With iOS 27, you can hand an iPhone to a child with far greater confidence. Apple has overhauled its parental controls with a new guided setup assistant, making it simpler than ever to apply smart restrictions and tailor the device to a younger user.
There are several powerful features worth exploring. Beyond capping app availability and blocking in-app purchases, you can restrict adult websites, set strict time limits on games or social media, and automatically blur images containing graphic violence and gore alongside nudity.
If your child uses an iPhone, taking a few minutes to walk through these settings is essential. Tech-savvy kids might eventually look for a workaround (don’t they always?), but setting these guardrails now offers invaluable peace of mind.
How to set up a child’s account
First of all, you will need to create a child's account.
1. Add a child
If you haven’t set up a child’s account before, don’t worry. It’s relatively straightforward.
First of all, you’re going to need to set up the account in Family Sharing so open the Settings app and select Family. So long as you’re the family organiser or a parent/guardian, you’ll be able to select the Add Member icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
2. Create the child account
Next, enter the child’s name and date of birth and tap Create Child Account. Once done, you’ll be asked to agree with Apple’s family privacy disclosure for children.
An email address will then be created for the child. Tap Continue if you’re happy with it or tap the email address to edit it. You will be asked to create a password too.
How to manage the parental controls
Once you have created a child's account, you can begin to manage access.
1. Access the controls
Once you have created a child account, you can begin to control how it’s use. Open the Settings app and select Family. Next,select a child account you wish to control.
2. Set an app age range
Some apps alter how they are experienced depending on the age of the child.
In order to do this, the apps need to be told the age range of the child (not, it must be noted, their actual date-of-birth). You can determine how and when this information is shared..
Select Set Up next to Age Range for Apps and tap Confirm Age. Then, either choose Always to ensure the age range is always shared, select Ask First if you would rather children choose when their age range is shared, or tap Never to prevent the age range from ever being shared.
3. Limit a child’s usage
If you would like to place restrictions on how a child uses the iPhone, tap ScreenTime and look under the section Limit Usage.
Here, you can select Downtime, a feature that blocks access to most apps and notifications during specified hours. You can set the time period during which Downtime is active and choose how frequently it is enabled — either every day or on specific days. For the latter, tap Customize Days.
You can also use the toggle to turn on Block at Downtime. This will block the iPhone during the specified time period.
4. Set app time limits
You can also restrict the amount of time a child spends on an app. You may, for example, only want your child to play games for an hour max each day.
To do this, tap App Limits, select Add Limit, choose an app category and tap Next.
You can then set the required time period and indicate whether this should be in place on specific days or every day. You can also determine whether the app is blocked at the end of the time limit, or whether the child is simply alerted to the fact their time is up.
5. Make exemptions
If you select All Apps & Categories when setting app time limits, there may be some apps that you would like your child to have access to at all times.
For example, it may make sense to allow the child to use the Phone app at any time. Tap Always Allowed to choose which apps your child can access without time restrictions.
For added safety, if you’re allowing a child to use communication apps, you can limit who they are able to communicate with. Select Contacts Only and you can select Specific Contacts before determining which ones are permissible.
6. Set communication limits
For even more control over communication, select Communication Limits on the main Screen Time settings screen.
This will allow you to determine which contacts are allowed during Screen Time and Downtime and determine who is in the contacts list.
7. Ban sensitive content
To shield younger users from exposure to explicit, violent, or inappropriate media, turning on Communication Safety adds a critical layer of automatic protection.
Simply toggle this feature on in your Screen Time settings, and if iOS detects sensitive images, it will blur them and provide age-appropriate guidance to help your child make a safe choice.
8. Use content and privacy restrictions
You can also prevent children from accessing adult videos, music, apps, and podcasts. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions, then explore the sub-menus for App Store, Media, Web & Games, Allowed Apps & Features, and iTunes & App Store Purchases.
From here, you can set age limits, turn off specific app access, block new installs, and prevent in-app purchases.
Finally, decide whether to allow your child to change their passcode, alter Face ID settings, or switch accounts. Under Allow Changes, review each setting and toggle off any permissions you want to lock down.
It’s also worth tapping App Store, Media, Web & Games to customize internet access. Select Web Content to restrict adult sites or limit browsing exclusively to an approved list.
Apple provides a preset selection of kid-friendly sites, but you can scroll to the bottom and tap Add Website to include your own trusted URLs.
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