If your child has an iPhone or uses yours, the built-in parental controls are more powerful than most parents realise. Apple’s Screen Time feature covers everything from app restrictions and content filters to daily time limits and communication controls, and all of it is managed from a single menu without needing to download anything extra.
This guide walks through setting up parental controls on iPhone from scratch, covers the most useful features by age group, and answers the most common questions parents have about keeping the settings in place.
Where to Find Parental Controls on iPhone
Apple’s parental control system is called Screen Time. It is built into every iPhone and iPad running iOS 12 or later.
To find it:
- Open the Settings app
- Tap Screen Time
- If you are setting this up for the first time, tap Turn On Screen Time
If you are setting up Screen Time on your child’s device, tap This is My Child’s iPhone when prompted. This routes the setup through the family configuration flow and allows you to set a separate Screen Time passcode that your child cannot change.
Setting Up a Screen Time Passcode
This is the single most important step. Without a Screen Time passcode, children can simply turn off the restrictions themselves.
How to Set the Passcode
- In Screen Time settings, scroll down and tap Use Screen Time Passcode
- Enter a four-digit code
- Enter it again to confirm
- You will be prompted to enter your Apple ID to allow passcode recovery if you forget it. This is worth doing.
Use a passcode your child does not know and that is different from the device passcode. Avoid birthdays or any number your child might reasonably guess.
Content and Privacy Restrictions
Content and Privacy Restrictions are the core parental filter on iPhone. They control what apps can be downloaded, what content can be accessed and what settings can be changed.
How to Turn On Content and Privacy Restrictions
- In Screen Time, tap Content and Privacy Restrictions
- Toggle it on at the top of the screen
iTunes and App Store Purchases
Under this section, you can:
- Prevent the installation of new apps entirely
- Prevent in-app purchases (important for children with access to a device linked to a payment method)
- Require a password for every download, including free apps
For most children, setting In-App Purchases to Don’t Allow is one of the most practically important settings on this list.
Allowed Apps
This section controls which built-in Apple apps are accessible. You can remove access to:
- Safari (web browser)
- Camera
- FaceTime
- Siri
- AirDrop
- CarPlay
For younger children, removing Safari and replacing it with a child-safe browser provides better content filtering than the built-in Safari content restrictions alone.
Content Restrictions
This is where the content filter lives. Tap Content Restrictions to access:
Web Content
- Unrestricted Access: No filtering
- Limit Adult Websites: Blocks known adult content sites automatically. You can add specific sites to an allowed or blocked list.
- Allowed Websites Only: The most restrictive option. Only sites you explicitly approve are accessible.
For children under 10, Allowed Websites Only is the safest setting. For older children, Limit Adult Websites provides reasonable protection while allowing general browsing.
App Age Ratings
Set the maximum age rating for apps that can be downloaded: 4+, 9+, 12+ or 17+. Apps rated above the limit cannot be downloaded without your Screen Time passcode.
Music, Podcasts and News
Toggle Explicit content on or off. Turning this off prevents explicit music and podcast content from appearing in Apple Music and the Podcasts app.
TV Shows and Films
Set maximum content ratings for TV shows (CTC, PG, 12, 15, 18) and films (U, PG, 12, 15, 18). Content above the set rating is hidden from the device.
Books
Toggle Explicit Sexual Content off to prevent explicit books appearing in the Books app.
Siri
Disable Explicit Language and Web Search Content to prevent Siri from returning adult content in responses.
Screen Time Limits
Screen Time limits let you set daily time allowances for specific app categories or individual apps.
App Limits
- In Screen Time, tap App Limits
- Tap Add Limit
- Select a category (Social Networking, Games, Entertainment, etc.) or scroll down to select specific apps
- Set a daily time limit
When the limit is reached, the app icon goes grey and a lock appears on it. Your child can request more time, which sends a notification to your device for approval.
