Your three-setting quest +XP
Tick them off as you go. Your progress is saved on this device only.
Menu names below are quoted from iPhone & iPad's own support pages. If your screen looks different after an update, the sources at the bottom are the place to check.
What you need before touching iPhone & iPad settings
- Family Sharing set up, with you as organiser or parent/guardian
- A Child Account (Apple Account) for your child, in your Family Sharing group - not a shared Apple Account
- For the new (2026) parental controls: every device in the family group on iOS/iPadOS/macOS/watchOS/visionOS 27 or later
- You (organiser/parent) saved in your child's contacts
Setting up iPhone & iPad controls, step by step
- Set up Family Sharing and create a Child Account for your child.
- Update all family devices to iOS/iPadOS 27 or later and upgrade to the new parental controls.
- On your own iPhone, open Settings > Family and tap your child's name (you can also do this on their device).
- Ask to Buy: tap Apps & Websites (enter Screen Time passcode if asked) > Restrictions > Ask to Buy, and turn on Require Purchase Approval.
- Content ratings: tap Content & Privacy Restrictions, choose a content type under Content Restrictions and pick Don't Allow, Unrated, Allow All or an age rating.
- Who they can talk to: tap Allowed Contacts > During Screen Time and pick Contacts Only, Contacts & Groups or Everyone; use Manage Contacts and the Allow Contact Editing toggle.
- Time: tap Time Allowances > Add to set daily limits by category, and Screen Time Schedule > turn on Schedule > Add Schedule to set when apps can be used.
- Game Center: Apps & Websites > Restrictions > Game Center section - set options such as Connect with Friends and Private Messaging to Allowed or Blocked.
- Turn on Communication Safety.
Every iPhone & iPad control, in plain English
| Ask to Buy (Require Purchase Approval) | Your child must ask you before downloading apps, buying in-app items or redownloading shared apps; you approve on your device. |
|---|---|
| Apps & Websites | Allow or block specific apps and websites; App Store settings (Installing Apps, App Clips); Ask to Browse; website Filtering (Limit Adult Websites or Approved Websites Only). |
| Content & Privacy Restrictions | Age limits for apps, music, films, TV, etc.; Siri features (Writing Assistance, Image Creation); Privacy Restrictions (e.g. Accounts, Calendar). |
| Allowed Contacts | Controls who the child can contact in Phone, FaceTime and Messages, and whether they can edit contacts. |
| Time Allowances | Daily time limits by category (e.g. Games, Social Media, Entertainment). |
| Screen Time Schedule | Time-of-day schedules (e.g. Before School, School, After School) controlling which apps can be used. |
| Communication Safety | Detects and blurs nudity, gore or violence in images/videos the child receives or views. |
| Game Center restrictions | Controls Game Center features such as Connect with Friends and Private Messaging. |
| Screen Distance | Warns when the device is held too close. |
Stopping surprise spending on iPhone & iPad
- Settings > Family > [child] > Apps & Websites > Restrictions > Ask to Buy > turn on Require Purchase Approval.
- Apps & Websites > App Store: set Installing Apps to Allowed or Blocked.
- Ask to Buy covers App Store downloads, in-app purchases and redownloads of shared apps.
More on how money works inside games in Money in games.
Who can message your child on iPhone & iPad
- Allowed Contacts > During Screen Time: Contacts Only / Contacts & Groups / Everyone (applies to Phone, FaceTime, Messages).
- Allowed Contacts > Manage Contacts; Allow Contact Editing on or off.
- Game Center: block Private Messaging / Connect with Friends.
- Communication Safety on.
- Apple's controls don't cover in-game chat in third-party games - use each game's own settings.
For the wider picture, see Chat & strangers.
iPhone & iPad play-time limits and bedtimes
- Time Allowances > Add: daily limits by app category.
- Screen Time Schedule > Schedule on > Add Schedule: times of day and days of the week (use this as a bedtime).
- From iOS/iPadOS 26, a child can request an exception to a limit and you approve it.
Routines that make limits easier to keep are in Time & routines.
Where iPhone & iPad set-ups usually go wrong
- The new menus (Time Allowances, Screen Time Schedule, Allowed Contacts) need every device in the Family Sharing group on version 27 or later. On older versions you'll see the older Screen Time layout (Downtime, App Limits, Communication Limits) - not re-verified in this check.
- Your child needs their own Child Account with the correct age - some defaults depend on it (Ask to Browse is on by default under 13; Limit Adult Websites under 18).
- Use a Screen Time passcode your child doesn't know.
Sources we checked
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on 3 November 2026. Settings and ratings change, so if something looks different on your screen, tell us and we will re-check.