How to set up Screen Time on an iPhone to manage your child’s phone usage

We’ll be demonstrating with an iPhone but the steps are exactly the same with an iPad.

This option will be at the top of the Settings page, under your Apple ID profile.

This is in the top right corner of the screen, as shown below.

A Child Account can be created for children under the age of 12.

Here you’ll be prompted to create an account for your child, which will require you to set up an email (or use one they already have) and a password. 

You may also need to enter your Apple ID password and any other passwords associated with your Apple account.

After you set up your child’s account, you’ll be instantly prompted to establish their screen time preferences. Select Continue.

The first prompt doesn’t actually involve screen time but rather the content your child will be allowed to access. Here you can adjust the ratings across Web Content, Apps, Movies and more.

You’ll now be prompted to turn on Screen Time tracking for your child’s account, allowing you to receive weekly reports about their screen time, schedule downtime and set daily limits for app usage.

Downtime allows you to set a schedule for time away from the screen. During this time period, you’ll need to give your child permission to use their phone. Simply tap on the start time to set when you’d like this to begin (for example, before their bedtime) and choose the end time (which can be the next morning.)

You can also opt to skip this entirely by choosing Set Up Later.

To make future changes to Screen Time settings, you’ll need to set up a child lock. Make sure it’s something you can remember but isn’t guessable by your child.

Once this is set up you’ll be given a few optional extras to tweak, including location tracking.

Once you’ve gone through all the steps, select Done.