So you've finally decided that it's the right time to get your kid an iPhone or iPad. Even though there's nothing wrong with allowing your child to use such devices, it's essential to ensure that they are safe in the online world.
Luckily, Apple offers an easy way for you to manage how your kid uses the device. By setting parental restrictions on an iPhone or iPad, you'll be able to control the features, apps, and content accessed by your child.
Read on to learn how to put parental controls on an iPhone or iPad.
What Can You Restrict With Parental Controls on iPhone or iPad?
By tweaking a few settings on your kid's iPhone or iPad, you'll be able to manage how they use that device. Here's a list of the things that you can do through parental controls:
- Limit screen time
- Control your kid's contacts
- Restrict the use of built-in apps and features such as FaceTime, Mail, or Wallet
- Forbid in-app, iTunes, and App Store purchases
- Limit apps according to their categories
- Restrict content according to specific ratings
- Limit access to adult content
- Forbid to use Siri for searching content through the web
- Restrict Game Center features such as multiplayer games and private messaging
- Control privacy settings
If you wish to not only restrict your child's actions on an Apple device but also to monitor everything it's used for, you'll need to set up a Family Sharing group. Using this feature, you'll be able to see how exactly your kid uses the iPhone or iPad and make any necessary changes to the restrictions from your own device.
Check out our comprehensive Apple Family Sharing guide to learn more about this feature.
How to Put Parental Controls on iPhone or iPad
The process of setting up iPhone and iPad parental controls is basically the same. If you wish to put parental controls directly on your child's device, first you need to set up the Family Sharing service mentioned above, and only then will you be able to manage your kid's iPhone or iPad from your device.
If for any reason you don't want to set up a Family Sharing group, you can use the Screen Time feature on your child's device to set parental restrictions. You can protect all of the changes you make with a password to make sure that everything stays as it should and your kid doesn't get a chance to disable the feature.
What Is Screen Time?
The Screen Time tool consists of five categories, each of them covering specific settings:
- Downtime: limit the time your child spends using the device.
- App Limits: set daily limits for specific app categories.
- Communication Limits: choose who your kid can talk to or message using the device.
- Always Allowed: select the apps that will be available for your child, even during downtime.
- Content & Privacy Restrictions: manage the content that your kid is allowed to access.
How to Set Up Screen Time on Your Kid's iPhone or iPad
Here are step-by-step instructions on how to set iPhone or iPad parental controls on your child's device through the Screen Time feature:
- Launch the Settings app and head to Screen Time.
- Tap Turn On Screen Time to enable this feature on the device.
- Read through the introduction to using this feature, and when ready, tap Continue.
- If you're setting up this feature on your kid's device, tap This is My Child's iPhone or This is My Child's iPad.
Now you'll be asked to set up the Screen Time settings one by one. If you wish to do this later, choose Not Now.
First, you'll need to set Downtime. Choose the start and end time of the period when you want your kid to be away from the screen. Tap Set Downtime when ready.
Then you'll be asked to set App Limits. Select the app categories that you wish to limit for your kid. Then at the bottom of the screen, type in the time that you permit your child to spend using the apps that belong to those categories. Tap Set App Limit to confirm your choice.
You'll be redirected to the Content & Privacy page. Tap Continue to set a password that will protect all of the restrictions that you've set up. Type in a four-digit passcode. Then enter your Apple ID and password in case you forget the Screen Time passcode. When everything is set up, tap OK.
How to Block Web Content on Your Kid's iPhone or iPad
Through the Screen Time feature, you can restrict specific websites for your kid. Here's what you should do:
- Head to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- If you've previously set a Screen Time passcode, you'll be asked to enter it.
- Toggle on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- Go to Content Restrictions > Web Content.
- Tap Limit Adult Websites or Allowed Websites Only. If you choose the latter, you'll be able to filter the sites that can be accessed by your child. To remove a site from the list, swipe left. To add new ones, click Add Website and type in the requested details.
Using the Content Restrictions page, you can also:
- Forbid to view explicit content with specific ratings
- Block App Clips
- Restrict specific Game Center features, such as multiplayer games, nearby multiplayer, private messaging, and more
Third-Party Apps for Setting Up Parental Controls
If you feel that the built-in features for restricting your child's actions when using an iPhone or iPad aren't enough for you, you can try out a third-party app for this task.
There are a few good parental control apps out there. So whether you're looking for one that could track your child's real-time GPS location or wish to be able to directly pause an app that your child is using, there are apps that will suit your preferences.
For example, you can try out the FamiSafe app. It allows you to set a usage limit, block apps according to age range, detect photos containing nudity and block them, and more. Moreover, as a parent, you can get activity reports to check whether your child was trying to break the rules.
Keep Your Child Safe From the Dangers of the Online World
Now that you know everything about iPhone and iPad parental controls, you can use this information to ensure your child's online safety. Even though parental control settings may seem a bit intrusive, it is completely up to you to decide on the number of restrictions that you want to make.
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