Step 3: Set safety settings for websites and apps on your child’s device
When you set up an iPhone or iPad for your child for the first time, you can select the apps you feel are appropriate, and they can request new ones over time. When your child requests a new app, game, or website, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends reviewing it together as a family.
Each app in the App Store comes with an age rating and specifies whether it offers in-app controls, helping you evaluate whether the content is a good fit. You might also revisit the choice together after a couple of weeks to see whether it’s still working for your family.
If you’re setting up these parental controls for a child in your Family Sharing group, all devices in your family must be upgraded to version 27 or later of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, or visionOS. Learn how to update your Apple devices. | |||||||||||
Review apps before your child downloads them
With Ask to Buy, you can decide which apps your child can buy or download, helping keep content safe and appropriate. When your child wants to download or purchase something new, they send you a request in Messages, or you can approve it directly on their device. Before approving it, you can review it to see whether it’s a good fit for your family.
To get started with Ask to Buy, go to your Family Sharing settings, select your child’s name, then click or tap Ask to Buy. For more information, see Require approval for new app purchases and downloads with Ask to Buy.
Note: Ask to Buy is available in the App Store (including in-app purchases) and Apple apps such as Books. It’s turned on by default for children under 13 (and in some scenarios for teens under 18) with a Child Account. (Ages may vary by country or region.)
Review websites before your child visits them
With Ask to Browse, you can decide which websites your child can access in Safari, so they’re exploring content you’re comfortable with. When your child wants to visit a new website, they send you a request in Messages, or you can approve it directly on their device. Before approving it, you can review it to see whether it’s a good fit for your family.
To get started with Ask to Browse, go to your Family Sharing settings, select your child’s name, then click or tap Apps & Websites. For more information, see Block or allow specific apps and websites on Safari.
Note: Ask to Browse is on by default for children with a Child Account under 13, and Limit Adult Websites is on by default for children with a Child Account 13 and over. Ask to Browse applies to websites in Safari. (Ages may vary by country or region.)
Choose age-appropriate ratings for allowed books, music, movies, and more
You can adjust what your child can see and hear across Apple services like Apple Music and Apple Books based on age ratings, so they see only content that you think is appropriate for their age. You can also manage other settings, like turning on Screen Distance to help reduce eye strain or turning Siri on or off.
To get started, go to your Family Sharing settings, select your child’s name, then click or tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. For more information, see Choose age-appropriate content for movies, music, and more on your child’s device.
Note: Age-based Content and Privacy Restrictions are turned on by default for children under 18 with a Child Account. (Ages may vary by country or region.)