How to Set Up Screen Time on an iPhone (Yours or Your Kid's)

The short version: For your own iPhone on iOS 27, open Settings, tap Screen Time, tap Manage Screen Time, then tap Turn On App & Website Activity. From there, set a Screen Time Schedule for when apps work, Time Allowances for how long, and Lock Screen Time Settings if you want a passcode. For your child's iPhone, set it up from your own phone: open Settings, tap Family, tap your child's name, tap Screen Time, and follow the steps. Your child needs a Child Account in your Family Sharing group, and every device in the group must be on version 27. On iOS 26 and earlier, start from Settings > Screen Time instead, and the limits are called Downtime and App Limits.

The first time we opened Screen Time properly, it was a Sunday night and the weekly report had just landed on the Lock Screen. Five hours and some minutes, daily average. We put the phone face down on the duvet and looked at the ceiling for a while.

Setting it up is the easy part. It takes about ten minutes for yourself and a little longer for a child, mostly because Apple asks good questions along the way. This guide walks through both, in the order the screens appear.

If you are still working out what Screen Time is and whether it does what you need, our explainer on what Apple Screen Time can actually do covers that first.

Before you start: which version are you on?

Apple redesigned Screen Time in iOS 27. The new version has different names and lives in a slightly different place, so check first: open Settings > General > About and find the number next to iOS Version, as Apple's version guide describes.

  • iOS 27 or later: use the steps in the next two sections.
  • iOS 26 or earlier: skip to the iOS 26 section further down.

There is one catch. Apple's setup guide says that to use all the latest Screen Time features you need version 27 on all your Apple devices, and if you use Family Sharing, every device in the group must be upgraded. One old iPad in a drawer can hold the whole family on the older Screen Time. On iOS 27, you can see which devices still need updating under Settings > Family > View Family Devices, according to Apple's family update guide.

How to set up Screen Time for yourself (iOS 27)

Step 1: Turn it on

  1. Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
  2. Tap Manage Screen Time, then tap Turn On App & Website Activity.

You can also start from Screen Time Schedule or Time Allowances. Each one offers the same Turn On App & Website Activity button. Once it is on, your iPhone starts counting.

Step 2: Share it across your devices

If you have an iPad or Mac on the same Apple Account, tap Manage Screen Time and turn on Share Across Devices. Apple says your schedules, allowances, and usage then apply across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and your report shows the combined total. Turn it off and each device keeps its own settings.

We would turn it on. Otherwise the limit on your phone simply moves your evening to the laptop.

Step 3: Set a Screen Time Schedule

A schedule decides when apps are available. Apple's schedules guide suggests time windows for things like work, dinner, and the evening.

  1. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Screen Time Schedule and turn on Schedule.
  2. Tap Add Schedule, pick the days it covers, and confirm.
  3. Tap a time window to rename it, change its start and end time, or choose which Time Allowance categories are available in it.
  4. To remove a window, tap it, then tap Delete this Time Window.

On iOS 26 this was Downtime. On iOS 27 it is part of the schedule, which means you can have a "dinner" window and a "bed" window rather than one long block.

Step 4: Set Time Allowances

Time Allowances decide how long. They replace App Limits, and they work by category: Entertainment, Games, and Social Media, plus a daily total across all of them.

  1. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Time Allowances.
  2. Drag the top slider, or tap the plus and minus buttons, to set your daily total.
  3. Tap a category to set its own allowance.
  4. To add a category, tap Manage Categories, tap the add button, and choose one.
  5. Turn on Match Screen Time Schedule if you want allowances to apply only in certain time windows.

Apps in a category work until you hit either the category's allowance or the daily total, whichever comes first. If an app declares a matching website, Apple says the allowance covers both, so switching from the app to Safari does not reset the clock.

A tip from our own mistakes: start generous. Set the allowance near what your report says you use now, then cut it by a little each week. A limit you hit at 10am on day one gets turned off by day three.

Step 5: Choose what is Always Allowed

Go to Settings > Screen Time > Always Allowed, then tap Add People or Add Apps. These stay available whatever your schedule or allowances say. Apple suggests family members and the Health app, for emergencies. Maps and your banking app are also good candidates.

Step 6: Lock it, if you want to

A limit you can dismiss with one tap is a suggestion. If you want it to hold, add a passcode.

  1. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Manage Screen Time and tap Lock Screen Time Settings.
  2. Enter a four-digit code, then enter it again.
  3. Set up Screen Time Passcode Recovery when Apple offers it, so you can reset the code with your Apple Account if you forget it.

Some people hand the code to a partner or a friend and ask them to type it in, so they never learn it themselves. We know adults who swear by this. If you do forget a code, our guide to resetting a forgotten Screen Time passcode covers Apple's recovery steps.

How to set up Screen Time on your child's iPhone (iOS 27)

For a child, almost everything happens on your iPhone. Apple's Screen Time guide for parents recommends managing it from the organizer's or a parent's device, and the passcode is set there too.

What you need first

  • Family Sharing. You are the organizer, or a parent or guardian in the group.
  • A Child Account for your child, used by them and nobody else. Apple requires one for children under 13 and offers it up to 18, though ages vary by country.
  • Version 27 on every device in the Family Sharing group.

If you are setting up a brand new iPhone, Apple's kid setup guide lets you hold your phone next to it and use Quick Start. You can create the Child Account during setup and pick which apps your child starts with.

