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How to set up Screen Time on an iPhone to manage your child’s phone usage
In This Article
Are you concerned about how much time your child is spending on their phone? Apple has a Child profile option which lets you manage and keep an eye on your child’s screen time.
Follow our step-by-step guide below to set up screen time for your child’s iPhone through your Apple account.
What you’ll need:
The short version:
Step1
Open the Settings app
We’ll be demonstrating with an iPhone but the steps are exactly the same with an iPad.
Step2
Select Family
This option will be at the top of the Settings page, under your Apple ID profile.
Step3
Tap the Add icon
This is in the top right corner of the screen, as shown below.
Step4
Choose Create Child Account
A Child Account can be created for children under the age of 12.
Step5
Fill in the information
Here you’ll be prompted to create an account for your child, which will require you to set up an email (or use one they already have) and a password.You may also need to enter your Apple ID password and any other passwords associated with your Apple account.
Step6
Set up Screen Time
After you set up your child’s account, you’ll be instantly prompted to establish their screen time preferences. Select Continue.
Step7
Turn on Age Restrictions
The first prompt doesn’t actually involve screen time but rather the content your child will be allowed to access. Here you can adjust the ratings across Web Content, Apps, Movies and more.
Step8
Turn on App and Website Activity
You’ll now be prompted to turn on Screen Time tracking for your child’s account, allowing you to receive weekly reports about their screen time, schedule downtime and set daily limits for app usage.
Step9
Turn on Downtime
Downtime allows you to set a schedule for time away from the screen. During this time period, you’ll need to give your child permission to use their phone. Simply tap on the start time to set when you’d like this to begin (for example, before their bedtime) and choose the end time (which can be the next morning.)You can also opt to skip this entirely by choosing Set Up Later.
Step10
Set up a Parental Controls Lock
To make future changes to Screen Time settings, you’ll need to set up a child lock. Make sure it’s something you can remember but isn’t guessable by your child.Once this is set up you’ll be given a few optional extras to tweak, including location tracking.
Step11
Tap Done
Once you’ve gone through all the steps, select Done.
Troubleshooting
To check screen time, go onto your iPhone Settings and tap Family. From here, tap on the child profile and you’ll see their screen time displayed there.
Yes and luckily it’s quick and easy to do so. Select your child’s profile from the Family section on Settings and tap the Screen Time option.Here you can adjust their Limit Usage accordingly.
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Jess joined the Trusted Reviews team early in 2024, after working for almost three years in lifestyle and technology PR. Using the skills gained from her previous role, Jess has taken on a new challen…
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Why trust our journalism?
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
