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To change most parental controls on an iPad, open Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions, then choose the category you want to adjust. For app limits, downtime, or communication rules, use the separate Screen Time sections. If you manage a child’s iPad through Family Sharing, you can usually make the change from your own device instead.
The right steps depend on whether you are using the child’s iPad or managing it remotely, and some labels vary by iPadOS version, age, and region.
Before you start
- Update both devices if you expect Family Sharing Screen Time changes to sync. Menu labels and options can vary between iPadOS releases.
- Know which device and account you are managing. A child must be in your Family Sharing group for remote management; the adult generally needs to be the organizer or a designated parent or guardian. See Apple’s Family Sharing roles and requirements.
- Have the Screen Time passcode available. It is separate from the passcode used to unlock the iPad and from the Apple Account password.
- Decide whether the change should apply to one device or several. Screen Time’s Share Across Devices setting can sync schedules and limits across devices signed in to the same Apple Account. Turn it off if you want separate settings for each device. Apple explains this in its Screen Time overview.
Change controls on the child’s iPad
- Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
- If Screen Time is not set up, tap App & Website Activity, then Turn On App & Website Activity, and follow the prompts.
- Set or enter the Screen Time passcode if prompted.
- Tap the feature you want to change, such as Downtime, App Limits, Always Allowed, Communication Limits, or Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- Adjust the option and leave Settings. Depending on the feature, the change may apply immediately or when its schedule next takes effect.
For website, purchase, rating, privacy, or built-in feature controls, open Content & Privacy Restrictions. Turn it on if necessary, then select the relevant category. Apple’s iPad guide to blocking apps, websites, and purchases lists the current categories.
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If the child’s Apple Account is in your Family Sharing group, you can generally change Screen Time settings on your own device:
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- Open Settings.
- Tap Screen Time.
- Under Family, tap the child’s name.
- Open the relevant Screen Time feature or restriction category, make the change, and enter the Screen Time passcode if requested.
Some versions show additional controls under Manage Screen Time, especially passcode management. Remote management depends on the correct Family Sharing group and adult permissions; it is not available for every child account in every region. Apple describes parent-managed Screen Time and its requirements here.
Change a specific restriction
App time limits
Go to Settings → Screen Time → App Limits (or select the child first when managing through Family Sharing). Tap an existing limit to change its time or days, then tap Done. To add one, tap Add Limit, select an app category or individual app, tap Next, choose the allowed time and any offered day settings, then tap Add.
An App Limit controls how long an app can be used; it does not control whether it can be downloaded or purchased. For downloads and purchases, use Content & Privacy Restrictions or, for eligible Family Sharing transactions, Ask to Buy.
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Go to Settings → Screen Time → Downtime to change the schedule, days, or whether Downtime is enabled. During Downtime, only permitted apps and communications remain available. Review Always Allowed to choose apps that remain available under Screen Time limits. Emergency communication is treated separately; Apple says known emergency numbers identified by the cellular carrier remain available regardless of limits.
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Built-in apps and features
Open Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → Allowed Apps & Features. Turn the listed app or feature on or off. Disabling a built-in app or feature generally hides it rather than deleting it; turn the control back on to restore it. This is different from removing an app you downloaded.
App, media, and game ratings
Go to Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → App Store, Media, Web, & Games. Choose the available rating or explicit-content setting for apps, media, books, or games. Ratings decide what content is allowed, not how long an app can be used. App Limits control time, while Allowed Apps & Features controls whether certain built-in features are available.
Websites
Go to Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → App Store, Media, Web, & Games → Web Content. Choose unrestricted access, Limit Adult Websites, or Allowed Websites Only, depending on the options shown. To block one site while using Limit Adult Websites, find Never Allow, tap Add Website, and enter its URL.
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Allowed Websites Only is the tightest option but can interfere with schoolwork, sign-ins, research, or embedded content. Limit Adult Websites is less restrictive, not a complete filter. Website restrictions may also miss content viewed inside third-party apps or services, which can have their own controls.
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App Store downloads and purchases
Open Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → iTunes & App Store Purchases. Use the available controls for installing or deleting apps, in-app purchases, and password requirements.
Ask to Buy is a separate Family Sharing feature: it can require a parent or guardian to approve eligible purchases and free downloads from the parent’s device. It does not necessarily cover every transaction; eligibility can depend on account setup, age, region, and the type of content. Apple outlines purchase approvals and related controls in its parental-controls guide.
