How to use parental controls on iPhone and iPad: The ultimate guide

August 26, 2014

Parental Controls, also known as Restrictions, allow you to set what your children can and can't access on an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. With Parental Controls, you can lock out Safari, Camera, FaceTime, Siri, AirDrop, CarPlay, the iTunes, iBooks, Podcasts, or App Stores (including in-app purchases), as well as content by age rating, and the ability to make changes to accounts and other app settings. In other words, they're a way to block your child's access to anything and everything you deem inappropriate for them based on their age and sensitivity, and your own best judgement. And they're part of what make Apple devices an ideal computing platform for kids!

How to set up parental controls with restrictions for iPhone or iPad

To use Parental Control restrictions, you need to enable them in Settings. It does involve creating a passcode to prevent anyone else, especially oh-so-clever kids, from just turning everything back on again. However, once you've got everything set up according to your child's age and temperament, and your own personal preferences, you can let them use an iOS device without having to worry so much that they'll see or hear anything inappropriate, change anything they shouldn't be changing, or buy anything they shouldn't be buying — including in-app purchases!

How to set up parental controls with restrictions for iPhone or iPad

How to restrict Safari, Camera, FaceTime, Siri, and more with parental controls for iPhone and iPad

With Parental Control restrictions you can turn off any features you don't want your kids accessing without your supervision. That includes disabling access to Safari, Camera, FaceTime, Siri, AirDrop, CarPlay, and more. With those restrictions in place, you won't have to worry about your kids seeing web pages, taking pictures, making video calls, performing voice commands, sending information, or controlling the car that you'd really rather they didn't.

How to restrict Safari, Camera, FaceTime, Siri, and more with parental controls for iPhone and iPad

How to restrict iTunes, iBooks, and App Store with parental controls for iPhone and iPad

Parental Controls, also known as Restrictions, let you manage which features, apps, and content your kids can and can't access on the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. That includes the iTunes Store, which sells music, movies, and TV shows, the iBooks Store, which sells ebooks, and the App Store, which sells apps and games.

Note: iBooks will only appear as an option if you've downloaded the iBooks app from the App Store. (With iOS 8, coming this fall, both iBooks and Podcasts will be pre-installed and options for both will always appear in Restrictions.)

How to restrict iTunes, iBooks, and App Store with parental controls for iPhone and iPad

How to restrict app deletion with parental controls for iPhone or iPad

Sometimes you don't want to prevent your kids from adding apps, but from deleting the ones already there. Whether you've already experienced the unbelievable speed with which a young child can delete almost every app on your device — and sometimes your data along with them! — or you simply want to make sure your pre-teen doesn't remove location tracking apps without your permission, you can make sure that what you have on your iPhone or iPad stays safe, and what they have on their iPhone or iPad stays in place.

How to restrict app deletion with parental controls for iPhone or iPad

How to restrict in-app purchases with parental controls for iPhone and iPad

Perhaps one of the best features of parental controls is the ability to restrict access to in-app purchases (IAP) on the App Store. While originally designed to enable extra content like additional levels in games or new issues of magazines, IAP are now routinely used in a casino-like manner — to feed addiction through ego and instant gratification. The classic examples are free games that lets you spend money to pass levels faster or build a better farm than your neighbor. Farmville, Smurf Village, Candy Crush, Clash of Clans, and others have made millions off this model. It can be hard enough for adults who know better to avoid the trap, never mind kids. Luckily, parental controls let you lock out in-app purchases completely. That way, your kids are free to play but won't be able to pay.

How to restrict in-app purchases with parental controls for iPhone and iPad

How to set the ratings region with parental controls for iPhone or iPad

Some Parental Control restrictions, like for music, movies, TV shows, and apps, can be based on ratings like parental guidance (PG), or 18+. However, ratings vary from place to place. What might be considered acceptable for a certain age in one part of the world might not be considered acceptable in another. That's why Apple lets you change the ratings region on your iPhone or iPad to suit your location and preference, whether it be for the United States, Algeria, Zimbabwe, or anywhere in between!

How to set the ratings region with parental controls for iPhone or iPad

How to restrict music, movies, TV shows, apps, and more based on age-ratings with parental controls for iPhone or iPad

If you don't want to block entire stores like iTunes or apps like Safari you can still block content based on its age rating. That includes the ability to block iTunes Store music or podcasts based on explicit language, movies above a specific rating like PG or NC-17, and TV shows above PG or MA, App Store apps above specific ages like 9+ to 17+, Siri based on explicit language and web access, and Safari based on adult-content or specific URLs.

How to make sure iTunes and the App Store always ask for a password with parental controls for iPhone and iPad

That includes changing the default 15-minute window for password requests on the App Store and iTunes Store. Originally intended as a convenience for adults who wanted to buy several apps, games, songs, movies, or TV shows at once, the window also let kids buy extra apps and in-app purchases after their parents entered the password. So, Apple now lets you change the password interval to immediate, so each and every in-store and in-app purchase requires it before it'll start the download.

How to make sure iTunes and the App Store always ask for a password with parental controls for iPhone and iPad

How to restrict privacy settings with parental controls for iPhone or iPad

The iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad let you control which apps have access to your private information. Parental Control restrictions, however, take it to another level, includes not only blocking apps from accessing you location, contacts, calendars, reminders, photos, bluetooth sharing, microphone, Twitter and Facebook accounts, and advertising settings, but also preventing your child from accidentally or intentionally changing those privacy settings. Not only can that keep your data safe, but keep your kids safer as well.

How to restrict privacy settings with parental controls for iPhone or iPad

How to restrict email account, cellular data, app refresh, and volume changes with parental controls for iPhone or iPad

With parental control restrictions, you can prevent any changes from being made to email, contacts, and calendar accounts. Whether you're worries your young child might accidentally delete your accounts, or your pre-teen might try to add a new account you know nothing about, might rack up huge data bills or blow out their ears, you can quickly and easily lock it all down — or them out! — in Settings.

How to restrict email account, cellular data, app refresh, and volume changes with parental controls for iPhone or iPad

How to restrict Game Center with parental controls for iPhone or iPad

Parental Control restrictions let you prevent your child from engaging in multiplayer games or adding friends on Apple's social gaming network, Game Center. Like any social network, Game Center can be a great way to add some friendly cooperating or competition. However, not everyone your kids run into on Game Center will be friendly. There may be bullies or people with ulterior motives. That's why Apple makes it easy to make sure your children are only playing with people you know about and approve of.