Phone Parental Controls for Grandkids
Got a spare phone or tablet the grandkids use at your house? Set up screen-time limits and content filters in about 15 minutes — no extra apps to buy.
Which device do the grandkids use?
Best for: Best for: an iPhone or iPad you let the grandkids borrow, or a hand-me-down iPhone they now use as their own. Built into iOS — no extra app to install.
First-time setup
- 1.Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad → tap your name at the top → Family Sharing.
- 2.Tap "Add Member" → "Create Child Account" (under 13) or "Invite People" if the child already has an Apple ID.
- 3.Follow the prompts — you will be asked for a parent or guardian credit card on file (Apple uses this to confirm an adult is setting it up; you are not charged).
- 4.Once the child account is added, go back to Settings → Screen Time → Family → tap the child's name.
- 5.Turn on "Screen Time" for that child, then set: Downtime (no apps after bedtime), App Limits (e.g. 1 hour of games), Communication Limits, and Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- 6.Set a Screen Time passcode that the child does NOT know. Write it down somewhere safe.
Day-to-day use
- 1.When a limit is hit, the child sees a screen asking permission to keep going.
- 2.You get a notification on your iPhone — tap "Approve" or "Don't Approve".
- 3.Open Settings → Screen Time anytime to see how much time was spent in each app yesterday and this week.
- 4.Use "Ask to Buy" so any App Store download or in-app purchase needs your approval first.
Worth knowing
- •Screen Time passcode is separate from your phone passcode. If you forget it, recovery requires your Apple ID password.
- •A clever child can sometimes work around limits by changing the date/time. Lock that down: Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → "Date & Time" → Don't Allow.
- •If you share the device, sign out of your Apple ID first or set up a separate user — Apple does not support multiple full users on one iPhone, but Screen Time profiles help.
Screen-time limits are educational tools, not 100% blocks
Every system on this page can be worked around by a determined kid — by changing the device clock, using a friend's phone, or finding a loophole the system has not patched yet. Treat these controls as a way to start a conversation about healthy phone use, not as a guarantee. The most reliable thing is still: keep the device in a shared room, sit with them sometimes, and ask what they're watching.
Five universal rules for shared-device families
- •Sign yourself OUT of email, banking, and social-media apps before handing the device over. A grandkid does not need access to your inbox.
- •Set a separate parental-control PIN that the kids do not know — and write it down somewhere only adults see.
- •Turn off in-app purchases everywhere. One tap on the wrong button can cost real money.
- •Charge the device in the kitchen or living room overnight, not in a bedroom.
- •Talk with the parents first. Whatever rules you put on the device should match the parents' rules at home, or you create confusion.