Why this matters:How to recognise this workaround on your side, and what closes it on your side — without telling you how to do the workaround.
How common it is: Second Apple ID use on a family device is a documented pattern. Specific prevalence of installing a VPN through a second ID is not established.
Detection
The child signs in to the App Store with an Apple ID that is not the family-managed Apple ID; a VPN app appears under that account’s purchase history and is not visible in the family’s Ask to Buy list.
Fix (technical)
Enable Ask to Buy for the child account so a second Apple ID does not install apps without parent approval. Where the child already has a second Apple ID, walk the inventory together and decide which apps stay; do not delete without conversation.
Fix (relational)
A second Apple ID is a signal that the child wants privacy. Ask what apps matter to them before treating the second account as a finding.
Residual risk
A second Apple ID signed in to the App Store does not, by itself, defeat the family controls on the family account. The risk is that the household plan is unaware of the apps on the phone.
Sources
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saferinternet-technischer-kinderschutz
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esafety-vpn-faq-2026
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)
- Last verified
- 2026-08-20
Sources used on this page, in the order they appear:
- No external sources were cited.