Set up parental controls on an iPhone with Apple's Screen Time and Family Sharing. Start with your child's own Apple Account in your family group, then choose settings that support your rules about device use and content. The same preparation applies to an iPad, including explaining the rules before switching them on.
Think about the whole evening rather than just the phone in front of you. Schoolwork, games and conversations with friends may all happen on one device. Your first job is to decide which activities need which boundaries, so the settings serve a clear purpose.
What should you agree before opening Settings?
Choose a quiet moment when your child is not halfway through a game. Ask what they do on the device and what they need for school. Reading an assignment and watching a stream of videos are different activities, even when both involve the same screen.
Write down a few practical rules. You might agree where phones stay during meals, how a gaming session ends and who approves a new app. These are suggestions for organising family life, rather than medical time limits for every child.
Agree exceptions too. How will your child contact you if the bus is late? What happens when a group assignment takes longer than expected? Adults need a shared response so a reasonable request does not become a negotiation with whichever parent is holding a phone.
For examples, see family screen time rules. Include your own habits in the discussion: a rule about putting devices away is easier to explain when adults make room for it as well.
How do you prepare Family Sharing?
Apple says each family member should use their own Apple Account. Avoid signing your child into yours. Check whether their existing account already belongs to your family group before creating another one.
Apple describes setting up a group through Settings → your name → Family → Continue on your iPhone or iPad. Follow the prompts to add members. If a new child account is needed, the organiser uses Settings → Family → Add Member → Create Child Account and follows the instructions.
Enter the correct birthday. Apple's account requirements and some default protections vary by age and region. An invented birthday may make later settings harder to understand, especially when the options do not match your child's situation.
Keep account information somewhere secure that the responsible adult can access. If another parent helps manage devices, agree who changes the rules and how you communicate exceptions. Clear adult responsibilities matter just as much as the initial setup.
Where do you turn on Screen Time?
Apple's current setup route is Settings → Family → your child's name → Screen Time, followed by the onscreen instructions. Check software updates across the family devices before expecting supported settings to synchronise properly.
The interface depends on the software version. Apple's current help describes redesigned controls for iOS and iPadOS 27, while the linked iOS 26 guide also uses Settings → Screen Time → child under Family. If some devices cannot be updated, use the official guide for the interface you actually have.
Start with the rule that matters most to your family. For example, establish a predictable end to leisure use on a school night. Add further restrictions gradually so you can identify which change affects a school task or an important contact.
What does the Screen Time passcode protect?
The Screen Time passcode is separate from the code used to unlock the device. Apple says a parent managing a child through Family Sharing sets it on the parent's own device. The current help gives Settings → Screen Time → child → Manage Screen Time → Lock Screen Time Settings, then confirmation of the chosen code.
Explain that your child can discuss a rule without having permission to change it. A request for extra time does not require sharing the code. You can listen to the reason and decide whether the exception fits the family agreement.
Keep the information needed to retain parental access secure. If you forget a code, follow Apple's official recovery guidance for your setup. First identify the account and management method involved, rather than making several unrelated changes while trying to solve one problem.
Which restrictions should you choose first?
Screen Time includes options for usage, content and privacy. Read the descriptions in your version before confirming them. A time rule addresses how long an activity lasts; a content rule addresses what can be accessed while the device is available.
Walk through a real school evening. Does your child need to read instructions, submit a file or contact a family member? Write those needs down and test them afterwards. Calling an app educational in your household does not automatically make it an exception in the device settings.
Apple also offers Ask to Buy for eligible purchases and downloads. Not every redownload or update creates a new request. Treat installation approval and discussion of the activity inside an app as separate parts of supervision.
When your child asks for an app, ask what they want to do with it. Making something with classmates may need a different agreement from trying a new game. Understanding the purpose helps you choose a proportionate rule instead of approving or refusing everything on the same basis.
Free tools or Atlas: what's the difference?