Privacy and changes to device settings
Within Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions, review Privacy and Allow Changes To. These controls can restrict changes to items such as location sharing, account settings, passcode settings, or other device features. The exact list depends on the software and device configuration.
Communication Limits and Communication Safety
Communication Limits are under Settings → Screen Time → Communication Limits (select the child first when managing remotely). Use them to control who the child can communicate with during normal Screen Time and during Downtime. These rules are separate from app limits and website restrictions.
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Communication Safety, found under Screen Time on a child’s device, provides warnings and protections related to sensitive images and videos. It is not a website filter, content-rating setting, or contact limit. Defaults and age thresholds vary by region; Apple says the analysis happens on-device and that Apple does not receive the photos or videos being analyzed. See Apple’s child Screen Time and Communication Safety information.
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The Screen Time passcode protects changes to Screen Time settings. It is not the iPad-unlock passcode.
Change the passcode on your own iPad
Go to Settings → Screen Time → Change Screen Time Passcode → Change Screen Time Passcode. Enter the current code, then enter the new four-digit code twice.
Change a Family Sharing child’s passcode
On the family organizer’s device, go to Settings → Screen Time → [child’s name] → Manage Screen Time → Change Screen Time Passcode. Tap the change option again if asked, then enter the new code twice. Apple directs organizers to reset a managed child’s code from the organizer’s device, rather than the child’s iPad.
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Turn off the passcode
For your own device, go to Settings → Screen Time → Change Screen Time Passcode → Turn Off Screen Time Passcode. For a Family Sharing child, use the child’s Screen Time page on the organizer’s device, open Manage Screen Time → Change Screen Time Passcode, and choose the option to turn it off. Without the passcode, the device user may be able to alter restrictions more easily.
If you forgot the passcode
On your own iPad, go to Settings → Screen Time → Change Screen Time Passcode and tap the change option again. Use the Apple Account email and password associated with Screen Time Passcode Recovery, then create a new code. The recovery account may differ from the account currently signed in on the iPad.
For a child managed through Family Sharing, the organizer should reset the passcode from their device: Settings → Screen Time → [child’s name] → Manage Screen Time → Change Screen Time Passcode, then follow the prompts to set a new code. Apple’s forgotten Screen Time passcode instructions cover both routes. Avoid repeated guessing or unofficial bypass tools; use Apple’s recovery process first.
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If the change is not working
- Your child is missing under Family: Confirm you are signed in to the intended Apple Account, the child is in the same Family Sharing group, and you are the organizer or a designated parent/guardian. Check that both devices are online and updated and that Family Sharing setup is complete.
- The restriction is visible but locked: The Screen Time passcode may be required. You may be using an account without parent/guardian privileges, or a school or organization management profile may control the setting. Some child-account or regional rules can also limit changes.
- An app is still blocked: Check for a separate App Limit, active Downtime, an app rating restriction, or a limit syncing from another device. The app may also enforce age or family controls through its own account settings.
- A website remains inaccessible: Check Web Content and any restrictions in the app or service used to open it. Make sure you changed the child’s actual device or account and allow time for settings to sync.
- Changes affect the wrong devices: Review Share Across Devices in Screen Time. If it is enabled, limits can apply across devices using the same Apple Account.
- Turning off Content & Privacy Restrictions changed nothing about time limits: Those restrictions are only one part of Screen Time. Downtime, App Limits, and communication settings are separate and may remain active. Apple notes that turning off Content & Privacy Restrictions pauses controls set within that section.
- Your child can request an exception: A request is not necessarily a settings failure. A child may be able to ask for more time or request approval for an eligible purchase; review the prompt and approve or decline it.
Older instructions may send you to Settings → General → Restrictions. That is a legacy path; current iPad parental controls are generally managed in Screen Time.
How Screen Time differs from other controls
- Screen Time manages schedules, app limits, communications, websites, purchases, ratings, and related restrictions.
- Family Sharing lets an authorized adult manage a child’s account and Screen Time remotely. Ask to Buy handles approval for eligible purchases and downloads; it is not the same as an app-time limit.
- Communication Safety provides protections related to sensitive images and videos, rather than controlling all web or app content.
- Guided Access temporarily confines an iPad to one app, typically for a specific session. It is an accessibility feature, not the usual way to manage a child’s broader device use.
- School or organization management can impose controls through a device-management profile that a parent may not be able to change in Screen Time.
Change only the control needed—for example, allow one site instead of removing web filtering, or adjust one app’s limit instead of disabling Screen Time. These tools help enforce family rules, but do not replace reviewing apps, securing accounts, or talking with a child about safe and age-appropriate use.
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