Setting up parental controls on iPhone

In the age of modern parenting, there’s nothing more tricky than kids using smartphones. Whether your kid has their own phone or they’ve been known to “borrow” yours from time to time, phone safety is key. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to keep your kiddo safe through iPhone parental controls. We’ll go through all the different iPhone guardrails, so your kid doesn’t go off the rails.  

Family Sharing on iPhone

Parents, meet Family Sharing. This feature allows the main account holder to share purchases, subscriptions and more with members of their family. This means you can manage your kid’s account, their online activity, app store purchases and screen time all from your phone. All of the parental controls mentioned in this blog can be found under Family Sharing as well. Note: You can also enable iPhone parental controls directly from your child’s phone without Family Sharing. Family Sharing just makes it easier. 

How to set up a family group with iPhone

To enable Family Sharing, you first need to create a family group with your own iPhone. 

1. Go to Settings.
2. Click on your name and scroll down to “Family.”
3. Click on “Set Up Family.”
4. Follow the instructions to add family members.

Once you’ve created your family group, it’s time to set up your parental controls.

How to Enable Family Sharing on iPhone

Parental controls on iPhone allow you to monitor your kid’s screen time, app purchases, privacy settings and basically anything you don’t want them having total control over. Here’s how to set them up. Note: You can set up parental controls on your kid’s iPhone directly from your iPhone if you have Family Sharing enabled (which we showed above). 

1. Go to your iPhone’s Settings.
2. Click on your name and scroll down to “Family Sharing.”
3. Tap on your kid’s name and adjust Parental Controls.

How to set up Screen Time on iPhone

They’ll hate it, but you’ll love it – so let’s set up your kid’s Screen Time. Screen Time allows you to see how long your kid has been on their phone and how much time they spend on specific apps. It’s also where all of the other parental control features mentioned below are located. By accessing Screen Time, you can set limits on certain apps, set downtime and overall make sure they’re not scrolling all day. 

1. Go to Settings.
2. Scroll down to “Screen Time” and select it.
3. Scroll down to “Limit Usage.”
4. Under “Limit Usage”, turn on “App and Website activity.”
   1. From there, you can choose from Downtime, App Limits, Always Allowed and Screen Distance features. 

How to set up Communication Limits on iPhone

Your kid loves their best friend, but you’d rather they sleep instead of texting them all night. That’s where Communication Limits comes in.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Scroll down to “Screen Time” and select it.
3. Scroll down to “Communication” and tap on “Communication Limits” where you can set up limits that apply to Phone, FaceTime, Messages and iCloud contacts.
   1. Under “Communication,” you can also enable Communication Safety, which can detect sensitive photos and videos. 

It’s important to note that communication to known emergency numbers identified by your carrier will always be allowed even when this feature is turned on.

How to limit websites on iPhone

To give yourself some peace of mind, here’s how to block certain websites on your kid’s iPhone. 

1. Go to Settings.
2. Scroll down to “Screen Time” and select it.
3. Tap on “Content & Privacy Restrictions.”
4. Go to “App Store, Media, Web & Games.”
5. Tap on “Web Content.”
6. From here, you can select “Limit Adult Websites” or “Only Approved Websites.”

How to add restrictions to Gaming

Whether they love playing games on their phone (or on your phone), here’s how to set some limits for your kids and prevent them from communicating with strangers.

1. Go to Settings. 
2. Scroll down to “Screen Time” and select it. 
3. Tap on “Content & Privacy Restrictions.”
4. Go to “App Store, Media, Web & Games.”
5. Scroll down to “Game Center.”
6. From there, you can set time limits, disable private messaging, multiplayer games, and prevent them from adding “friends” into the game.

How to manage App Store purchases

We’ve all heard the story of the kid who ordered $5k of Amazon goodies on her mom’s account. We’re here to make sure that won’t be you. 

1. Go to Settings. 
2. Scroll down to “Screen Time” and select it. 
3. Tap on “Content & Privacy Restrictions.”
4. Tap “iTunes & App Store Purchases.”
5. From here, you can determine permissions for installing apps, deleting apps and in-app purchases, including if a password is required. 

How to set up iPhone content and privacy restrictions

Let’s keep your and your kid’s personal information safe with the following steps. 

1. Go to Settings. 
2. Scroll down to “Screen Time” and select it.
3. Tap on “Content & Privacy Restrictions” and toggle “ON.”
4. Scroll down to “Privacy.”
5. From here you can access different privacy settings like Location, Tracking and Apple Advertising. 

Giving you an A+ in parental controls on iPhone

And just like that, you’ve graduated from parental phone safety school. We hope this blog gives you the tools needed to protect your kiddo and set healthy boundaries with technology. We also have more info on what phone is best for kids or what to look for in a kid’s phone plan if you’re wanting to do some extra studying. Speaking of, we have a phone plan that’s designed with kids in mind – Mint Kids. So here’s to making parenting (a bit) easier.