Summary
- Set up Family Sharing and Screen Time under Settings on your own device to manage and monitor your child’s device usage remotely.
- Features include content restrictions to ensure your child isn’t exposed to inappropriate content, an “Ask to Buy” feature to limit purchases, and the ability to control how children interact in multiplayer games.
- While Screen Time restrictions are useful, they aren’t infallible and you should still monitor your child’s device usage to ensure they aren’t exposed to inappropriate content.
Do you want to control what your child watches on their iPhone or iPad? Or would you like to ensure that no purchases are made from the App Store without your permission? In either case, you can use the Family Sharing feature to set limits on what your child can do on their device.
Set Up Family Sharing and Screen Time
Apple introduced its Family Sharing feature with iOS 8 back in 2014. Since then, it has been the go-to option for managing all Apple devices under one roof. Once you’ve set up your Family Sharing group, you can not only use it to share Apple services like iCloud storage and Apple Music but also set Screen Time limits on your child’s phone. This allows you to remotely manage and restrict what they watch and do on their device.
To configure Screen Time, first make sure your children’s devices are part of the Family Sharing group by inviting them. Then, open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad, tap “Family,” select your child’s name, and choose “Screen Time.”
Tap the “Continue” button. Choose your child’s age, then tap “Continue” a few times to dismiss the information pop-ups. Next, set a parental lock, which will be required to access the Screen Time settings.
Now that you’ve configured Screen Time on your child’s device, you’re all set to start applying the restrictions you want on their device.
Set Content Restrictions
The internet is the best place to quickly find the information you’re looking for, but it also has a dark side that you probably want to discourage your child from engaging with. You can prevent this by configuring content restriction settings in Screen Time.
On your iPhone, open the Settings app and navigate to Family > [Name] > Screen Time. Then, choose “Content & Privacy Restrictions” and go to “App Store, Media, Web & Games.”
Under the “Allowed Media Services Content” section, you’ll find various media restrictions you can apply. For instance, if you want to ensure your child isn’t exposed to explicit music or podcasts, select “Music, Podcast, News, and Fitness” and choose “Clean.”
Similarly, you can access other options under this section, such as Movies, TV Shows, Books, and Apps, and configure them to ensure your child isn’t exposed to adult or explicit content on their device.
Next, tap the “Web Content” option and choose “Limit Adult Websites.” This will ensure your child cannot access websites promoting adult content. While this setting blocks access to all adult websites on your child’s phone, if there are other specific websites you don’t want your child to access, tap the “Add Website” option under “Never Allow” and enter the URL of the website you wish to block.
Under Game Center settings, select “Multiplayer Games” and choose “Allow With Friends Only” if you want your child to play multiplayer games only with their in-game friends and not with random players. Similarly, you can configure other game-related settings in this section, such as whether your child can add friends in games, allow screen recording during gameplay, change their nickname or avatar, and more.
Restrict Purchases
There have been many cases of children making expensive purchases from the Apple App Store without their parents’ knowledge. If you want to prevent this, you’ll need to restrict purchases using Family Sharing’s Ask to Buy feature.
To use this feature, open Settings on your phone and go to Family > Your Child’s Account > Ask to Buy > Turn On Ask to Buy.
That’s it! Now, whenever your child tries to make a purchase on their device, you’ll receive a permission request on your iPhone. The purchase will only proceed if you approve it.
Additionally, you can use Screen Time settings to completely disable in-app purchases on your child’s device. To do this, select your child’s account in the Family window on your iPhone, then go to Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases > In-App Purchases > Don’t Allow.
Set App Limits and Downtime
If you don’t want your child to use their device longer than you’ve allowed, you can use downtime and app limits. To do this, select your child’s account in the Family window and choose “Screen Time.”
Next, tap “Turn On App & Website Activity.” Then, choose “Downtime” and enable the “Scheduled” toggle. After that, set the time during which you don’t want your child to use the device, and enable “Block at Downtime” toggle.
Your child won’t be able to use their device during the scheduled time. However, you might want certain apps like Messages or FaceTime to be available to your child even during downtime. To configure these apps, select the “Always Allowed” option in the Screen Time window and tap the plus icon next to the apps you want to allow during downtime.
If you only want to restrict certain apps instead of the entire device, you can set app-specific time limits. To do this, select “App Limits” then “Add Limit.” Select the app type. For example, if you want to add a limit to YouTube, select the “Entertainment” option. Choose “YouTube” and tap “Next.” Configure the total time you want your child to use the app and tap “Add.”
Enforce Communication Safety
Your child may receive explicit videos and photos from someone on their device. If you don’t want your child to view this type of content on their device, you need to enable the Communication Safety feature. Once enabled, Apple uses on-device machine learning technology to analyze the media content your child receives for nudity. If nudity is detected, the content will be blurred, and your child will be provided with guidance and age-appropriate resources to help them make a safe choice.
To enable Communication Safety, select your child’s account in the Family Sharing window, go to “Screen Time,” choose “Communication Safety,” and toggle on the “Communication Safety” feature.
Limiting your child’s iPhone or iPad usage remotely using Apple’s Family Sharing feature is easy. While this feature is incredibly helpful, it’s no replacement for a parent or guardian’s guidance. You should also monitor what your child is doing and ensure their screen time stays within an appropriate limit for their age.
Thanks to Family Sharing settings working remotely, you can easily loosen or tighten these limits from the comfort of your own iPhone or iPad.
