Start with specific websites

Apple documents a way to restrict websites by URL. Its setting is called Limit Adult Websites, but that name does not establish that every gambling website will be caught automatically. Add the addresses you want restricted instead of relying on an assumed gambling-site list.

Use the steps in Apple’s website restriction guide. The current iOS 26 instructions follow this route:

  1. Open Settings and choose Screen Time.
  2. Open Content & Privacy Restrictions and enable it.
  3. Choose App Store, Media, Web, & Games, then Web Content.
  4. Select Limit Adult Websites.
  5. Under Never Allow, add the website URLs you want restricted.

Menu wording can differ on older iOS versions. Apple’s guide includes a version selector, so use the instructions that match your phone. A website restriction and a daily app time limit are different settings; neither should be described as automatically covering every betting app.

Check what your setup covers

Make a short inventory: websites, installed apps, and any other devices you use. Keep the list for yourself; there is no need to publish account names or gambling history. After configuring a restriction, check that the intended address is covered. A similarly named site or a different device needs its own consideration.

Apple also offers app restrictions, purchase controls and Screen Time schedules. Apple’s Screen Time overview explains their different roles. Check the settings you actually enabled rather than assuming that turning Screen Time on applies every restriction.

Where UrgeShield fits

UrgeShield uses Apple’s Screen Time controls to shield the apps and websites you select. You grant access and make the selections in Apple’s picker. UrgeShield does not automatically identify and select every gambling app for you.

Requesting to turn blocking off inside UrgeShield starts a 24-hour in-app unblock delay. That adds a waiting period to this app control; it does not make every device setting or route to gambling impossible to change. Your other devices are not covered by an iPhone-only setup.

Keep support within reach

A website block is a device setting, not treatment. If you want help deciding on next steps, the National Council on Problem Gambling’s helpline page explains how to reach support in the United States.

For a broader checklist, read stopping sports betting: practical next steps. If you want to understand a spending estimate, use the gambling loss calculator; its results describe your inputs, not verified account activity.

Sources and further reading