Family Sharing overview for kids and teens
iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac are some of the most powerful tools ever made for learning, exploring, and staying in touch. Family Sharing, Screen Time and other parental controls help you have a fun and safe experience while taking advantage of features like subscription sharing and everything else that your Apple device has to offer.
When you're part of a Family Sharing group
With Family Sharing, your parent or guardian can use Screen Time and other parental controls to help you make safe choices about how you use your device, what you buy and who you communicate with, and how you share important personal information.
Your parent or guardian can see which apps and websites you use the most and help you decide how much to use them. They can approve your app downloads, choose who you can add to your Contacts list, and give you more screen time. They can also see your location throughout the day.
Age requirements for Apple Account and Family Sharing vary by country or region.
Joining a Family Sharing group
If you’re under 13:
A parent or guardian creates an Apple Account for you, and it's added to your Family Sharing group.
If you’re between 13 and 17:
In most countries and regions, you can create an Apple Account yourself or have a parent or guardian create an account for you. Then your parent or guardian can invite you to your Family Sharing group.
Depending on the laws where you live, your parent or guardian might have to create your account. You might also have to join a Family Sharing group.
Learn about the settings for your Family Sharing group
It’s easy to see details about your Family Sharing group and which parental controls are set for your account.
Just open the Settings app (or System Settings on Mac), tap Family, then tap your name.
Here's what you'll see:
Parents/Guardians: The adults who can set parental controls for you and approve your Screen Time, Ask To Buy, and other requests.
Screen Time: The parental controls that your parent or guardian has turned on — like Downtime, Communication Limits, and Content & Privacy Restrictions.
Ask to Buy1: When it's turned on, you need to ask to download, purchase, or redownload shared apps from the App Store, or buy TV shows, movies, and books.
Location Sharing: Which family members can see your location throughout the day.
Depending on the laws where you live, certain settings are automatically turned on for accounts under 18.
Stay informed about your Family Sharing group
When something changes, you’ll get a notification — like when a new parent or guardian joins your group or when your parent or guardian changes your Share My Location settings.
These notifications appear on your Home Screen or Lock Screen (just like text messages), and you'll see a red exclamation mark in the Settings app.
Ask for approval
Sometimes, you might want to do something that your parent or guardian needs to approve — like texting a new friend or downloading an app. When that happens, just ask. Your parent or guardian gets your request as a text message and can approve right away.
Ask to Buy: When you want to download or buy certain things (like an eligible app, TV show, movie, or book), you get the option to tap Ask or "approve in person" if your parent or guardian is nearby. Once they approve, the item downloads automatically.
Ask for an exception: If the app you want has an age rating that's higher than what you're allowed to access, you can ask your parent or guardian for an exception to download it. If you can't find an app that you used to have, the app's age rating might have changed. The app may still be available in the App Store if you search for it. You can ask your parent or guardian for an exception to download it again.
Ask to communicate: If you want to call or message with someone (through text or in certain apps with messaging features) who isn't on your approved contacts list, you can ask your parent or guardian to add them.
Ask for more time: If you've hit an App Limit, you can tap One More Minute or send a request for more time.
How parental controls work
With Family Sharing and Screen Time, your parent or guardian can help make sure that you have a safe experience when you're using your Apple device.
Content and screen time
Your parent can help you choose age-appropriate content and manage how much time you spend on apps and websites.
App & Website Activity — Your parent or guardian can see which apps and websites that you use most, and help you decide when and how long to use them. They can also schedule Downtime, so that you can focus at school or get ready for bed without distractions.
Content & Privacy Restrictions — Your parent or guardian can make sure that the apps, games, websites and other content that you use are right for you, and prevent changes to important account settings.
Age Range for Apps — Your parent or guardian can allow you to share your age range (but not actual personal information, like your birthday) with apps to help provide an age-appropriate experience.
Web Content restriction — This setting blocks adult content on the web to help make sure that you see content that is right for your age. If you're under 18, this feature is turned on automatically for your new account or when you update to the latest software version. Depending on the laws where you live, if you want to turn this setting off, you might need an adult in your Family Sharing group who has confirmed their age to do so.
Talk and text safely
Your parent or guardian can choose who you can talk or text with and when — but they can't read your messages or listen to your conversations.
Communication Limits — Your parent or guardian can help make choices about which contacts you can talk or text with and when.
Communication Safety — This feature helps when you receive or try to send a photo or video with nudity. Communication Safety gives you an extra moment to pause and think — and, if you need more help, you can find resources to get the help that you need. If you're under 18, Communication Safety is turned on automatically for your new account or when you update to the latest software version. Depending on the laws where you live, if you want to turn this setting off, you might need an adult in your Family Sharing group who has confirmed their age to do so.
Privacy and safety
Your location and personal information are sensitive. Apple gives you control over what you share.
Location sharing
When your family organizer sets up location sharing, you choose whether or not to share your location with the rest of the group.
Apps have to ask to use your location. The first time an app wants or needs to use your location, you choose if and when to share that information. When an app is using your location from Location Services, an arrow icon appears in the status bar at the top of your iPhone or in Control Center.
Your parent or guardian can prevent changes to certain privacy settings, including Share My Location settings.
Personal information
When you see the Data and Privacy icon
, Apple is asking to use your personal information.When Apple uses your personal information, you have the chance to read more about what data is collected and how it’s used. If you need help, ask your parent or guardian to read and explain the information to you.
At any time, you can manage your data, see how it’s stored, and ask for a copy of that data — just visit your Data & Privacy page.
If you’re under 13, your parent or guardian needs to give permission when you use the Data & Privacy page to make a request related to your data.
Use intelligence features safely
Your Apple device has intelligence features that help you be more creative and get things done faster — and they're designed to protect your privacy at every step. With Content & Privacy Restrictions, your parent or guardian can choose to allow or not allow these features:
Siri — Ask Siri questions or make requests in a natural way. Your parent or guardian can choose to let you use Siri to search the web when you have a question or make a request.
Writing Tools — Use Apple Intelligence to proofread, rewrite, and summarize text in most places you write, like in Mail or Notes.
Apple Intelligence image creation tools — Image Playground, Genmoji, and Image Wand help you create original images and custom emojis, just by describing what you want.
Intelligence Extensions — If you're 13 or older, your parent or guardian can allow you to access Intelligence Extensions from Siri, Writing Tools, and more. You'll always be asked for permission before any of your information is shared.
Math Notes — Solve math problems, use variables, and even graph equations right in the Notes app.
When you’re ready to manage your own device
Depending on your age and where you live, you might be able to leave your Family Sharing group.
Under 13 — You need to be part of a Family Sharing group.
Ages 13-17 — If your parent or guardian has set up Screen Time, you need permission from your family organizer to leave the group. If Screen Time isn't turned on, talk to your parent or guardian about whether it's best for you to stay in the Family Sharing group. Depending on the laws where you live, you might not be able to leave your Family Sharing group until you turn 18.
When you turn 18, you can decide to leave your Family Sharing group or manage your own Screen Time settings. In some places, you might need to confirm that you're 18 or older before you can change certain settings or leave your Family Sharing group.
In South Korea, you might be asked to verify your age after an Ask to Buy purchase is approved by your family organizer. Learn more about age verification in South Korea.