How To Use iPad’s Parental Controls To Protect Kids

Apple’s Screen Time, an iOS parental controls feature, offers parents tools to monitor their child’s online activities. Children can access things like educational tools and entertainment online more than ever. For some parents, this can become a great unknown when it comes to online safety.

Within Screen Time, parents can limit screen usage, set app limits, schedule downtime, and adjust privacy settings. Screen Time's parental controls are intuitive, easy to use, and offer flexibility for busy parents. Once enabled, parents can easily update settings from their own devices.

In this article, we will explore each feature of Screen Time, provide step-by-step setup instructions, and offer recommendations for the best parental control apps.

How to set up iPad parental controls

Screen Time is located in the iPad settings. This feature can be set up within minutes and is ideal for parents who prefer a built-in solution.

Setting up Screen Time on your child’s iPad:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Screen Time.
3. Under Family, tap your child's name.
4. Set age-appropriate Content & Privacy restrictions and a Screen Time Passcode.

Here are the various features offered by Screen Time and how to set them up.

Screen Time limits

Screen Time allows you to monitor and control how much time your child spends on their iPad. A key feature is the ability to set different limits for specific days. Other settings like App Limits help restrict how much time your child spends using certain apps. Meanwhile, Downtime enforces a schedule during which only essential apps are available.

To set app limits:

1. Go to Settings > Screen Time > App Limits.
2. Tap Add Limit, select the apps or categories you want to restrict, and set the amount of time allowed per day.
3. Tap Add to save your changes.

To set up downtime:

1. Go to Settings > Screen Time.
2. Tap Downtime.
3. Toggle Scheduled and set a start and end time for downtime.

Content filtering

Screen Time’s Content & Privacy Restrictions allow parents to block explicit content and restrict app downloads. In addition, Screen Time allows you to control which apps your child has access to.

Content filtering lets you restrict the following content:

• Apps
• Explicit music, movies, and TV shows
• Adult websites or specific domains
• Books and news articles with explicit language or themes
• Web searches
• Videos containing explicit content

How to set up allowed apps

Allowed Apps lets you determine what your child can access on their iPad.

Here’s how to set up allowed apps.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Screen Time.
3. Select Content & Privacy Restrictions.
4. Toggle Content & Privacy Restrictions to on, and then tap Allowed Apps.
5. Toggle off any apps you do not want your child to use, such as Safari, Siri & Dictation, or AirDrop.
6. Exit settings to save your choices.

How to set up content restrictions

Content Restrictions allow you to block or limit access to certain types of media based on age-appropriate ratings.

To set content restrictions, follow these steps.

1. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions.
2. Choose Content Restrictions.

Under Content Restrictions, you can set limits for various categories.

• Movies: Select age-appropriate ratings.
• TV Shows: Choose which ratings are suitable.
• Apps: Restrict app downloads to a specific age range.
• Books: Restrict explicit content in books and audiobooks.

How to set up website and search filters

Website and search filters help to control the types of content your child can view while browsing the web. It blocks adult websites, prevents the use of explicit search terms, and allows only specific, pre-approved websites to be visited.

Here’s how to configure websites and search filters.

1. Go to Settings on the iPad and tap Screen Time.
2. Select Content & Privacy Restrictions.
3. Tap Content Restrictions, then scroll down to Web Content.

You can choose from the following options:

• Unrestricted Access: Allows full access to all websites.
• Limit Adult Websites: Automatically stops access to known adult websites and allows you to manually allow or block websites.
• Allowed Websites Only: Limits browsing to a pre-approved list of websites. To add specific websites, tap Add Website and enter the URL.

Privacy restrictions

Screen Time’s privacy restrictions can prevent changes to several key areas, such as the iPad’s Passcode, Face ID, and Touch ID settings. These restrictions ensure that sensitive device settings remain unchanged and are kept secure.

The list of privacy settings that you can control are as follows:

• Location Services: Prevent apps and websites from accessing the device's location.
• Contacts and Calendars: Restrict apps from accessing contacts or calendar data.
• Photos: Limit apps from accessing the device's photo library.
• Bluetooth Sharing: Prevent apps from sharing data over Bluetooth.
• Microphone and Camera Access: Restrict which apps can use the microphone or camera.
• Cellular Network: Restrict the ability to turn network settings on and off, e.g. third-party parental control apps that monitor via a VPN.

Here’s how to configure privacy restrictions.

1. Open Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions.
2. Tap Privacy and select the specific settings you want to restrict.
3. Toggle Don’t Allow Changes to lock these features.

With these privacy restrictions in place, you can be confident that your child’s sensitive data remains secure, even if they try to make changes themselves.

Communication limits

This feature allows parents to limit calls, messages, and FaceTime to specific people or contacts.

This setting only applies to Apple’s native apps like Messages and FaceTime. Third-party apps such as Discord and WhatsApp are not included.

1. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Communication Limits.
2. Select who your child can communicate with During Screen Time.
3. Set separate limits for During Downtime, allowing communication only with specific people.

By managing these limits, parents can ensure that their children stay connected to family and friends while avoiding unnecessary interactions.

Limit purchases

A common concern for parents is their child making purchases through the App Store. Fortunately, by requiring an App Store Passcode, Screen Time provides ways to limit app purchases and prevent your child from installing apps without permission.

1. Open Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions.
2. Tap iTunes & App Store Purchases.
3. Set Require Passcode for purchases.
4. Toggle Don’t Allow.

Gaming restrictions

Screen Time allows parents to apply restrictions to Game Center, such as multiplayer gaming, the ability to add friends, and access to achievements and leaderboards.

1. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions.
2. Tap Content Restrictions.
3. Scroll to Game Center.
4. Toggle the restrictions based on your preferences.

How to set up family sharing

Family Sharing can link up to six family members under one Apple ID account, and you can customize restrictions for each child. Family Sharing can also be used for parental approval of app purchases, meaning you will need to approve any download or new app purchase.

1. Go to Settings and tap your name.
2. Tap Family Sharing.
3. Tap Set Up Your Family.
4. Follow the on-screen prompts to invite family members to join.

If your child doesn't have an Apple ID, tap Create an Account for a Child. But if your child already has an Apple ID, tap Invite People. They can enter their Apple ID password on your device to accept the invitation.

Why iPad parental controls are necessary

iPad parental controls give parents tools to monitor their child's online activities. They help ensure kids are safe by blocking harmful content and limiting online interactions. With these controls, parents can feel confident their child’s digital experience is more secure.

Some reasons why parental controls are essential:

• Inappropriate content: Children may be exposed to explicit and harmful content without filters.
• Screen time management: Excessive screen time can prevent your child from establishing hobbies or spending time with other people.
• Cyberbullying: Online platforms can become hotspots for cyberbullying.
• Online predators: Children may have interactions with dangerous strangers.
• In-app purchases: Many apps allow purchases that you might not agree to.

Downsides of the iPad parental controls

While iPad parental controls provide a way to manage your child’s device usage, they aren’t without their limitations. Currently, there is no real-time location tracking available, although the iPad does include the ‘Find My’ feature.

In addition to device-exclusive controls, there are other ways to help your child as they explore their digital landscape.

Teach good online habits

iPad parental controls are just one tool in the grand scheme of online safety. By teaching children how to behave online, they’re more likely to make good choices. This includes not sharing personal information and knowing what content is age-appropriate for them.

Check-in with your child

Open communication with your child will keep them safe online. By regularly checking in about their online activities, you build trust and create a space where they feel comfortable coming to you.

These conversations can also offer a chance to address any concerns if they feel like you’re spying on them or that you don’t trust them.

Use an additional parental control app

The best third-party parental control apps offer features that go beyond the iPad's Screen Time’s. These apps are particularly useful for platforms like Discord and WhatsApp where the iPad’s built-in parental controls have no coverage.

By using a specialized app, parents can set more specific rules for app usage and get a clearer view of their child’s overall digital behavior.

Here are some popular parental control apps that work well on the iPad.

• Bark: Bark is an excellent choice for parents seeking a collaborative app with features like location tracking and comprehensive monitoring for over 30 apps. It is ideal for parents who need more in-depth security for their child’s iPad.

  Get Bark | Read Bark Review

  

  4.4

  AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

  Parental Controls

  Bark Premium

  • Robust parental controls to track, monitor, and limit device usage
  • Machine learning catches the latest slang and keywords
  • Screens content across 19 categories
  • Activity can only be viewed if it’s triggered

  Learn More

  Learn More

• Norton Family: Norton Family offers straightforward location tracking and screen time management. It also integrates with other Norton 360 products like Antivirus for iPad.

  Get Norton Family | Read Norton Family Review

  

  4.4

  AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

  Parental Controls

  Norton Family

  • Excels at app blocking and content filtering across 47 categories
  • Offers age-specific restriction levels to enhance safety and unlimited device connections
  • Can't add screen time limitations on a per-app basis

  Learn More

  Learn More

• Aura Parental Controls: Aura is best for parents wanting unlimited device support combined with identity protection. It also features website filtering and cyberbullying alerts.

  Get Aura | Read Aura Review

  

  4.9

  AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

  Identity Protection

  Aura Identity Theft

  • Excellent identity theft protection service
  • Includes a password manager and VPN
  • Robust tools for children’s security

  Learn More

  Learn More

FAQs

Bottom line

Setting up parental controls on your child’s iPad will help safeguard them against online risks and promote healthy internet habits. Screen Time lets parents monitor screen time, restrict app usage, and block inappropriate content.

For parents looking to add additional security, incorporating a third-party app can enhance safety with features like location tracking and detailed app monitoring. All of this creates a more secure digital environment for your child.