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How to make an iPhone safer for a child

Apple's parental controls work best when your child has their own Child Account in your Family Sharing group. Here is how to set them up, and how to talk about them.

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  1. Step 1: Set up Family Sharing and a Child Account
  2. Step 2: Lock the settings with a Screen Time passcode
  3. Step 3: Approve apps and websites
  4. Step 4: Choose when the phone can be used
  5. Step 5: Choose who they can contact
  6. Step 6: Check Communication Safety is on
  7. Step 7: Set age ratings and privacy settings
  8. Step 8: Share locations
  9. On iOS 26 or earlier
  10. Talk with them, not just about them

Quick answer: give your child their own Child Account in your Family Sharing group, then manage their iPhone from your own. Set a Screen Time passcode so the settings stick, check Ask to Buy and Communication Safety are on, and choose who they can contact. Then talk it through with them, so they know what's set up and why.

Apple's controls are strongest when set up from a parent's iPhone. They also change between iOS versions. The steps below follow Apple's UK help pages as they read on 22 September 2026, for iOS 27. Apple says every device in your Family Sharing group needs iOS 27 to use the new parental controls. If that isn't possible yet, you can keep using the previous version of Screen Time, covered further down.

Step 1: Set up Family Sharing and a Child Account

Apple says it's important your child has their own Apple Account and doesn't share yours or anyone else's. Parents or guardians have to create the account for children under 13 (Apple notes the age varies by country).

  1. If you haven't already, set up Family Sharing.
  2. On your iPhone, go to Settings, then tap Family.
  3. Tap the Add Member button, then Create Child Account, then Continue.
  4. Enter your child's name and correct date of birth, then follow the steps.

The date of birth matters. Apple turns on several protections automatically based on age, and some can't be turned off for under-18s.

Also make sure you're in your child's contacts, so their requests reach you.

Step 2: Lock the settings with a Screen Time passcode

This stops the settings being changed without you. It's separate from the code that unlocks the phone.

  1. On your iPhone, open Settings, then Screen Time.
  2. Tap your child's name under Family.
  3. Tap Manage Screen Time, then Lock Screen Time Settings.
  4. Enter a four-digit passcode twice.

Apple says you'll get a notification whenever the passcode is used on your child's device. Don't use a code they could guess, such as a birthday. If you set a Screen Time passcode on your own iPhone, add Screen Time Passcode Recovery when asked, so you can reset it with your Apple Account if you forget it.

Step 3: Approve apps and websites

On iOS 27, most controls live under Settings > Family > your child's name.

  • Ask to Buy sends you a request whenever your child wants to download or buy an app, or make an in-app purchase, whatever its age rating. To check it's on: tap Apps & Websites, then Restrictions, then Ask to Buy, and turn on Require Purchase Approval.
  • Ask to Browse asks for your approval before they visit a new website in Safari and other supported browsers. You can approve sites in advance, such as one for homework. Under Apps & Websites > Restrictions, tap Filtering under Websites.

Apple says Ask to Buy and Ask to Browse are on by default for children under 13, and Limit Adult Websites is on by default for under-18s.

Step 4: Choose when the phone can be used

  • Screen Time Schedules let you choose which apps work at different times, such as before school, during school and after school, with separate routines for weekends. Tap Screen Time Schedule, turn on Schedule, then Add Schedule.
  • Time Allowances set a daily time budget across categories such as entertainment, games and social media. Tap Time Allowances, then the Add button.

Your child can send you a request for more time, which you can approve from your phone.

Step 5: Choose who they can contact

Tap Allowed Contacts:

  • Under During Screen Time, choose Contacts Only, Contacts & Groups with at least one Contact, or Everyone.
  • Turn on Manage Contacts to choose the contacts they have. Leave Allow Contact Editing off if you'd like them to ask before adding someone new.

When you require permission for new contacts, Apple says a message from someone new stays hidden until a parent or guardian approves. Whatever you choose, Apple says your child can always contact emergency numbers.

Step 6: Check Communication Safety is on

Communication Safety blurs photos and videos that appear to contain nudity before your child sees them, in Messages, AirDrop, FaceTime and some other apps. It also warns them before they send one. It offers ways to get help, including messaging a trusted adult and blocking the contact.

Apple says it's on by default for children under 18 on the latest software, and that the checks happen on the device, so Apple doesn't see the photos. For under-13s, a parent needs to enter the Screen Time passcode before sensitive content can be viewed.

To check: Settings > Family > your child's name > Communication Safety.

Step 7: Set age ratings and privacy settings

Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions to choose age ratings for apps, films, TV, books and music. Under Privacy Restrictions, you can stop changes to settings such as location sharing. Apple applies many of these automatically based on age.

Step 8: Share locations

Go to Settings > Family > Location Sharing and choose who to share with. Your family can then see each other in the Find My app, and can help find a lost iPhone. Find My can also notify you when someone arrives at or leaves a place.

On iOS 26 or earlier

On the previous version of Screen Time, open Settings > Screen Time and tap your child's name under Family. The names are different:

Previous nameWhat it does
DowntimeBlocks apps and notifications at set times
App LimitsTime limits for app categories or single apps
Communication LimitsWho they can contact, during allowed time and Downtime
Content & Privacy RestrictionsAge ratings, blocked content and privacy settings

Talk with them, not just about them

Settings do more when your child understands them. Apple shows children which controls are on: they can open Settings > Family and tap their own name. So there are no secrets to keep.

  • Set it up together, and explain each setting in a sentence.
  • Agree screen-time rules as a family, and relax them as they get older.
  • Tell them they won't be in trouble for telling you about something upsetting.
  • Show them how Communication Safety lets them message you.

Next, if they're asking for social media, see how to make TikTok safer for children. Our Family Check shows what's set up across the family, and if you're helping grandparents too, see how to protect elderly parents from online scams.

Sources

Last checked: 22 September 2026

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Tools that can help

The steps above are free. If you would rather have a tool take care of it, these are the ones we link to.

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