Step 3: Setting up parental controls on your child’s Apple device
This article continues the digital parenting series about managing Apple devices for children.
If you haven’t read the earlier parts yet, you can start with creating your child’s Apple ID and setting up their iPhone or iPad.
🔁 This article is also available in French: Lire en français
Now that the device is linked to your Family Group, it’s time to activate content and privacy controls to match your child’s age and needs.
This is how Apple defines Screen Time:
“With Screen Time, you can turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions to manage content, apps and settings on your child’s device. You can also restrict explicit content, purchases and downloads, and changes to privacy settings.
Apple’s parental controls are important tools that allow parents to choose how — and how often — their children can use their devices. Parental controls are built directly into each iPhone, iPad and Mac.“
🔐 How to turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions
Content & Privacy Restrictions are used to set age-related restrictions for content, purchases and downloads, and privacy settings.
- Open the Settings app, then tap Screen Time.
- If you’re managing this from your own device, go to Family and select your child’s name.
If you are doing it directly on your child’s device, you can skip this second step. - Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. If asked, enter your Screen Time passcode, then turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
Content & Privacy Restrictions can be turned on and off by using the sliding button. If you turn off Content & Privacy Restrictions, any parental controls that you turned on will be paused until you turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions again.
After you’ve turned on Content & Privacy Restrictions, you can set up specific parental controls.
🛡️ Content & Privacy Restrictions
Under Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions:
- Turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions (toggle switch)
- Set a separate Screen Time passcode to prevent changes
- Choose allowed or restricted apps (Camera, Safari, FaceTime, etc.)
- Set App Store purchase approval (“Ask to Buy”)
🎯 Limiting access to content
In the Content Restrictions section, you can:
- Restrict movies, TV shows, books and apps by age ratings
- Block explicit content in music, podcasts and news
- Set web content filters (automatic or manual)
You can also limit Game Center features like multiplayer games or adding friends.
🔒 Tip: Always set a passcode
Without a Screen Time passcode, your child could easily disable these settings. Choose a code they don’t know — and don’t reuse your device unlock PIN.
🚸 Why it matters
Setting up parental controls doesn’t mean spying. It’s about creating an environment where your child can explore technology safely, at their own pace, without being exposed to inappropriate content or risks.
📱 Prevent App Store Purchases
You can prevent your child from being able to install or delete apps, make in-app purchases in apps installed from the App Store and more.
- Open the Settings app, then tap Screen Time.
- Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. If asked, enter your passcode.
- Tap iTunes & App Store Purchases (or App Installations & Purchases).
- Choose an option and set it to ‘Don’t Allow’.
You can also change your password settings for additional purchases from the iTunes Store, App Store, Book Store or Apple TV app.
👉 Under Require Password, choose Always Require so that all purchases will require entering the password.
🧰 Allow Built-In Apps And Features
Built-in apps are the default apps included on every new iPhone, such as Mail or Safari.
You can restrict the use of built-in apps or features. If you turn off an app or feature, it will be hidden from the Home Screen.
- Open the Settings app, then tap Screen Time.
- Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- Enter your Screen Time passcode.
- Tap Allowed Apps & Features.
- Select the apps you want to allow.
🔞 Prevent explicit content and content ratings
You can also prevent playback of music with explicit content and films or TV programmes with specific ratings. Other Apps compatible with ratings can be configured using content restrictions.
- Open the Settings app, then tap Screen Time.
- Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions, then tap App Store, Media, Web & Games.
- Adjust the preferences for each category in the Allowed Store Content section.
You can restrict these types of content:
- Music, Podcasts, News, Fitness: prevent playback of music, music videos, podcasts, news, or workouts containing explicit content
- Music Videos: prevent finding and viewing music videos
- Music Profiles: prevent sharing what you’re listening to with friends and seeing what they’re listening to
- Films: prevent films with specific ratings
- TV Programmes: prevent TV programmes with specific ratings
- Books: prevent content with specific ratings
- Apps: prevent apps with specific ratings (or Unrated apps in the EU)
- App Clips: prevent app clips with specific ratings
📘 This post is part of a short series on digital parenting with Apple devices.
Next topic: Filtering content and managing communication safety – coming soon!
Transparency note: English is not my native language. I use AI tools to help translate and check spelling and grammar in the articles I publish here.
This post is a personal, subjective reflection and not necessarily rigorous or exhaustive.