The setup, screen by screen

On your iPhone, open Settings, tap Family, tap your child's name, then tap Screen Time. If your family has just updated to version 27, you may see a Get Started button instead. Either way, Apple's parental controls setup walks you through these steps:

  1. Website access in Safari. Choose Approved Websites Only or Ask to Browse, where your child asks before visiting a new site, or Limit Adult Websites, or unrestricted. Ask to Browse is on by default for children under 13, and Limit Adult Websites for children under 18.
  2. Content. Set age ratings for books, movies, TV shows, and music in Apple's apps.
  3. Who they can talk to. Decide whether your child needs your approval to message or call someone new, and turn on protection from sensitive images and videos.
  4. When they can use the device. Set Available From and Available Until times, with separate weekday and weekend hours. Outside them, most apps and notifications pause. This is what used to be Downtime.
  5. School hours. Turn on Pause During School Hours and set the start and end of the school day. Entertainment, Games, and Social Media pause; other apps keep working.
  6. Time Allowances. Set a daily total for Entertainment, Games, and Social Media, then adjust each one. Apple shows a suggested range for your child's age as you drag the slider.
  7. Passcode. Create a four-digit code your child will not guess.

That last step matters more than the others. The Screen Time passcode is separate from the code that unlocks their phone, and if your child knows it, every setting above is optional.

If you want a second opinion on the allowance numbers, our screen time by age guide lays out the AAP and WHO ranges for each age band.

After setup: the controls you will use every week

Open Settings > Family and tap your child's name. Apple's quick adjust guide describes three buttons at the top: pause their device, allow unlimited use (time used then does not count toward their allowance), and change their schedule. Below them, Daily Average and Most Used Today show how the week is going.

For deeper changes, like a weekend schedule or a single app's allowance, our guide to limiting screen time on your kid's iPhone or iPad goes setting by setting, and blocking apps on your kid's iPhone covers taking apps away entirely.

How to set up Screen Time on iOS 26 and earlier

If you or anyone in your family group is still on iOS 26, you get the older Screen Time. Apple's iOS 26 guide lays it out:

  1. Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
  2. For a child, tap their name under Family. For yourself, skip this step.
  3. Tap App & Website Activity, then tap Turn On App & Website Activity.
  4. Turn on Share Across Devices if you want the same settings on your iPad and Mac. You may need to scroll down.

From the same screen you then set:

  • Downtime for scheduled time away from the phone, like bedtime.
  • App Limits for daily time on an app or a category, like Games.
  • Always Allowed for apps and contacts that keep working during Downtime.
  • Content & Privacy Restrictions for blocking content, purchases, and features.

On iOS 26, Apple notes that turning off App & Website Activity turns off reporting, Downtime, App Limits, and Always Allowed in one go. Handy when you mean it.

How to check your Screen Time once it is set up

On iOS 27, go to Settings > Screen Time and tap Daily Average, then Week or Day. Scroll down for Pickups, how often you picked the phone up, and Notifications, how many arrived. Swipe left and right to see earlier weeks. You can also add a Screen Time widget to your Home Screen, which is a less comfortable way to meet your numbers every time you unlock.

If your child's reports stop showing up on your phone, or say Screen Time "has not been available for 7 days", our 7-day fix covers the usual causes.

When setup is done and the habit is not

Screen Time is good at counting and good at stopping. What it does not do is give you, or your child, a reason to want the stop. When an allowance runs out, the app goes grey and the evening has a hole in it.

That gap is why we built Unglue. On iPhone it uses Apple's Screen Time framework to block the apps you choose, and they open again when you earn minutes with real-life habits: a walk, a glass of water, ten pages of a book. For teenagers, Selection Lock keeps apps on the blocked list unless someone enters a Buddy Code that a parent holds. The parents page shows how families set it up, and our comparison of app blockers for kids puts it next to Screen Time honestly. We are aware it is one more app on the phone.

And if the settings are fine but the evenings are still a fight, the pillar guide on reducing screen time without battles is about the conversations that make any setting stick.

Not sure which limits to set for your child?

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Common questions

How do I turn on Screen Time on my iPhone?

On iOS 27, go to Settings > Screen Time > Manage Screen Time and tap Turn On App & Website Activity. On iOS 26 and earlier, go to Settings > Screen Time > App & Website Activity and tap Turn On App & Website Activity.

How do I set Screen Time on my child's iPhone from my phone?

Open Settings > Family on your iPhone, tap your child's name, tap Screen Time, and follow the steps. Your child needs a Child Account in your Family Sharing group, and on iOS 27 every device in the group must be on version 27.

How do I set a time limit for apps on iPhone?

On iOS 27, use Time Allowances under Settings > Screen Time to set a daily total and limits for Entertainment, Games, and Social Media. On iOS 26 and earlier, use App Limits > Add Limit.

Where did Downtime and App Limits go in iOS 27?

Downtime became part of the Screen Time Schedule, and App Limits became Time Allowances. Apple's own setup guide for parents uses both of the old names to explain the new ones.

How do I put a passcode on my own Screen Time?

On iOS 27, go to Settings > Screen Time > Manage Screen Time > Lock Screen Time Settings and enter a four-digit code twice. Set up Screen Time Passcode Recovery when asked, so you can reset it with your Apple Account.

Why can't I see the new Screen Time settings?

Usually because a device in your Family Sharing group is not on version 27. Check Settings > Family > View Family Devices for the list. Devices that cannot update can still use the iOS 26 Screen Time.

Sources

Thank you for your attention.

We know it's one of the most valuable things you have.

— The Unglue team