How to Set Up Parental Controls on iPhone: Screen Time Step by Step (2026)

To set up parental controls on iPhone, use Screen Time through Family Sharing. On your iPhone, go to Settings, tap Family, select your child’s name, then tap Screen Time and follow the prompts. It is free, built in, and takes about 10 minutes.

Last updated: October 2026

Every iPhone comes with a full set of parental controls called Screen Time. You do not need to buy an app or pay a subscription. Apple built these tools right into iOS, and they cover screen time limits, app approvals, content filters, and contact controls.

This guide walks you through the whole setup step by step. It is written for a parent setting up their own child’s iPhone. By the end, you will have downtime scheduled, app limits in place, and inappropriate content blocked.

What do you need before you start?

You need three things: your iPhone, your child’s iPhone, and Family Sharing set up with a child account. Family Sharing is Apple’s way of linking family members’ Apple Accounts together. It lets you manage your child’s settings from your own phone.

If you have not set up Family Sharing yet, go to Settings on your iPhone and tap your name at the top. Then tap Family Sharing and follow the prompts to add your child. For a child under 13, Apple will help you create a child Apple Account with your consent as the parent.

Make sure both iPhones are updated to a recent version of iOS. Screen Time features improve with each update, and the steps in this guide match the current layout. You can check for updates in Settings, then General, then Software Update.

You will also set a Screen Time passcode during setup. Choose a four digit code your child cannot guess. You will enter this passcode on your own device, not on your child’s phone, which keeps it private.

How do you turn on Screen Time for your child?

Apple’s recommended path is to turn on Screen Time from your own iPhone through Family Sharing. This gives you remote control, so you can change limits without holding your child’s phone. Here are the exact steps.

1. On your iPhone, open Settings.
2. Tap Family near the top, under your name.
3. Select your child’s name from the family list.
4. Tap Screen Time, then tap Turn On Screen Time.
5. Follow the on screen prompts to choose settings for downtime, app limits, and content restrictions.
6. When asked, set a Screen Time passcode on your device. Confirm it when prompted.

Once you finish, Screen Time is active on your child’s iPhone. You can now adjust every section from your own phone at any time. Your child will see that Screen Time is managed, but they cannot change the limits without your passcode.

If your child already has Screen Time turned on from their own device, you can still take over management. Go through the same Family Sharing path and Apple will link the existing Screen Time settings to your parent controls.

What does each Screen Time section control?

Screen Time is organized into sections, and each one handles a different part of your child’s phone use. The table below shows every main section, where to find it, and what it does. Use it as a quick reference while you set things up.

Start with Time Allowances and Schedules, since screen time limits make the biggest daily difference. Then move to Content and Privacy Restrictions to filter what your child can see and download. Finish with Communication Safety and Allowed Contacts.

How do you set downtime and app limits?

Downtime is a schedule when only apps you allow will work. Most parents set it for bedtime hours, such as 9 PM to 7 AM, plus homework time in the afternoon. During downtime, your child can still make calls to allowed contacts and use apps you mark as Always Allowed.

To set it, go to Screen Time on your child’s settings through Family Sharing. Tap Time Allowances and Schedules, then turn on Downtime and pick the hours. Tap Always Allowed to choose apps that stay available, like Phone, Messages, and Maps.

App limits work differently. They cap how long your child can use a single app or a whole category of apps each day. For example, you can allow one hour of games per day, or two hours of social networking. When the limit runs out, the app icon dims and your child must ask you for more time.

To add a limit, tap App Limits inside Time Allowances and Schedules, then Add Limit. Choose a category like Games or Social, or pick individual apps. Set the daily time and the days it applies to. Start generous and tighten later based on what you see in the Screen Time activity reports.

Check the activity report once a week at first. It shows which apps your child uses most and when. This helps you set fair limits instead of guessing. Many parents are surprised by how much time goes to short video apps.

How do you set communication limits?

Communication limits control who your child can talk to through Phone, FaceTime, and Messages. This is one of the most important safety settings, because it directly limits contact with strangers. You set different rules for Screen Time hours and for downtime.

Go to Screen Time, then Allowed Contacts. First, decide who your child can communicate with during allowed screen time. Most parents choose Contacts Only, which limits calls and texts to people saved in the phone. Then set stricter rules for downtime, such as only specific family members.

Keep your child’s contacts list clean. Review it together every few months and remove names neither of you recognizes. A short, known contacts list makes the communication limits far more effective.

How do you block inappropriate content?

Content and Privacy Restrictions is the section that filters what your child can see, download, and change. Turn it on first, then work through each category. The settings apply to Safari, the App Store, iTunes, and many built in apps.

• Web content: choose Limit Adult Websites to filter explicit sites in Safari automatically. You can also add specific sites to an allowed list or a blocked list.
• App age ratings: set the maximum age rating for apps, such as 9 plus or 12 plus. Apps above the rating will not appear in the App Store on your child’s phone.
• Movies and TV: set the highest allowed rating for films and shows. This applies to Apple TV and purchased content.
• Purchases: turn on Ask to Buy so your child must get your approval before downloading any app, even free ones. This also stops surprise in app purchases.
• Privacy: lock location services, contacts, and microphone access so apps cannot change these permissions without your passcode.

Ask to Buy deserves special attention. With it on, every download request goes to your iPhone for approval. You can approve or decline with one tap. This single setting prevents most unwanted app installs and is worth turning on for every child.

No filter is perfect, so treat these settings as one layer. Talk to your child about what to do when they see something uncomfortable online. Filters plus conversation work far better than filters alone.

How do you pick a Screen Time passcode your child cannot guess?

The Screen Time passcode is the key to every limit you set. If your child guesses it, they can turn everything off. Pick it as carefully as a bank PIN. Never reuse your phone unlock code or your child’s birthday.

• Use four random digits with no pattern, not 1234 or 0000.
• Avoid birthdays, anniversaries, and addresses your child knows.
• Enter the passcode on your own iPhone, never on your child’s phone where they can watch.
• Shield the screen when you type it to approve extra time in front of your child.
• Change it right away if you think your child saw it or guessed it.

If you forget the passcode, you can reset it from your own device. Go to Settings, then Family, then your child’s name, then Screen Time, and choose Change Screen Time Passcode. You will sign in with your Apple Account to prove it is you.

What can Screen Time not do?

Screen Time is strong, but it has limits you should know. It only works on Apple devices, so it cannot manage a Windows laptop, an Android tablet, or a Chromebook your child also uses. Families with mixed devices need extra tools.

It also does not read message content or show you what your child types. Communication Safety warns your child about sensitive photos, but it does not send you copies. If you need message monitoring, that is a different kind of tool, as our guide to monitoring your child’s phone explains.

Screen Time cannot control every app’s internal settings either. Apps like TikTok and Instagram have their own parental controls inside the app, such as Family Pairing. Set those separately for full coverage. Our roundup of the best parental control apps compares tools that work across platforms.

Finally, tech savvy teens can sometimes find workarounds, such as using a web browser inside another app. Keep iOS updated, review the activity reports, and keep the conversation open. No tool replaces an honest talk about online safety.

iPhone parental controls checklist

Run through this checklist once a month. Children grow fast, and the right settings for a 9 year old are too strict for a 14 year old. Loosen limits gradually as your child shows responsibility. For Android devices in the family, see our parental controls for Android guide, and for free tools read about the best free parental control apps.

If you ever consider stronger monitoring, learn how to use monitoring tools responsibly first, and compare monitoring apps with care. Built in controls should always come first.

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers to common iPhone parental control questions.