How to Set Screen Time for a Child on iPhone

Set practical Screen Time limits for a child’s iPhone around sleep, school, homework and family routines.

Choose the goal before choosing a number

Screen time is not one activity. Homework, video calls, games and passive scrolling have different purposes. Decide whether you are trying to protect sleep, reduce distraction, create family time or limit a particular app.

Use the right Screen Time tool

Use App Limits for total use, Downtime for time-of-day boundaries and Content & Privacy Restrictions for access decisions. Combining every control at once makes the setup harder to understand.

Keep sensible exceptions

Allow for schoolwork, family communication, accessibility tools and legitimate extra-time requests. A child should know how to ask when the normal rule does not fit the situation.

Adjust based on results

Review the rule after a week or two. A useful limit should improve the problem it was designed to solve. If the household is only arguing about the timer, the rule may need redesigning.

Useful official sources

• Apple Support: Use parental controls to manage your child’s iPhone or iPad
• Apple Support: Set up parental controls with Family Sharing