The short answer: To set up your kid's new iPhone, turn on Family Sharing, create a Child Account, and manage parental controls from your own device. Apple redesigned these controls in iOS 27, released in September 2026. You can now approve apps, websites, and new contacts, set daily time allowances and schedule when the phone is available. The new controls require every device in your family group to run iOS 27.
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How do you set up Family Sharing on iPhone?
Family Sharing lets your family share purchases and iCloud storage without sharing devices or accounts. It's also where Apple's parental controls live. Start on an adult's device, since that account becomes the organizer who approves requests.
- Open Settings and tap your name.
- Tap Family, then Continue, and follow the onscreen steps.
- To add your child, go to Settings > Family, tap Add Member, then Create Child Account and enter their name and birthday.
Apple now calls an Apple ID an Apple Account. A Child Account is required for kids under 13 and available up to 18. It turns on age-based protections automatically, and during setup you can start your child with a few essential apps, a curated set or your own selection.
How do you set up parental controls on a child's iPhone?
First, update every device in your family group to iOS 27. Then, on your own iPhone, go to Settings > Family and tap your child's name.
- Apps & Websites. Approve or block apps and sites. Turn on Ask to Buy so your child needs approval for downloads and purchases, and Ask to Browse so they request new websites.
- Time Allowances. Set a daily time budget, then fine-tune it by category, like games or entertainment. Schedules can vary by day of the week.
- Content & Privacy Restrictions. Set age ratings for apps, music, movies and TV shows. Many of these apply automatically based on your child's age.
- Allowed Contacts. Choose who your child can communicate with and require permission before they connect with anyone new.
- Screen Time passcode. Pick a code your child doesn't know.
If you can't update every device yet, Apple says the previous version of Screen Time keeps working.
What's new for parents in iOS 27?
- Ask to Browse. Kids can request access to a blocked website, and you approve it in Messages.
- Approval for new contacts. Kids need your permission before connecting with someone new.
- Flexible time allowances. You can create your own app categories and set a time allowance as you approve a new app.
- Quick controls. You can see weekly usage at a glance, pause a device or open it up for a limited time.
- Wider Communication Safety. It now covers detected gore and violence as well as nudity, and it's on by default for users under 18.
What parents can do now
- Keep talking. No settings replace honest, ongoing conversations. Ask what they're watching and who they're talking to, the same way you'd ask about school.
- Loosen limits gradually. Extend time allowances as your child shows responsible use.
- Revisit settings together. Check in every few months, since features change often.
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FAQs
Does my child need their own Apple Account?
Yes. Apple requires a Child Account for kids under 13, and you create it through Family Sharing.
Can I set parental controls from my own iPhone?
Yes. With Family Sharing, you manage your child's controls in Settings > Family on your own device.
Do I need iOS 27 for iPhone parental controls?
The redesigned controls need every device in your family group on iOS 27. Apple says the previous version of Screen Time keeps working until you update.
Can my child turn off parental controls?
Not without the Screen Time passcode, so choose one they don't know.
What is Ask to Buy?
Ask to Buy sends you a request whenever your child wants to download or buy something, so you approve it first.
Sources: Apple Support, "Set up Family Sharing," "Create an Apple Account for your child," and "Use parental controls on your child's iPhone or iPad"; 9to5Mac, "Here's what's new with parental control features in iOS 27" (September 2026); MacRumors, "Apple Shares New Guide for Using iOS 27 Parental Controls" (September 2026).
Editorial Credit: FellowNeko / Shutterstock
