A 45-second overview from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission explaining that parental controls are one layer, not a complete solution — and that they sit alongside, not in place of, conversations about family rules.
Video hosted by a third party (www.youtube-nocookie.com). On play, your browser loads the video from that host and may share your IP address with it.
Why this matters:A step-by-step you can take on your device in the next 15 minutes, with sources and the OS version this was verified against.
Screen Time lets you set daily limits on an iPhone [source: apple-screen-time].
It restricts content. It requires a passcode before a limit can be extended [source: apple-screen-time].
The menus are part of the iOS interface. They change with each major release.
This page is verified against iOS 26.1 [source: apple-screen-time].
Independent reviewers describe Screen Time setup as “confusing” [claim: wirecutter-parental-controls].
Apple’s instructions do not warn about the gaps that lead to a setting “not sticking”.
See Making Screen Time settings stick for the diagnostic path.
Prerequisites
- An iPhone running iOS 26.1 or later.
- A parent Apple Account set up for Family Sharing. If your child already has their own Apple Account, it has to be part of your family group before these settings apply [source: apple-screen-time].
- A Screen Time passcode that is different from the device passcode. If the two match, your child can change the limits by unlocking the phone [source: apple-screen-time].
Steps
- Open Screen Time in Settings (
apple.screentime.root). - Turn Screen Time on.
- When asked whose device it is, choose the option for a child’s device.
- Set up the family configuration and choose a Screen Time passcode.
- Turn on content and privacy restrictions and downtime as needed [source: apple-screen-time].
What Screen Time does not do
Setting up Screen Time is not the same as locking it in place.
Screen Time does not cover time on a second device [source: wirecutter-parental-controls]. It does not cover a friend’s phone.
It does not cover a school iPad. It does not cover a console.
The U.S. FTC recommends treating Screen Time as one layer of protection, not a complete solution [source: consumer-ftc-parental-controls].
The exact menu labels come from the UI string resource under apple.screentime.root.
They stay correct when Apple renames a setting.
Do not copy menu paths into this page by hand.
See ADR-0004 (docs/decisions/0004-central-ui-string-resource.md in the repository).
FTC video — parental controls as one layer
The U.S.
Federal Trade Commission publishes a 45-second overview explicitly stating that parental controls are one layer of protection alongside family conversations, not a substitute for them.
The video is on consumer.ftc.gov and on the FTC’s YouTube channel; both copies are works of the U.S.
Government and not subject to copyright under 17 U.S.C. § 105.
The card below embeds the YouTube copy through the privacy-enhanced youtube-nocookie.com domain that the site’s Content-Security-Policy allows.
Transcript
The transcript reproduces the English caption track. The FTC video is public-domain under 17 U.S.C.
§ 105; the transcript is a faithful manual transfer of the captions.
| Time | Text |
|---|---|
| 3.0s | When it comes to helping your kids learn good online habits, there’s really no substitute for talking with them about your family’s rules and expectations. |
| 12.3s | But parental controls can help reinforce those rules and encourage good online habits, too. |
| 16.6s | Some controls help you manage the type of content your kids can access, while other tools restrict who they can communicate with or limit how much time they can spend online. |
| 27.9s | You’ll find tools appropriate for your kid’s age and maturity level on phones, computers, apps, websites, and gaming platforms. |
| 35.6s | Learn more at ftc.gov/kidsonline. |
Source: Federal Trade Commission (U.S. Government), YouTube-Kanal FTCvideos, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj97-C4tMKc.
Beleg im Medien-Manifest unter aj97-C4tMKc.
Why trust this page?
Belief-disclosure in plain language. Everything the page claims is sourced; instructions are tested against the software version stated above; nothing is bought or affiliate-linked.
- Standing of evidence
- Primary (first-hand or regulatory source)
- Tested against
- iOS 26.1
- Last verified
- 2026-08-16
Sources used on this page, in the order they appear:
- Use Screen Time to manage your child’s iPhone or iPad
- The Best Parental Control Apps to Manage Screen Time (and Keep Your Kid Safer Online)
- How To Use Parental Controls To Keep Your Kid Safer Online
Statements quoted from a manufacturer that are still checked against independent sources are marked [claim]. They describe what the vendor says, not what is independently verified.