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The different places a block can work
A block is a rule that refuses a request. The request can be refused in the browser, in the device, or on the network. This page maps those places for someone building a personal pause, not a product for other people.
Words you need first
A website is content reached over the internet. A domain name is the readable label for that place. A permission is a consent the device records, such as “this app may look at web addresses.”
Blocking means the usual request fails on purpose. It does not delete the site from the internet. It only changes what this device, or this network, will open.
Four familiar systems
Windows is the desktop system long associated with Microsoft personal computers. People often meet website limits through browser settings, family controls, or a local hosts file that maps a name to a dead address.
macOS is Apple’s desktop system. Screen Time is the well-known control for limiting apps and web content on a Mac signed into the same household controls. A browser on macOS can still add its own extension barrier.
Android is the mobile system maintained in the open by many makers, with Google Play as a common app source. Digital wellbeing tools and private DNS settings are two long-standing ways people add friction. App permissions decide what a blocker may see.
iOS is Apple’s phone and tablet system. Screen Time can limit adult content categories and named sites. A personal app on iOS must live inside Apple’s permission model. It cannot quietly rewrite every other app.
| Place | What it can refuse | What it can miss |
|---|---|---|
| Browser extension | Named sites in that browser | Another browser, or an app that is not the browser |
| Device control | Categories or names for that signed-in device | A second phone, or a guest account |
| Local name list | Lookups that honour that list | A direct address, or a network that ignores the file |
| Network filter | Devices that use that network | Mobile data that leaves the network |
Permissions in everyday terms
A blocker that reads every address needs a strong permission. On a personal device, that permission should be one you understand. If a tool asks to read messages, photos, or payments, that request is wider than a site block. Decline what you cannot explain.
A permission can be revoked later in system settings. Revoking it turns the barrier off. That is useful when you installed the wrong tool. It is also how a block fails if someone removes it in a hard moment.
Choosing a first door to close
- Name the device you actually use for the sites you want to pause.
- Prefer a control you can lock with a passcode you do not memorise in the moment, such as a code held by a trusted person.
- Add a second layer only after the first one is clear. Two unclear layers are harder to maintain than one clear layer.
- Write down what the layer does not cover. A phone block does not cover a work laptop.
Gambling can still cause harm if every layer is in place. Support from the National Council on Problem Gambling’s public materials, or from a clinician, remains separate from any setting.
Related reading: App parts and Safer choices.