Always Allowed Apps
Some apps should be accessible regardless of Screen Time limits. In Always Allowed, you can specify apps that are never blocked. Phone calls, Messages to specific contacts and any safety or medical apps should go here.
Downtime
Downtime sets a schedule during which only Always Allowed apps are accessible. This is the most straightforward way to enforce no-phone time at bedtime or during school hours.
- In Screen Time, tap Downtime
- Toggle it on
- Set the start and end time
A common setup is Downtime from 8pm to 7am, which prevents phone use at bedtime and overnight without daily manual switching.
Communication Limits
Communication Limits control who your child can contact and who can contact them via Phone, FaceTime and Messages.
Setting Up Communication Limits
- In Screen Time, tap Communication Limits
- Set limits separately for During Screen Time and During Downtime
Options include:
- Everyone: No restrictions on who can be contacted
- Contacts Only: Can only communicate with people in the Contacts app
- Contacts and Groups with at Least One Contact: Adds group chats to the above
For younger children, Contacts Only is the safest option. For older children, this setting provides a way to ensure communication happens within a known circle.
Communication Safety
Under Communication Safety, Apple’s built-in nudity detection can be turned on. This uses on-device processing (nothing is sent to Apple) to detect potentially explicit images in Messages and blurs them, offering the child a choice about whether to view them and providing resources.
Family Sharing: Managing Your Child’s Device Remotely
If you set up Family Sharing, you can manage your child’s Screen Time settings from your own device and receive weekly activity reports.
Setting Up Family Sharing
- Open Settings and tap your name at the top
- Tap Family Sharing
- Tap Add Member and follow the steps to add your child’s Apple ID
Once set up, you can view your child’s screen time reports, approve app download requests and adjust their Screen Time settings from your own iPhone without needing to access their device.
Parental Controls for Specific Apps
Screen Time covers Apple’s built-in apps and app downloading, but several popular apps children use have their own separate settings worth configuring.
YouTube
YouTube is not filtered by Screen Time’s content restrictions. For children, use the YouTube Kids app instead, which has its own content filters and parental controls built in. Within YouTube Kids, a parent code locks the settings so children cannot change them.
TikTok
TikTok has a Family Pairing feature that links a parent’s account to a child’s account, allowing content filters, screen time limits and DM restrictions to be managed remotely. Access it through TikTok’s Privacy and Safety settings.
Roblox
Roblox has parental controls under Account settings, including a Parental PIN that locks the settings, content filters based on account age and the ability to restrict chat to friends only.
Snapchat
Snapchat’s Family Centre allows parents to link accounts and see who their child is messaging (though not the content of messages). Access it through Snapchat’s settings.
Common Questions About iPhone Parental Controls
Can my child turn off Screen Time themselves?
Not if you have set a Screen Time passcode they do not know. Without the passcode, Screen Time settings cannot be changed or turned off.
What happens if my child forgets or bypasses the restrictions?
If they do not have the Screen Time passcode, they cannot bypass the restrictions through normal means. Children attempting to access restricted content will see a lock screen with an option to request more time. This request goes to your device, not theirs.
Does Screen Time work on apps downloaded from outside the App Store?
No. Screen Time controls apply to apps on the device but Apple’s content filtering applies primarily to App Store downloads. Sideloaded apps (from outside the App Store) bypass some protections, which is why preventing app installation entirely is a useful setting for younger children.
How do I see what my child has been doing on their phone?
Screen Time provides a weekly activity report showing which apps were used, for how long and when. To see it, go to Screen Time on their device or on your own device if you have Family Sharing set up.
A Note on Conversation Alongside Controls
Parental controls are a tool, not a complete solution. Children who understand why limits exist and who feel they can talk to a parent about what they encounter online are better protected than children whose devices are locked down without explanation.
Using Screen Time alongside regular, non-judgmental conversations about online safety, what to do if something upsetting appears, and how to handle contact from strangers provides protection that filters alone cannot.
