Parental Control For iPhone (Managing Your Kid’s iPhone Usage)

As the technological world continues to advance, more and more inappropriate content is readily available to our kids!

If you are a parent or a concerned older sibling, we can help you minimize the amount of exposure your sister, brother, daughter or son is getting. But there’s more…iPhone users everywhere listen up!

Your iPhone has so much to offer including security beyond internet usage. There are many parental control options available, and I am going to walk you through accessing them.

Setting up parental control on the iPhone is simple! Each one of these tools are EASY and FREE!

Method 1: Enable Restrictions

Step 1:

Go to the Settings app and click ‘General’.

Then scroll down and click on ‘Restrictions’.

Step 2:

Here’s where things get good! Click on ‘Enable Restrictions’.

You will then be prompted to set a restriction passcode. Make sure it is not a code your child will be able to easily guess. After confirming the code, you’re in!

Step 3:

Choose what you would like to restrict. Here you can enforce parental control on you’re child’s apps, such as Snapchat, Instagram and so forth.

You can even restrict your child from downloading certain apps or a certain number of apps as you can see below.

Step 4:

You can restrict the type of content your child is viewing or even the kinds of questions they can ask Siri!

Step 5:

Once you have made the changes, click ‘Accounts’ and check ‘Do Not Allow Changes’.

Method 2: Privacy Settings

Step 1:

Go to ‘Restrictions’ and scroll to the section that says “Privacy” in light gray.

Step 2:

You can click any of the features listed and lock in the changes you desire. You can also restrict your child from uploading images to certain apps that you are unfamiliar with.

Method 3: Family Sharing

Step 1:

Go to back to ‘Settings’ and click your name at the top.

Click on ‘Set Up Family Sharing’

Step 2:

Once on the Family Sharing screen, click on ‘Get Started’.

Choose the features you’d like to share with your family.

Confirm your account

Add a payment method.

Method 4: Sharing the Location

Step 1:

Once you’ve followed the instructions above, you’ll be able to enable location sharing between family members.

Step 2:

Start by sharing your location, or clicking on ‘Not Now’.

Click on ‘Invite Family Members’.

Sign into your iCloud account.

Step 3:

Once this feature is set up, you should be able to see where your child is at all times!

Step 4:

In order to lock this feature so your child cannot change it go back to ‘Restrictions’ and scroll to the section that says “Privacy” in light gray.

Click ‘Share My Location,’ and then click ‘Do Not Make Changes’.

Setting A Time Limit For Apps

Here are the steps to controlling the amount of time your child can spend on any app, whether or not you have the iOS update!

Step 1:

Go to Settings and click ‘General’. Scroll down to ‘Accessibility’ and click it.

Step 2:

Scroll down to ‘Guided Access’.

Step 3:

Turn on ‘Guided Access’.

Step 4:

There are two options available to you: When your child’s time is up, you can set a voice that you want them to hear when their time on the app is up.

Alternatively, you can set an alarm to sound when it’s time for them to unplug.

Step 5:

Exit settings and select an app you would like to control

*Because of the nature of the following steps, I could not take screenshots. Please follow my instructions carefully.

Step 6:

Once the app is open, click the home button three times consecutively and quickly.

Step 7:

At the bottom left corner, there should be a button that says ‘Options’. Click it.

Step 8:

Set the amount of time you want your child to spend on that app. Once you’re done, click ‘Start’.

Step 9:

At some point in this process, you will be asked to create a passcode. Make sure it’s a code that your child won’t be able to easily guess.

When the amount of time is almost over, your child will get a notification about the time remaining.

Tracking Your Child’s Screen Time

This is a feature exclusive to those who have updated their phones to the iOS 12!

This feature allows you to analyze the recorded data of your child’s screen time. This is AMAZING. The feature is called “Screen Time”.

If you have Family Sharing, you will get notifications on how much screen time your child is getting on his or her iPhone, along with the apps that are being used.

Below are extremely easy steps on how to view it on your child’s iPhone.

EASY as ABC, 123:

1. Go to ‘Settings’.
2. Scroll to the ‘Notification’ section and click on ‘Screen Time’.
3. Go to the ‘Activity Dashboard’ and you will see all the details of your child’s usage.

Best FREE Parental Control Apps For iPhone:

Here are a few free parental control apps available for download on iPhone.

• Parental Control & Kid Tracker
• SecureTeen Parental Control
• Mobicip Parental Controls
• SaferKid Tesxt Monitoring App
• Qustodio Parental Control
• unGlue

We Want To Hear From You!

Do you feel ready to hand over an iPhone to your pre-teen for his/her birthday? Were the steps and variety of options helpful? Let us know about your experience in the comments below.