Use parental controls on your child's iPhone and iPad
With Content & Privacy Restrictions in Screen Time, you can block or limit specific apps and features on your child's device. You can also restrict the settings on your iPhone and iPad for explicit content, purchases and downloads, and privacy.
Set Content & Privacy Restrictions
To make sure that your parental control settings sync across devices, update all of the devices in your Family Sharing group to the latest software version before turning on parental controls or changing your parental controls settings.
Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
Tap Turn on Screen Time, then tap it again. Choose "This is My [Device]" or "This is My Child's [Device]."
If you're the parent or guardian of your device and want to prevent another family member from changing your settings, tap Use Screen Time Passcode to create a passcode, then re-enter the passcode to confirm. After you confirm your passcode you'll be asked to enter your Apple ID and password. This can be used to reset your Screen Time passcode if you forget it.
If you're setting up Screen Time on your child's device, follow the prompts until you get to Screen Time Passcode and enter a passcode. Re-enter the passcode to confirm. After you confirm your passcode you'll be asked to enter your Apple ID and password. This can be used to reset your Screen Time passcode if you forget it.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. If asked, enter your passcode, then turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
Make sure to choose a passcode that's different from the passcode that you use to unlock your device. To change or turn off the passcode on your child's device, tap Settings > Screen Time > [your child's name]. Then tap Change Screen Time Passcode or Turn Off Screen Time Passcode, and authenticate the change with Face ID, Touch ID, or your device passcode.
Learn what to do if you forgot your Screen Time passcode
With iOS 16 or later, while you're setting up Screen Time for a child's device, you can set age-related restrictions for content in apps, books, TV shows, and movies. Just follow the onscreen instructions during setup.
Prevent iTunes & App Store purchases
You can also prevent your child from being able to install or delete apps, make in-app purchases in apps installed from the App Store, and more. To prevent iTunes & App Store purchases or downloads:
Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. If asked, enter your passcode.
Tap iTunes & App Store Purchases (or App Installations & Purchases).
Choose a setting and set to Don't Allow.
You can also change your password settings for additional purchases from the iTunes & App Store or Book Store. Follow steps 1-3, then choose Always Require or Don't Require.
Learn more about managing app installation preferences for your child's iPhone in the EU
Allow built-in apps and features
You can restrict the use of built-in apps or features. If you turn off an app or feature, the app or feature won't be deleted, it's just temporarily hidden from your Home Screen. For example, if you turn off Mail, the Mail app won't appear on your Home Screen until you turn it back on.
To change your Allowed Apps:
Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions.
Enter your Screen Time passcode.
Tap Allowed Apps.
Select the apps that you want to allow.
Prevent explicit content and content ratings
You can also prevent the playback of music with explicit content and movies or TV shows with specific ratings. Apps also have ratings that can be configured using content restrictions.
To restrict explicit content and content ratings:
Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions, then tap Content Restrictions.
Choose the settings that you want for each feature or setting under Allowed Store Content.
Here are the types of content that you can restrict:
Music, Podcasts, News, Fitness: Prevent the playback of music, music videos, podcasts, news, and workouts containing explicit content
Music Videos: Prevent finding and viewing music videos
Music Profiles: Prevent sharing what you're listening to with friends and seeing what they're listening to
Movies: Prevent movies with specific ratings
TV Shows: Prevent TV shows with specific ratings
Books: Prevent content with specific ratings
Apps: Prevent apps with specific ratings (or Unrated apps in the EU)
App Clips: Prevent app clips with specific ratings
Prevent web content
iOS and iPadOS can automatically filter website content to limit access to adult content in Safari and other apps on your device. You can also add specific websites to an approved or blocked list, or you can limit access to only approved websites. Follow these steps:
Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and enter your Screen Time passcode.
Tap Content Restrictions, then tap Web Content.
Choose Unrestricted Access, Limit Adult Websites, or Allowed Websites.
Depending on the access you allow, you might need to add information, like the website that you want to restrict.
Each time your child updates a device signed in with their Apple ID to iOS 17, iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, or macOS Sonoma for the first time, Web Content Restrictions is reset to Limit Adult Websites for all their devices.
Restrict Siri web search
To restrict Siri features:
Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions, then tap Content Restrictions.
Scroll down to Siri, then choose your settings.
You can restrict these Siri features:
Web Search Content: Prevent Siri from searching the web when you ask a question
Explicit Language: Prevent Siri from displaying explicit language
Restrict Game Center
To restrict Game Center features:
Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions, then tap Content Restrictions.
Scroll down to Game Center, then choose your settings.
You can restrict these Game Center features:
Multiplayer Games: Prevent the ability to play multiplayer games with everyone, allow with friends only, or allow with anyone
Adding Friends: Prevent the ability to add friends to Game Center
Connect with Friends: Prevent the ability to share a Game Center friend list with third-party games
Screen Recording: Prevent the ability to capture the screen and sound
Nearby Multiplayer: Prevent the ability to enable the nearby setting
Private Messaging: Prevent the ability to voice chat or send or receive custom messages with game and friend invitations
Profile Privacy Changes: Prevent the ability to change profile privacy settings
Avatar & Nickname Changes: Prevent the ability to change Game Center avatars and nicknames
Allow changes to privacy settings
The privacy settings on your device give you control over which apps have access to information stored on your device or the hardware features. For example, you can allow a social-networking app to request access to use the camera, which allows you to take and upload pictures.
To allow changes to privacy settings:
Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. If asked, enter your passcode.
Under Privacy, tap the setting that you want to change.
Here are the things you can restrict:
Location Services: Lock the settings to allow apps and websites to use location
Contacts: Prevent apps from accessing your Contacts
Calendars: Prevent apps from accessing your Calendar
Reminders: Prevent apps from accessing your Reminders
Photos: Prevent apps from requesting access to your photos
Share My Location: Lock the settings for location sharing in Messages and Find My Friends
Bluetooth sharing: Prevent devices and apps from sharing data through Bluetooth
Microphone: Prevent apps from requesting access to your microphone
Speech Recognition: Prevent apps from accessing Speech Recognition or Dictation
Apple Advertising: Prevent changes to advertising settings
Allow Apps to Request to Track: Prevent tracking activity by apps that you've denied access to
Media & Apple Music: Prevent apps from accessing your photos, videos, or music library
Allow changes to other settings and features
You can allow changes to other settings and features, the same way you can allow changes to privacy settings.
Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. If asked, enter your passcode.
Under Allow Changes, select the features or settings that you want to allow changes to and choose Allow or Don't Allow.
Here are some features and settings that you can allow changes for:
Passcode Changes: Prevent changes to your passcode
Account Changes: Prevent account changes in Accounts & Passwords
Cellular Data Changes: Prevent changes to cellular data settings
Reduce Loud Sounds: Prevent changes to volume settings for safe listening
Driving Focus: Prevent changes to the Driving Focus
TV Provider: Prevent changes to TV provider settings
Background App Activities: Prevent changes to whether or not apps run in the background
Make changes to health and safety features
Some Screen Time features may be turned on by default for children in a Family Sharing group.
Learn about Communication Safety on your child's iPhone or iPad
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