Tor Browser is powerful anti-censorship software designed to break through many kinds of network filtering and monitoring. Used by journalists and activists worldwide, it can even break through China's Great Firewall if configured correctly! Due to its design, Tor Browser is sometimes used to break through internet filtering solutions installed by parents and caregivers.

Safe Surfer is aware of the difficulties that arise for parents wanting to protect their children from accessing harmful online content, so we've developed technology that can help prevent Tor Browser from being either downloaded and/or used on devices protected by Safe Surfer wherever possible, although this depends on the kind of device being used.

Android (Samsung, Pixel etc.)

For Android mobile devices, we take advantage of special Android features so that we can block Tor Browser. If you have turned on the permanent mode, prevent uninstall, and app blocking features within the Safe Surfer app, it will block Tor Browser if you have a Pro Surfer subscription, along with the "Proxies and anonymisers" category turned on (which is enabled by default).

iPhone, iPad, and iPod

For Apple mobile devices, Apple marks web browser apps other than Safari as "17+". If the Chrome web browser app is on this device, keep in mind that this will make Chrome unavailable due to Apple's design. You can stop Tor Browser from being downloaded and/or used by navigating to the following menu on the device in question:

Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Content Restrictions > Apps > set to 12+ or lower.

Tor Browser will now be unavailable for the device. You might also like to set a passcode on the Screen Time main menu. If your household has mostly Apple devices, we suggest using Apple's Ask to Buy feature—this can help you prevent certain apps (such as VPNs) from being used as a protection workaround. Find out more by clicking this link.

Windows

Starting with Windows version 1.2.0, after installing protection, Safe Surfer blocks Tor networking systems, which stops Tor Browser from working correctly.

macOS

If our Mac app is running with the app blocking features turned on, Safe Surfer will block the Tor Browser app.

Chromebooks

Due to how Google has designed Chromebooks, we can't block Tor Browser at this stage unfortunately. In general, we strongly recommend keeping devices out of bedrooms. You might like to consider having a dedicated living space where devices can be used safely. If this is an issue, you might like to consider switching to another device, like a Windows or a Mac computer, where we can provide a better experience.

Updated on: 08/11/2026