Set up Screen Time on iPhone
Screen Time lets you set daily limits, restrict content, and require a passcode before a limit can be extended. The menus are part of the iOS interface and change with each major release — this page is verified against iOS 26.1 [source: apple-screen-time].
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.
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].
The exact menu labels for each step come from the UI string resource
under apple.screentime.root, so 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).