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How do I set up parental controls on my child’s phone or tablet?

On an iPhone or iPad, use Screen Time through Family Sharing, and manage it from your own iPhone. On Android, use Google’s free Family Link app. Both let you set screen time limits, approve apps and filter websites. Your child needs their own account first.

Beginner4 min readUpdated

iPhone or iPad: Screen Time

First: set up Family Sharing and give your child their own Child Account in your family group. Apple says your child should not share an Apple Account with anyone else. You then manage everything from your own iPhone or iPad.

Approve the apps they download

  1. On your iPhone, open Settings, tap Family, then tap your child’s name.
  2. Tap Apps & Websites. Enter your Screen Time passcode if asked.
  3. Tap Restrictions, then Ask to Buy, and turn on Require Purchase Approval.

Limit screen time

  1. In Settings, tap Family, then your child’s name.
  2. Tap Time Allowances to set a daily time budget for games, social media and entertainment. Tap the Add button and follow the steps.
  3. Or tap Screen Time Schedule, turn on Schedule and tap Add Schedule to choose which apps they can use before school, during school and after school.

Filter websites

  1. In Settings, tap Family, your child’s name, then Apps & Websites.
  2. Tap Restrictions, then Filtering under Websites.
  3. Choose Limit Adult Websites, or Approved Websites Only so they have to ask before visiting a new site.

Apple says Ask to Buy and Ask to Browse are already on for children under 13, and adult websites are limited for under-18s. These steps need iOS 27 or iPadOS 27.

Android: Family Link

Your child needs a Google Account, and their phone or tablet needs Android 6.0 or later. Install the free Family Link app on your own phone (Android or iPhone).

Turn on supervision (with your child and their phone next to you)

  1. On your child’s phone, open Settings.
  2. Tap Google, then All services.
  3. Under “Kids & Family”, tap Parental controls.
  4. Tap Let’s do this, choose your child’s account and follow the steps. Your child has to agree.

Set a daily screen time limit

  1. Open the Family Link app on your phone and select your child at the top left.
  2. At the bottom, tap Screen time, then Time limits.
  3. Turn on Daily limit, tap Weekly schedule, pick a day and enter the time.
  4. Tap Apply to all days of the week, then Done.

From the same app you can also block or allow apps, approve downloads from Google Play, and see where their phone is.

Good to know

  • Family Link can’t supervise an iPhone or iPad. Google says so. For those, use Screen Time.
  • Need to give more time today? In Family Link, tap Screen time, then Bonus time under your child’s device.
  • Blocking an app doesn’t delete it. On iPhone it’s dimmed on the Home Screen, says Apple.

Talk to them about it. Controls help, but no filter catches everything. Google says explicit content may still show in other apps.

Next: use social media safely, and move everything to a new phone.

Sources