How to set parental controls on iPhone focusing on your child’s iPhone start with why you need parental controls, what it does, and the steps.

Has your child just received their first iPhone? This is an important step on their road to becoming a responsible adult. However, you might not be ready just yet for them to have complete control. The average child gets their first smartphone at the age of just 10 years old. Clearly, at this age, you need to make sure they’re protected from the dangers of the internet.
Read on to find out why parental controls matter and how to set parental controls on iPhone.
Why You Need Parental Controls on iPhone
Parental controls give you peace of mind as a parent and keep your child safe.
By enabling parental controls on the iPhone:
- You are given peace of mind that your child is protected from distressing content
- Ensure your child is using their smartphone at appropriate times of day
- Help your child to become a safe and sensible internet user
- Keeps your child’s online reputation safe from future embarrassment
What Do Parental Controls on iPhone Do?
If you’re not the most tech-savvy, you’re probably wondering what kind of control parental controls on iPhone give you. There’s a number of benefits that can help keep your child safe online.
Parental controls:
- Control when your child can go online, so they’re not accessing the internet at night
- You can control how long your child is online for, so they’re negatively affected by excessive screen time
- Control the content your child sees, so they’re protected from distressing images
- Prevent a child from making inappropriate searches
- Prevent a child from making purchases in apps and games
How to Set Parental Controls on iPhone
So now you know why parental controls are so important, how do you actually set them up on an iPhone. Well, it couldn’t be simpler! Follow the instructions below for the kind of parental controls you’d like to enable.
RESTRICT SCREEN TIME:
Go to settings and tap ‘Screen Time’. Tap continue and select ‘This is my child’s device’. Set up a passcode and enter your Apple ID and password. You can then tap on your child’s name to see their screen usage and set up restrictions.
PREVENT PURCHASES:
Go to settings and tap ‘Screen Time’. Tap Content and Privacy Restrictions. Enter your passcode. Tap ‘iTunes and App Store Purchases’. Tap don’t allow. Your child will no longer be able to make purchases in the app store.
BLOCK EXPLICIT CONTENT:
Go to settings and tap ‘Screen Time’. Tap Content and Privacy Restrictions. Tap content restrictions. This will reveal a list of features you can block, including ratings, music, movies, and TV.
BLOCK WEB CONTENT:
Go to settings and tap ‘Screen Time’. Tap Content and Privacy Restrictions. Enter your passcode. Tap content restrictions. Tap ‘Web Content’. You can then choose whether to block adult websites or only allow ‘Allowed Websites’, which you can set.
RESTRICT SEARCHES VIA SIRI:
Go to settings and tap ‘Screen Time’. Tap Content and Privacy Restrictions. Now tap content restrictions, and tap Siri. You can then choose your restrictions, such as filtering explicit searches or banning explicit language.
RESTRICT THE GAME CENTER:
Go to settings and tap ‘Screen Time’. Tap Content and Privacy Restrictions. No tap content restrictions. Tap ‘Game Center’. From here, you can restrict gaming features such as multiplayer or screen recording.
It’s as simple as that! Now you know how to set up parental controls on iPhone. Your child can now freely use their phone, safe from online threats.