Screen Time on iPhone and iPad: How to Set Up Parental Controls in iOS 27

Screen Time has been redesigned in iOS 27 and iPadOS 27. This guide shows how to set it up for your child from your own iPhone or iPad, in the same question-and-answer style as our original guide. For the bigger picture, see our guide to what to set up first.

What do I need first?

Your child needs a Child Account in your Family Sharing group, with their own Apple Account. Every device in the group needs to be on iOS 27, iPadOS 27 or macOS 27, and a parent or guardian needs to update the parental controls. To do that, open Settings, tap Family, then tap Get Started.

You also need to be the Family Sharing organiser or a parent or guardian in the group. Make sure you are in your child’s contacts list, so that their requests reach you for approval.

How do I open my child’s settings?

Everything below starts in the same place. Open the Settings app, tap Family, then tap your child’s name. On a Mac, open System Settings, click Family, then click your child’s name.

What are Time Allowances?

Time Allowances set how long your child can spend in different types of app. Entertainment, Games and Social Media come set up automatically, with age-based starting points based on expert research. You can change all of them.

To set one up:

1. Open your child’s settings.
2. Tap Time Allowances, tap Add, then follow the onscreen instructions.
3. Drag a slider to increase or decrease the time for each category, or for the whole device.
4. You can also add new categories or change the category an app sits in, to suit your family.
5. For apps that are not in a category, use Additional Time Allowances.

If you want a Time Allowance to apply only at certain times, turn on Match Screen Time Schedule.

What are Schedules?

Schedules decide which types of app your child can use at different times of day. Apple includes ready-made time windows for weekdays and weekends, called Before School, School and After School. You can add a custom window for something like sport practice, or build a custom schedule for a shortened school day.

To set one up:

1. Open your child’s settings.
2. Tap Screen Time Schedule, then turn on Schedule.
3. Tap Add Schedule and choose the days it applies to.
4. Tap Add Time Window to give a window a name, a time and the app categories allowed during it.

A useful routine is to turn screens off for at least an hour before bed and keep devices outside the bedroom overnight.

Can some apps always work?

Yes. Always Allowed keeps chosen apps and contacts available even when other apps are paused because your child has used up their time for the day. By default, FaceTime, Maps, Phone and Messages are always available, so your child can reach you.

Open your child’s settings, tap Always Allowed, then tap Add Apps, Add People or Specific Contacts. To take one away, use the Edit or Remove button next to it.

How do I block an app or website?

Open your child’s settings and tap Apps & Websites. The Allowed and Blocked tabs show everything you have approved or blocked. Tap Add to enter the name of an app or website to allow or block. A blocked app is not deleted. It is hidden until you allow it again.

Ask to Buy makes your child ask before they download an app or buy something, and Ask to Browse makes them ask before visiting a new website in Safari. Requests arrive in Messages, and you can approve or decline them there. You can also approve a request on your child’s device by entering the Screen Time passcode.

To change the website setting, tap Apps & Websites, tap Restrictions, scroll to Websites, tap Filtering, then choose Approved Websites Only or Limit Adult Websites. Ask to Browse is on by default for Child Accounts under 13.

Can I limit what they can change or use?

Yes. Open your child’s settings and tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. Under Other Features you can allow or block built-in features such as Camera and AirDrop. Under Allow Changes to Settings you can stop them changing things like Location Services or Face ID and Passcode on their own. Blocked features are hidden, not deleted.

The same menu has a Siri setting. Siri AI is only available to children aged 13 and over, and you can choose Siri AI (Beta), Siri Classic or no Siri. Our Siri AI guide explains the difference.

What if my child has a Mac?

The same Family settings work on a Mac. See our guide to parental controls on the Mac.

What if a device cannot update to iOS 27?

Some older devices cannot update. They can keep using the Screen Time settings from iOS 26 and earlier. In Settings, tap Family, then View Family Devices, and choose Legacy Devices to see which ones they are.

Need a hand?

If you would like help setting up Screen Time for your family, see our Smart Home & Family Safety page, or contact Your Mac Tech.