The free tools serve their supported environments: Family Link for Android, Screen Time for iPhone/iPad and Family Safety for Windows. Family Safety also supports Android, but cannot set iPhone screen time: if you choose each platform’s own tool, rules for an iPhone, Android tablet and Windows PC sit in three services. The table describes the child’s device, rather than the phone the parent uses to manage it.
| Comparison | Google Family Link (Android) | Apple Screen Time (iPhone/iPad) | Microsoft Family Safety (Windows) | Atlas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child devices for screen time management | Android and Chromebook | iPhone, iPad and Mac | Windows and Xbox; also Android | Windows, Android and iOS |
| One panel for iPhone + Android + Windows | No | No | No; no iPhone screen time limits | Yes, rules for computer, phone and tablet |
| Time boundaries | Daily limits on supported devices | Usage-time controls on Apple devices | Schedules for supported devices | Daily and day-specific game time in Protection |
A free tool may be enough for one device and simple rules. If you want shared rules across platforms and a connection between learning and play, consider the Atlas modules. Features depend on the module, so compare the needs your family actually has. Compare the modules on the pricing page.
How can you adapt this to your child's stage?
Use the table as a discussion aid, not a universal age threshold or a recommended quota of minutes. Your child's needs and independence still guide the decision.
| Stage | Discuss together | Check after setup |
|---|---|---|
| Early primary school | What do we use the shared iPad for? | Can your child open the chosen activity? |
| Later primary school | Which apps serve school and which serve leisure? | Does your child understand what happens at the limit? |
| Early secondary school | How will homework and contact with friends fit together? | Do essential tasks and contacts still work? |
For families in Flanders, primary school is lager onderwijs and secondary school is secundair onderwijs. Base access decisions on the tools your own school actually asks pupils to use. A neighbouring family may have different requirements.
Invite your child to suggest an adjustment when something does not work. Explaining why a group task needs an exception is an opportunity to practise planning. You retain responsibility for the boundary while helping them put their reasoning into words.
How do you test the setup?
Test before the first busy morning. Open an allowed activity together, try a situation that requires permission and check how your child contacts you. Explain what to do if something expected becomes unavailable.
Use this checklist:
- Is the correct child account in your family group?
- Does the guide match the installed software version?
- Are parental settings protected?
- Can tomorrow's school task be completed?
- Does your child know how to ask for an exception?
- Do the other devices follow the same family agreement?
A failed test provides useful information. Change the smallest necessary setting and try again. This is easier to track than removing every restriction in a hurry to open one school resource.
For example, Emma may be able to read an assignment but still be unable to submit it. Do not stop the test at the first page: complete the actual task together. The aim is to check everyday use from beginning to end.
What about Android tablets and Windows PCs?
Screen Time belongs to the Apple environment. An Android tablet and a Windows PC need a complementary approach. Read parental controls on Android and parental controls on Windows for those devices.
Decide whether your agreement concerns each device separately or leisure activities across the whole household. Otherwise every device may follow its own limit while the overall evening differs from what you intended. A simple list of who uses which device makes this gap easier to spot.
When should you review the settings?
Review them when a new device arrives, school requests a different service or your child becomes more independent. Ask what works and what repeatedly causes difficulty. Make changes during a calm conversation and explain when the new arrangement starts.
Usage information can open a discussion, but it cannot describe the whole experience. Ask what your child watched, made or learned, and where they needed help. The longer-term aim is to help them plan activities increasingly well, with your support when they still need it.
Frequently asked questions
Are iPhone parental controls free?
Screen Time is built into iPhone and iPad. The Apple settings described here do not require a separate paid parental control app.
Does my child need their own Apple Account?
Each family member uses their own account with Family Sharing. Create or add the appropriate child account.
Why do my menus look different?
The interface varies by software version. Use the Apple guide that matches the devices in your family.
Does Screen Time manage Android and Windows too?
Screen Time manages the Apple environment. Other platforms need additional settings or a shared solution.
How Atlas helps
Atlas works on Windows, Android and iOS and lets you manage rules for computer, phone and tablet from one panel. You choose which apps and sites are allowed, timed or blocked. The Protection module also supports homework before games; see the modules on the pricing page. That makes it easier to follow one family agreement when your child switches devices.
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