Set up Apple’s
parental controls.

1. Start with the right accounts and a parent passcode.

1. Set up Apple Family Sharing, and add your child’s own Apple Account. Do not share your adult account with them. Manage their controls from a family organizer or parent/guardian device.[1]
2. In the upgraded controls, open Settings → Family → your child and complete the setup. In the older experience, open Settings → Screen Time → your child and follow the setup instructions.[3][2]
3. Lock the settings with a Screen Time passcode your child cannot guess. In upgraded controls: Manage Screen Time → Lock Screen Time Settings; follow the passcode recovery instructions. This is separate from the child’s device-unlock passcode.[8]

Our suggestion: Explain what each rule does before turning it on. Keep your recovery account and passcode private, but make the rules themselves visible.

2. Choose when apps are available—and how much time they get.

Upgraded iOS / iPadOS 27 controls

1. Open Settings → Family → your child → Screen Time Schedule. Turn on Schedule, tap Add Schedule, and choose the days.[6]
2. Add or edit time windows. Choose the times and the allowed app categories for each window. Set separate school-day and weekend plans if needed.[6]
3. Open Time Allowances in your child’s settings. Set the daily total and category allowances; use Match Screen Time Schedule if you want allowances tied to the schedule. Categories and app assignments can be adjusted.[6]

Older controls: Downtime and App Limits

1. Open your child’s Screen Time → App Limits → Add Limit. Select a category, or expand it to select an individual app. Tap Next, set the daily allowance, and save. Multiple apps in one limit share that allowance.[4]
2. Open Downtime → Scheduled. Choose daily or customized days and the hours when apps should be unavailable.[4]
3. With a Screen Time passcode set, turn on Block at Downtime if you want blocking rather than a reminder that can be ignored.[4]
4. Review Always Allowed for essential apps and contacts.[4]

3. Decide which websites and apps are available.

Upgraded controls

1. Open Settings → Family → your child → Apps & Websites → Restrictions → Filtering under Websites.[1]
2. Choose Limit Adult Websites for filtering, or Approved Websites Only to use Ask to Browse. Ask to Browse lets a child request approval for new sites in Safari and other supported browsers; it is not a promise to cover every browser or app.[1]
3. In Apps & Websites, select an app or website and choose Block App or Block Website if it should remain unavailable.[1]

Older controls

In your child’s Screen Time, turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions. In the iOS 26 menus, open App Store, Media, Web, & Games → Web Content. Choose Limit Adult Websites; add specific blocked URLs under Never Allow → Add Website. Earlier versions may name this menu differently.[5]

In Content & Privacy Restrictions, review age ratings for apps, movies, books, and music. In older controls, Allowed Apps & Features manages built-in features; the upgraded experience organizes these differently.[5][1]

Check the other route: Blocking the YouTube app and blocking youtube.com are different choices. Test both the app and browser, and use our YouTube guide for account-level content controls.

4. Manage downloads and purchases separately.

In upgraded controls, open Settings → Family → your child → Apps & Websites → Restrictions → Ask to Buy and enable Require Purchase Approval. Use Apps & Websites → App Store to review installation and purchase settings.[1]

In older controls, review Content & Privacy Restrictions → iTunes & App Store Purchases for store purchase and redownload restrictions, and review Ask to Buy in your family settings.[5][2]

Our suggestion: Decide separately whether to approve new downloads, allow in-app purchases, and allow app removal. Review any alternative app-distribution settings available in your region using Apple’s regional guidance.

5. Review contacts, sensitive content, and settings changes.

• Contacts: In upgraded controls, use Allowed Contacts to choose who your child can communicate with and whether they can edit contacts. This covers Apple’s Phone, Messages, and FaceTime controls—not every social or game chat.[1]
• Communication Safety: Review the setting in your child’s family controls. It helps detect sensitive photos and videos; it is not a review of every conversation.[1]
• Account and privacy changes: In upgraded controls, open Content & Privacy Restrictions → Privacy Restrictions and review categories such as Accounts. In older controls, review the Privacy and Allow Changes To sections.[1][5]
• Games and AI features: Review Game Center interaction settings and Siri / Apple Intelligence restrictions where available. They have their own controls; a daily time budget is not a content or chat filter.[1][5]

6. Test the plan on the child’s device.

This is our recommended check—not a guarantee that any filter catches everything.

• Try a short limit. Open a managed app before and after the boundary. Check whether the child can dismiss the limit or needs parent approval.
• Try a harmless blocked site. Test Safari and every other browser the child can open. Approve school resources they actually need.
• Check essentials during the boundary. Verify access to you, caregivers, accessibility tools, and needed school or health apps. Do not place a test call to emergency services.
• Test a new download request. Confirm the request reaches the correct adult before relying on approvals.
• Check the next device too. A shared tablet, television, console, or different account needs its own review.

If an app stays blocked after granting time, check both Apple’s limits and TenMore, if installed. Confirm the intended child account, device connectivity, and the menus matching your software version.