Apple Screen Time review

For a child who only uses Apple devices, Screen Time is the obvious place to start, because it costs nothing and lives in Settings. Apple's latest release reworks the controls around Time Allowances, a daily budget you can split across categories such as games and social media, and Screen Time Schedules that decide which apps are available before, during and after school, with separate weekday and weekend routines. Ask to Buy and Ask to Browse send you a request when your child wants a download or a new website, and Allowed Contacts holds messages from someone new until a parent approves. Communication Safety helps protect children from sharing or receiving photos and videos detected to contain nudity, gore or violence, and Apple says it does not get access to them. The limits are clear: it stops at Apple's own devices, each child needs a Child Account in Family Sharing, and the newest controls need every device updated to the latest software.

Who it is for

Families whose children use only iPhones, iPads and Macs.

Price

Free, built into iPhone, iPad and Mac.

With Time Allowances, you can set boundaries for how long your child can use apps across app categories, such as entertainment, games, and social media.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 8, 2026.

Key features

• Time Allowances by app category with a daily budget across all categories
• Screen Time Schedules for before, during and after school, with weekday and weekend routines
• Ask to Buy and Ask to Browse approval requests for purchases, downloads and new websites
• Allowed Contacts that require parent approval before a child connects with someone new
• Communication Safety that detects nudity, gore or violence in photos, videos and live FaceTime calls

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Free and already installed on Apple devices
• Strength: Contact approvals in Messages, FaceTime and Phone
• Strength: Ask to Browse is on by default for children under 13
• Weakness: Works only on Apple devices
• Weakness: Needs Family Sharing and a separate Child Account for each child
• Weakness: New controls require updating every device to the latest software

Key facts

• Price: Free
• Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro
• Requires: Family Sharing and a Child Account
• Default for under 18: Limit Adult Websites turned on
• Communication Safety: Photos, videos and live FaceTime calls

Where it ranks

Apple Screen Time is No. 2 in our Best Parental Control Apps verdict.