websites, and purchases on iPhone (iOS 26)
- Apple, Set schedules with Screen Time on iPhone (iOS 26)
- Apple, Turn off Apple In-App Purchases from Screen Time on your iPhone or iPad (iOS 27)
- Apple, Set up parental controls to manage your child's iPhone or iPad (iOS 27)
- Reddit Help, How do I view NSFW communities?
- Reddit Help, What is community muting?
General information, not medical or psychological advice. If you’re struggling, talk to a doctor, a therapist or one of the helplines on our responsible use page.