The Parental Control Settings You Should Have on Your Child’s iPhone

Setting up parental controls on your child’s iPhone can be daunting. We see you, overwhelmed parents. Here’s a step-by-step guide, plus suggestions on how BrightCanary can help fill in the safety gaps. 

Step 1: Set up Family Sharing 

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap your name. 
3. Select Family Sharing.
4. Follow the prompts to set up your Family Sharing group.
5. Add your child as a family member.

Step 2: Set a Screen Time passcode

1. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Family.
2. Select your child’s name.
3. Tap Turn on Screen Time > Continue.
4. When asked if you want to set up Downtime, App Limits, and Content & Privacy, select Skip It for now. (We’ll get to that in a moment.)
5. Tap Use Screen Time Passcode and enter your Apple ID credentials.

Step 3: Turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions

• Under Family, choose your child's name.
• Tap Content.
• Turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions. 

Step 4: Customize parental controls 

Important parental controls for tweens:

Screen time limits

1. Open Settings > Family > [Child’s Name] > Screen Time.
2. Select App Limits.
3. Select All Apps & Categories to limit all access, or choose which specific categories or individual apps you want to restrict.
4. Choose the maximum amount of time your child can use their device each day. 

Downtime

1. Go to Screen Time > Downtime.
2. Toggle on Scheduled. 
3. Customize the days and times when device use is blocked.
4. You may choose to allow phone calls or certain apps during Downtime.

Communication Limits

1. Go to Screen Time > Communication Limits > During Screen Time. 
2. Select either Contacts Only or Contacts & Groups with at Least One Contact. 
3. Then hit Back and select During Downtime. Choose who your child can communicate with during Downtime. 

Manage and lock iCloud contacts 

1. Go to Screen Time > Communication Limits > Manage [Child’s Name] Contacts.
2. On your child’s device, approve the request to manage their contacts. 
3. Enable Allow Contact Editing to prevent your child from adding their own contacts and to manage this remotely from your device. 

Control iTunes & App Store purchases

Go to Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases. 

Select Don't Allow or Ask to Buy. 

Select allowed apps

Go to Content & Privacy Restrictions > Allowed Apps & Features.

Select which preinstalled apps your child can use.

Set content restrictions

Go to Content & Privacy Restrictions > App Store, Media, Web, & Games. Set filters on these categories:

• Music, Podcasts, News, Fitness: Select Clean.
• Movies & TV Shows: Choose an appropriate age category.
• Books: Select Clean.
• Apps: Choose your child’s age range.
• Web Content: Choose Limit Adult Websites or Restrict Access to All Websites.
• Games (Game Center):
  • Multiplayer Games → Allow with Friends Only
  • Adding Friends → Don’t Allow
  • Nearby Multiplayer → Don’t Allow
  • Private Messaging → Don’t Allow
  • Profile Privacy Changes → Don’t Allow

Restrict explicit language on Intelligence and Siri

Go to Content & Privacy Restrictions > Intelligence & Siri. 

Select Explicit Language and then choose Don’t Allow.

Set Privacy Restrictions

1. Go to Content & Privacy Restrictions > Privacy.
2. Tap Share My Location and toggle off Share My Location.
3. Tap Allow Apps to Request to Track and select Don’t Allow Changes.

Important parental controls for teens

These settings build on the tween settings above.

Turn on Location Sharing 

Use this once your child starts spending extended time away from home, so you can verify their whereabouts.

1. Go to Content & Privacy Restrictions > Privacy.
2. Tap Share My Location and toggle it on.
3. Enable Find My iPhone for safety.

Adjust Downtime for schoolwork 

Teens may need their downtime and app limits to accommodate schoolwork, so revisit this setting with them as needed. 

Adjust limits to allow gradual independence

Teens need increasing freedom as they mature. This will look different for every family, but here are some suggestions to consider: 

• Allow them to add their own iCloud contacts. (It’s still a good idea for you to periodically review who they’ve added.) 
• Allow them to add friends in the Game Center. 
• Adjust the limits under Content Restrictions to reflect their age and maturity level. 

Final step: Fill in the gaps with BrightCanary

Apple has excellent parental controls that will get you off to a great start. But it has gaps, especially when it comes to showing you what your child is actually encountering online. BrightCanary fills in the gaps with robust parental monitoring for iPhones, including: 

• Advanced monitoring everything your child types on their device across all apps and websites. 
• Real-time alerts when your child types anything concerning. 
• AI-powered insights and summaries, so you can allow them privacy with protection. 
• Full transcripts of your child's activity when needed.

Download BrightCanary and get started today.

FAQ: Parental controls on iPhone

What are the best parental control settings on iPhone?

The best settings include Screen Time, Content & Privacy Restrictions, and Communication Limits. Together, they allow you to manage screen use, filter explicit content, and control who your child can talk to.

Can I see what my child is doing on their iPhone?

Apple’s built-in tools don’t show message content or app activity. To view what your child types across apps like Snapchat or TikTok, use a monitoring tool like BrightCanary.

How do I limit who my child can talk to on their iPhone?

Go to Settings > Screen Time > Communication Limits. You can restrict contacts to known friends and family during both screen time and downtime.

Does BrightCanary work with iPhones?

Yes. BrightCanary offers full iPhone and iPad coverage, monitoring what your child types across all apps — including Snapchat, Discord, and AI chatbots.

At what age should I give my child an iPhone?

Many parents wait until 8th grade or later. The key is to set up parental controls and monitoring before handing it over.