iPhone & iPad parental controls
The strongest device controls available — and the easiest to set up in a way that quietly does nothing, because of one mistake almost everybody makes.
- Time
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- A few steps
- Where
- Settings on the device, and Family Sharing from your own iPhone
- Checked
- 2026-08
Recently changedFrom iOS 26.1 in late 2025, Communication Safety and web filtering default on for 13 to 17 year old accounts, and nudity is now detected live during FaceTime calls.
Before you start: A child Apple Account under Family Sharing. Without it, this is far weaker than it appears.
Do this
- First, make sure the child has their own child Apple Account inside your Family Sharing group — this is the step that matters
- On their device: Settings → Screen Time → turn it on
- Open Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn the master switch on
- Go to App Store, Media, Web & Games → Web Content and choose your filter level
- Set the Screen Time passcode using YOUR Apple Account, never theirs
The settings that matter
| Setting | Younger child | Teenager |
|---|---|---|
| Content & Privacy RestrictionsThe master switch. Nothing else in Screen Time restricts anything until this is on. | On | On |
| Web ContentFilters websites in Safari. Choose Limit Adult Websites, or Allowed Websites Only for a curated list. | Allowed Websites Only | Limit Adult Websites |
| iTunes & App Store PurchasesControls installing, deleting and buying inside apps. | Don’t Allow for installing and deleting | Require approval for purchases at minimum |
| Communication SafetyDetects nudity in Messages, FaceTime and AirDrop on the device itself, blurs it and warns the child. Nothing is sent to Apple or to you. | On | On — it defaults on for 13 to 17 now, but confirm it |
What this does not do
- Web filtering covers Safari. It does not reach the browser built into another app, or content inside a social app’s feed.
- It cannot see text-based grooming or bullying — only images, and only for nudity.
- A teenager on somebody else’s unmanaged device is entirely outside it.
What people get wrong
- The big one: setting a Screen Time passcode on the child’s own device without Family Sharing. If the passcode was created under their Apple Account, they can reset it themselves through Forgot Passcode, and the whole arrangement evaporates. Set it up through Family Sharing with your Apple Account.
- Confusing Communication Safety with Content & Privacy Restrictions. They are separate systems and you want both.
- Losing the passcode. Recovery requires the exact Apple Account used when it was created — if that is wrong or forgotten, the remaining route is erasing the device.
Checked against Apple: use parental controls
in 2026-08. Platforms change these settings often — if what you see does not match, the platform’s own
page is the authority, and we would be glad to be told.