Raising a child in the digital age presents unique challenges for parents. Do you know how to manage the time your child spends on their device? Or block inappropriate content? It’s essential to monitor and set restrictions on your child’s devices. Apple provides various parental control features through Screen Time that allow you to manage the apps, content, and device functions your child can access on an iPhone or iPad. Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up parental controls with Apple’s Screen Time.
If you have an iPhone or iPad, it’s important that you upgrade to Apple’s latest operating system. To check the operating system, go to Settings > General > Software Update.
Apple’s Screen Time is a powerful tool that can help you manage and monitor your child’s device usage. Setting up parental controls on your child’s iPhone or iPad is essential for promoting a healthy balance between screen time and other activities. Here are three key reasons why you should use Screen Time to safeguard your child’s online experience:
Excessive screen time can negatively impact your child’s health, social development, and academic performance. By using Apple’s screen time to set up parental controls, you can set daily limits on app usage, ensuring your child spends less time on their devices. It also lets you schedule “downtime” when only essential apps are accessible, promoting better habits.
Children aged 2 to 5 should have no more than one hour of screen time per day, while children over 6 years old should have consistent limits on screen use to ensure a balance with physical activity and sleep.
Apple’s Screen Time allows you to restrict access to specific apps, games, and websites that may not be appropriate for your child’s age. You can block adult content and filter out explicit material across Safari and other apps. This ensures your child is only exposed to age-appropriate content, creating a safer online environment.
A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that 75% of children aged 8-18 encounter inappropriate content online, with many reporting exposure to explicit material while using social media or gaming apps.
Screen Time provides detailed insights into your child’s device activity, including the apps they use, the amount of time spent on each, and the websites they visit. By regularly checking these reports, you can address potential concerns like excessive use of social media or gaming apps, helping your child develop healthier tech habits.
Before you start monitoring the use of your child’s device, it is recommended that you use “Screen Time” on your device to familiarize yourself with this feature.
Using the built-in Apple Screen Time to set up parental controls can help you monitor the time the child spends on the iPhone or iPad, and lock the child out of the app when the set time is reached. You can even ban access to your child’s Apple devices at a fixed time every night to prevent them from staying up late to play their favorite games before going to bed.
This feature makes it extremely easy to prevent your child from accessing adult-themed websites and regular content deemed inappropriate for young people.
You can choose to allow your child to use certain apps and restrict him/her from using some apps that you find inappropriate.
For kids in families who use Game Center, you can use “Content and Privacy Restrictions” in “Screen Time” to block adding friends.
Here, you can set restrictions to block music with explicit content, prevent movies or TV shows with specific ratings, etc.
You can restrict Siri commands based on explicit language and web access.
In “Settings”, scroll down and tap “Privacy” to display a series of private data such as location services, contacts, and photos.
It is difficult for kids to resist the temptation to buy their favorite games/apps, which will cost a lot of money. You can use this feature to restrict your child’s in-app purchases.
You can control who your child talks to and how long it lasts. This setting applies to Phone, FaceTime, Messages, and iCloud Contacts.
Screen time can provide you with detailed reports on how your child’s device is used, apps opened and websites visited, which you can view at any time.
iKeyMonitor is a powerful parental control app for iPhone that goes beyond basic settings, allowing you to track and manage your child’s iPhone activities. With features like app usage monitoring, location tracking, and content filtering, iKeyMonitor helps you keep your child safe online. Here’s how to use iKeyMonitor to set up comprehensive parental controls on an iPhone.
Setting up parental controls with Apple’s Screen Time is crucial to ensure your child isn’t exposed to inappropriate content. It allows you to set limits and restrict access, but for more comprehensive control, iKeyMonitor offers additional features like app tracking and location monitoring.