How do I set up parental controls on my child's iPhone?
2 min read Published 13 Nov 2026
By Bertie Aspinall, Co-Founder, SafetyModeApple's controls are free, built in and genuinely useful, provided you set your child up with a proper Child Account through Family Sharing rather than handing over a phone signed in to an adult Apple Account. On recent versions of iOS, Apple applies child-safety defaults as soon as a Child Account is created, and iOS 26 prompts parents to confirm a child's date of birth.
What Apple gives you
Screen Time: downtime schedules, daily app limits, and Content & Privacy Restrictions, all locked behind a Screen Time passcode only you know.
Ask to Buy: your child requests any app or purchase, and you approve it from your own iPhone.
Communication Safety: uses on-device AI to blur photos and videos that appear to contain nudity in Messages, FaceTime and AirDrop. It's on by default for under-18s, and under-13s need your passcode to view.
Communication Limits (iOS 26): your child needs your approval to message or call a new number, approved with one tap.
App Store age ratings: ratings now include 13+, 16+ and 18+, and apps above your child's limit are hidden from the store.
Web content filter: limits adult websites in Safari, or restricts browsing to an approved list.
Find My: shares your child's location with the family.
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This article is published by ParentBoost. It was written or reviewed for ParentBoost by the contributor below and edited by our team. It is general information for parents, not individual professional advice.
Bertie Aspinall
Co-Founder, SafetyMode
Bertie Aspinall is co-founder of SafetyMode and OtherPhone, where he works on technology to make smartphones safer for children and teenagers. He studied Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Cambridge and worked at the European Commission and Virgin Atlantic. During the pandemic he helped build Doctors in Distress, a charity supporting the mental health of NHS staff, where he remains an ambassador. ParentBoost has teamed up with OtherPhone and earns a commission when members buy one.
This article is general guidance for parents and carers, not medical, health, legal or other professional advice. Every child is different. If you're worried about your child's health or development, talk to your GP, health visitor or another suitable professional. In an emergency, call 999. For urgent advice, call NHS 111.
