Introduction
Extra layers of protection keep Apple devices age-appropriate for your kids.
Introduction
The iOS 27 update in September brought an overhaul of parental controls. Apple worked alongside the American Academy of Pediatrics to bring new safety tools and aid parents in creating healthy digital habits for their kids, balancing screen usage with essentials like sleep, exercise, schoolwork and family time.
Introduction
Among the new parental control features introduced are Time Allowances, Ask to Browse, Ask to Add Contacts, a Pause Device feature and expanded Communication Safety. The setup process has also been simplified, offering age-appropriate app recommendations for new child accounts.
Introduction
However, these features don't activate automatically when a device updates. Every device in a Family Sharing group needs to be running iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, or tvOS 27 before the new Screen Time system will function. Devices that can't be updated will continue using older controls.
New Features
The most notable shift is the replacement of App Limits with Time Allowances, which gives you more granular control over how your kids spend their screen time. For instance, if you allow your kids to spend three hours daily on their phones, you can decide how much of that time can go to social media, entertainment and gaming. There are also custom categories parents can create themselves.
Ask to Browse gives parents oversight over Safari activity by requiring approval before a child visits an unapproved website. Approval requests arrive in Messages. The Communication Safety feature, which flags nudity in messages, AirDrop and FaceTime, now also detects and blurs graphic violence and gore. Ask to Add Contacts requires parental approval before children can call or text a new phone number.
Finally, Pause Devices makes it easy for parents to instantly lock a child's device with a single tap for dinner or homework time.
How to set up and adjust parental controls
Getting started requires a Child Account for each kid. First, make sure you have a Family Sharing group set up, then head to Settings and Family on your iPhone. To manage an existing child, tap their name to access their settings and review iOS 27's additions.
If you need to add a new child, tap the Add button at the top-right and follow the steps. Default settings vary by age. Ask to Browse, Limit Adult Websites and contact management features are on by default for kids under 13, while Communication Safety is enabled for everyone under 18.
Parents can build separate weekday and weekend schedules, layer category-specific caps within an overall daily limit, and enable Ask to Buy for app purchases. The redesigned Screen Time dashboard provides a quick overview of usage.
