Managing Your Child’s Screen Time

It’s a new age: kids today are growing up in a world of iPads, Netflix, social media, and so much more. So how does this change the way children experience life? And how can we best care for our children in this digital era?

One of the first places to start is screen time.

What is Screen Time?

“Screen time” refers to the time spent on a device with a screen, such as playing video games or scrolling social media on your phone. Screen Time is also the name of a feature on Apple products. This feature allows you to see how much time you are spending on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. It also allows you to set limits on the amount of time you spend. This is particularly useful when managing your child’s device.

Why Manage Screen Time?

It is important to monitor children’s screen time, especially as studies begin to show a link between screen time and brain development. Recent research suggests that “the more television kids watch, the less ready they may be for school” (Parents). According to the Greater Good Science Center based at UC Berkeley, too much screen time presents three major risks to teens: loneliness, overemphasis on materialism, and insecurity.

That’s not to say that all screen time is bad. Screen time can bring social connection, new avenues for education, and just entertainment! It’s the management that is important.

How Can We Manage Screen Time?

As mentioned, Apple devices have a Screen Time feature that allows you to oversee your child’s screen time. Here’s how to set it up (as directly quoted from Apple’s instructions):

1. Go to Settings > Screen Time.

2. Tap Turn On Screen Time.

3. Tap Continue.

4. Select This is My [device] or This is My Child's [device].

If setting up Screen Time for your child’s device, you can configure settings directly on their device or use Family Sharing to manage their settings from your own device. To activate Family Sharing, go to Settings and tap Screen Time. Then scroll down and select your child’s name. Tap Turn on Screen Time, then Continue. You can customize Downtime, App Limits, and Content & Privacy limitations for your child, as well as set up a Screen Time Passcode. 

This passcode adds security to your Screen Time settings so that only you or someone you authorize can extend allowed Screen Time or adjust the settings you have chosen. You can change or turn off this Passcode at any time. (And don’t forget to choose a passcode that’s different from the one used to unlock your device!)

Some of the settings you can configure include:

1. Setting daily limits for app categories such as social media. These App Limits reset at midnight every day, and can be changed or deleted at any time.

2. Blocking “inappropriate content, purchases, and downloads.”

3. Marking some apps as “Always Allowed” such as Phone, Messages, FaceTime, and Maps.

4. Limiting who your children can message throughout the day across Phone, FaceTime Messages, and iCloud contacts.

5. And more!

How Foolproof is Screen Time?

Some kids have found ways to workaround the Screen Time limits set by parents on their devices. According to the Washington Post, some of these workarounds include: “download[ing] special software that can exploit Apple security flaws, disabling Screen Time or cracking their parents’ passwords…search[ing] for bugs that make it easy to keep using their phones, unbeknown to parents, such as changing the time to trick the system or using iMessage to watch YouTube videos.”

This “arms race” between parents and kids means that there is no total solution when it comes to fully monitoring or locking down your kids’ devices. But that doesn’t mean Apple’s Screen Time features are useless. There are lots of available solutions to help you best manage your child’s screen time. 

What Can I Do?

Here are some helpful tips to combat the most common hacks used by kids today:

1. Enable “Block at Downtime.”

   The Downtime feature acts as a suggestion rather than an explicit cutoff unless you enable Block at Downtime. Here’s how:

   1. Head to Settings > Screen Time > Family > Your Child’s Name > Downtime section > Make sure Block at Downtime is enabled. This means that your child will have to actually ask for more screen time to continue their usage of your selected apps, rather than being able to ignore the suggested Downtime limitation.

2. Don’t allow Time Zone changes on your child’s device.

   Some kids will manually change the date and time settings of their device to get around Screen Time limits, so be sure to disable Time Zone changes. Here’s how:

   1. First, disable Screen Time.

   2. Head to Settings > General > Time & Date and check that Set Automatically is enabled.

   3. Enable Screen Time now (be sure to set the passcode!)

   4. Locate Content & Privacy Restrictions > Location Services > System Services

   5. Turn on Setting Time Zone

   6. Go back to Location Services and tap the Don’t Allow Changes button.

3. Disable Access to Siri.

   One common “hack” is for kids to send or read messages on iMessage using Siri, which is not inherently blocked when Screen Time limits for iMessage are enacted. Here’s how:

   1. Disable Siri by going to Settings > Screen Time > Family > (Your Child’s Name).

   2. Content & Privacy Restrictions > Enter your passcode > Allowed Apps.

   3. Here, you will see a toggle for Siri & Dictation. Turn the toggle off.

These are just a few steps you can take towards monitoring and ensuring a healthy amount of screen time for your child. While the digital world is always changing, rest assured we’ll be here to help you at every step of the way.

For more help setting up Screen Time controls, combatting common “hacks,” or just navigating your Apple device, send us a message! We’ve got you covered.