Pause internet
Pause your child's iPhone (bedtime + downtime)
Use Apple's Downtime to lock the iPhone during chosen hours.
📌 Your child's iPhone unlocked for 5 minutes.
Do this, in order
- 1
Open Settings → Screen Time
If it says "Turn On Screen Time", do that first (see the Block path).
- 2
Tap Downtime
Turn the switch on.
- 3
Pick a Start time and End time
Example: 9:00 PM to 7:00 AM, every day.
- 4
Tap Block at Downtime
This makes Downtime a hard lock — the kid can't tap "Ignore Limit" without your passcode.
- 5
Optional: tap App Limits → Add Limit
Cap social apps and games to a daily limit (e.g. 1 hour).
- 6
Lock the settings
Back in Content & Privacy → Allow Changes → set Account Changes and Passcode Changes to Don't Allow.
Now let's make sure it actually works
We don't tell you setup is complete until you've tested it with your own eyes.
1. Open a normal website
On the device you just set up, open a regular site like google.com or your local news. It should load normally.
2. Try a blocked test website
Now open this safe test URL — it's a harmless page that adult-content filters block. If your blocker is working, the page will NOT load (you'll see an error or a block screen).
Open test page →
Both tests didn't pass — what to try
Restart the device's Wi-Fi (off then on). On a phone, turn cellular data off so it has to use Wi-Fi. Then try the test again.
Both tests must pass before we mark this complete.
Honest limits — what this won't catch
No parental control catches everything. Here's what slips through, and what to do about it:
- If your child has a cellular data plan, blocks on your home Wi-Fi don't apply when they're not at home.
- If your child turns their phone into a hotspot, other devices using it skip your Wi-Fi filters.
- On a friend's Wi-Fi, your home filter does nothing.
- A VPN can hide their traffic from filters that only check websites by name.
- Installing a second browser can bypass a single-browser extension.