Apple Screen Time provides parents with controls over iOS device usage, app access, web browsing, communication, and content restrictions. Available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, Screen Time operates through a parent-controlled passcode that prevents children from bypassing restrictions or modifying settings.
Family Sharing Requirement
Screen Time parental controls require Family Sharing configuration. The parent serves as the family organizer and adds children under 18 as family members. Once configured, Screen Time settings apply across all devices signed in with the child's Apple ID.
Set up Family Sharing
What is Family Sharing
App Time Limits and Always-Allowed Apps
App Limits restrict daily usage for specific apps or app categories. Parents set time allowances that apply across all of the child's devices. When time expires, apps become unavailable until the next day or until additional time is granted.
Always Allowed apps bypass all time restrictions and remain accessible during Downtime. This category typically includes Phone, Messages, and FaceTime for emergency contact, but parents can add educational apps, health apps, or other tools that should remain unrestricted.
Parents choose between limiting individual apps or entire categories (Social Networking, Games, Entertainment, etc.). Category limits apply to all apps within that classification.
Set time limits for apps and websites
Choose apps that can be used anytime
Website Restrictions
Screen Time offers three website restriction levels:
Unrestricted Access allows all websites.
Limit Adult Websites applies Apple's web filtering to block adult content while permitting general browsing. Parents can add specific sites to either an allowed list (ensuring access even if filtering might block them) or a never-allowed list (blocking sites that filtering might miss).
Allowed Websites Only restricts browsing exclusively to parent-approved sites. This creates a whitelist where only specified websites are accessible.
Website restrictions apply to Safari and in-app web browsers. Apps like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and other social platforms maintain separate content filtering through their own parental control systems.
Limiting Web Browsing Time
Beyond content filtering, parents can restrict total browsing time by applying App Limits to Safari. This sets a daily time allowance for all web browsing. When the limit is reached, Safari becomes unavailable until the next day or until additional time is granted.
App Limits can also target specific websites rather than all browsing. Parents add individual websites to App Limits, setting separate time allowances for sites like YouTube, gaming sites, or social media accessed through browsers. When a site's time limit expires, that site becomes inaccessible while other websites remain available within Safari's overall limit.
Combining Safari app limits with website-specific limits provides layered control: total daily browsing time plus per-site restrictions for high-use or problematic websites.
Set up content and privacy restrictions
Downtime Scheduling
Downtime designates specific hours when most apps and features become unavailable. During Downtime, only Always Allowed apps and phone calls remain accessible. Parents schedule Downtime for overnight hours, homework periods, or mealtimes.
Downtime can be scheduled identically every day or customized by day of the week. The device displays remaining time before Downtime begins and notifies when Downtime starts.
Manage Downtime in Screen Time
Communication Limits
Communication Limits restrict who children can contact via phone, FaceTime, Messages, and iCloud contacts during Allowed Time and during Downtime. Parents choose between allowing communication with everyone, contacts only, or specific approved contacts.
Separate settings apply for Allowed Time versus Downtime. For example, a child might contact any saved contact during allowed hours but only parents and emergency contacts during Downtime.
Communication Limits require contacts to be saved in the child's device. Unknown numbers cannot reach the child when Communication Limits are active, reducing unwanted contact from strangers.
Communication Safety is a separate feature that detects and blurs images containing nudity in Messages, AirDrop, Contact Posters, FaceTime video messages, and system photo pickers. When nudity is detected, the child receives resources and the option to contact a trusted adult. Parents are not notified when this feature activates.
Set communication limits in Screen Time
Turn Communication Safety on or off
Content and Privacy Restrictions
Beyond time limits, Content & Privacy Restrictions control device capabilities and content access:
- Purchase restrictions prevent app downloads, in-app purchases, and media purchases without parental approval
- Content ratings filter movies, TV shows, books, apps, and music by age-appropriate ratings
- Web content filtering (described above under Website Restrictions)
- Siri web search restrictions prevent Siri from searching the internet
- Game Center restrictions disable multiplayer gaming and friend requests
- Location services controls manage which apps can access device location
- Privacy settings prevent changes to contacts, calendars, photos, and other data permissions
- Account changes restrictions prevent children from modifying account settings or passcode
These restrictions prevent children from circumventing Screen Time controls by downloading VPN apps, changing privacy settings, or creating new accounts.
Set up content and privacy restrictions
Request and Approval Process
When a child reaches an app time limit or attempts to access a restricted app, they can request additional time. The request specifies the app and desired duration (15 minutes, one hour, all day, or a custom amount).
The parent receives a notification on their device and can approve or deny the request immediately. Approval options include:
- Approve for the requested duration
- Approve for one more minute (allowing time to finish an activity)
- Approve for all day
- Deny the request
If the parent does not respond, the request expires and the app remains blocked. Children cannot submit repeated requests for the same app within a short period.
Parents can also grant additional time proactively without waiting for a request by entering the Screen Time passcode on the child's device and adjusting limits.
Respond to a child's request in Screen Time
Screen Time Reports
Screen Time generates daily and weekly reports showing device usage, app usage by category, number of pickups, and notification counts. Reports display total screen time, most-used apps and categories, and usage patterns throughout the day.
Parents view these reports from their own device for any family member. The reports identify usage trends, such as increasing time in specific apps or categories, helping parents understand how children spend time on devices.
Reports are accessible through Settings > Screen Time on iPhone and iPad, or System Settings > Screen Time on Mac.
Screen Time Passcode
The Screen Time passcode prevents children from modifying restrictions or disabling Screen Time. This passcode differs from the device unlock passcode and should not be shared with children.
If the passcode is forgotten, parents must reset it using their Apple ID credentials. Without the passcode or Apple ID access, Screen Time restrictions cannot be modified.
The passcode must be entered to change any Screen Time settings, approve time requests from the child's device, or disable Screen Time entirely.
Set, change, or remove a Screen Time passcode
Implementation Considerations
Screen Time synchronizes settings across all devices signed in with the child's Apple ID. Changes made on the parent's device apply immediately to the child's iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Settings operate at the operating system level. Children cannot circumvent restrictions by deleting apps, changing system settings, or creating new accounts without the Screen Time passcode.
Third-party apps downloaded from the App Store are automatically classified into Screen Time categories. Apps not clearly fitting a category appear under "Other Apps," which can be limited separately or added to Always Allowed.
Screen Time does not filter content within apps. YouTube, social media, gaming platforms, and streaming services require separate parental controls configured within those apps to restrict age-inappropriate content.