If you are concerned about younger members of your family accessing unsuitable websites, making unnecessary purchases or downloading explicit content on their iPhone or Apple devices. You’ll be pleased to know that Apple has a wealth of iPhone parental controls available on iOS devices that can help you protect the privacy of your child online.
Apple offers a wide variety of different iPhone parental controls to their customers. If you would like to keep your children safe, protect your child’s online privacy and learn more about the iPhone parental controls available to you. You will be pleased to know that this quick guide takes you through the main settings enabling you to restrict screen time and access to websites or services if necessary.
As well as restricting certain areas from being accessed and offer ways to limit kids screen time on Apple iOS devices. Apple also provides a wealth of privacy settings for each iPhone, giving you control over which applications have access to information stored on your children’s iPhones or the hardware features they have access to. For example, you can stop social networking applications from accessing your children’s microphone and camera, disabling the ability for them to take and upload pictures without your consent.
Other privacy controls you have access to include the ability to prevent applications from accessing your children’s contacts, calendar, reminders, photographs, location both in Messages and Find My Friends. As well as preventing other devices from sharing data via your children’s Bluetooth connection and restricting speech recognition or dictation.
How to use iPhone parental controls
To access the main content and privacy restrictions provided by Apple on their iOS mobile operating system, simply go to the Settings app on your iPhone or children’s iPad or iPod Touch. If you have family members set up within Apple’s Family Sharing service, you can control and change settings on your children’s devices on your phone remotely.
This is the main area where Apple lists all the parental controls available to you on your iPhone, and those available for other members of your family you have set up sharing with.
1. Go to the Settings app
2. Select Screen Time
Here you will see all the restrictions currently on your own device and for family members. To alter one of your child’s devices, simply select them from the list of Family members at the bottom of the Screen Time menu. Once you have selected the child, you would like to change parental controls for you have options to schedule time away from the screen, set time limits for applications, set limits based on contacts as well as choose apps to allow it all times just in case they need to contact you or carry out schoolwork. At the bottom of the list is the ability to control Content & Privacy Restrictions where you can block inappropriate content.
Limited screen time
If you are a guardian or parent and would like to prevent other family members from accessing and changing settings, you can create a pass code preventing easy access to your iPhone. This pass code is slightly different to the pin you used to login to your iPhone and will be specifically for settings within the Screen Time parental controls.
Control purchases and downloads
If you would like to prevent app purchases from either iTunes or the official Apple App store. Apple provides the ability for you to stop your children from being able to install or delete applications from their iPhone. As well as restricting in app purchases and more.
1. Once again, go to the Settings app and select Screen Time
2. Choose the Content & Privacy Restrictions from the available parental controls
3. Enable the Content & Privacy Restrictions slider to access the grayed out areas
4. Select the option for iTunes & App Store Purchases
5. Choose a setting for each area you would like to restrict access
Prevent access to explicit content
Being able to restrict explicit content is prevalent for younger members of the family and parents can also restrict playback of music with explicit content and movies and TV shows. Apple allows you to set specific rating limits, allowing your child to watch content that is appropriate for their age. To be restrict explicit content using parental controls:
1. Enter the Screen Time section within the Settings app
2. Enable Content & Privacy Restrictions
3. Choose Content Restrictions
4. Choose the options you would like to enable for your child or family member
Restrict Apple Siri access
To restrict access to the Siri personal assistant once again, enter the Screen Time section of the Settings app.
1. Content & Privacy Restrictions
2. Select Content Restrictions
3. Set the Web Search Content option for Siri choosing from Allow or Don’t Allow
4. Set the Explicit Language rules for Siri by allowing or not
Apple Game Center controls
If you would like to restrict your child’s Apple Game Center usage, Apple provides the ability to restrict Game Center features such as block the ability to play multiplayer games with everyone, allow games only with friends or allow gaming with anyone. You can also :
1. Your child adding friends to Game Center
2. Prevent the ability to share their Game Center friend list with third-party games
3. Prevent them from app capturing screenshots, screen recording or the ability to capture sounds
4. Prevent your child the ability to engage in local multiplayer games
5. Restrict their access to private messaging
6. Block profile privacy changes and settings
7. Prevent your child from being able to change their Game Use Center avatars and nicknames without your consent
All these features are available from the Game Center parental controls available under the Screen Time > Content Restrictions section in the Settings app on your iPhone. For more details on all the privacy controls available on your iPhone, jump over to the official Apple Support website.
Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals
Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
