Setting up Screen Time and Family Sharing on a child's iPhone

Apple's parental controls are built in and free. They work best when your child has their own child account in your Family Sharing group, so you can manage everything from your own iPhone.

Step 1: Set up Family Sharing

On your iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Family. Tap to add a member and choose to create a child account. Enter your child's real birthday. Apple uses age to set defaults and to turn on protections for children automatically.

If your child already has an Apple Account, you can invite them to your family instead.

Step 2: Turn on Screen Time

In Settings, go to Screen Time, choose your child's name, and turn it on. Apple walks you through the main settings.

Downtime

Blocks most apps during set hours, like a bedtime. Try 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM on school nights. Choose whether a request for more time needs your approval.

App Limits

Set daily limits for categories (Games, Social) or specific apps.

Always Allowed

Choose apps that work even during Downtime: Phone, Messages to family, Maps.

Communication Limits

Control who your child can call, message and FaceTime, during allowed time and during Downtime. For younger children, contacts only.

Communication Safety

Warns your child and blurs images that may contain nudity in Messages, AirDrop, FaceTime and other supported apps. It's on by default for children under 13 in many regions; check it's on.

Step 3: Content & Privacy Restrictions

Under Screen Time, Content & Privacy Restrictions:

• iTunes & App Store Purchases: set In-app Purchases to Don't Allow, and require a password.
• Content Restrictions: set app, film, TV and book ratings to your child's age. Set web content to Limit Adult Websites, or Allowed Websites Only for young children.
• Location Services: share location with family; turn off for apps that don't need it.
• Account changes and passcode changes: set to Don't Allow so restrictions can't be removed.

Step 4: Ask to Buy

In Family settings, choose your child and turn on Ask to Buy. Every download or purchase sends you a request.

Step 5: The Screen Time passcode

If you set up Screen Time on your child's own device rather than through Family Sharing, choose a Screen Time passcode that's different from the phone's unlock code. Don't enter it where your child can see.

Things to know

• Screen Time reports show how long your child used each app, but not what they did inside it.
• Some limits can be extended with one tap ("one more minute") unless you require approval.
• Settings inside apps such as TikTok, YouTube and Roblox are separate. Use their own controls too.
• If your child gets a new iPhone, make sure it signs in with the same child account so settings carry over.

Related: how kids get around parental controls and how much screen time is right.