How to Set Up an iPhone for a Child

Step by step

1. 5 min

   Create the child account first

   On your own iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then tap Family. Tap the add member button and choose Create Child Account. Enter the child's name and birthday, confirm the card on your account, and agree to the parental consent disclosure.

   Note: Only the family organizer can create one. The age that counts as a child varies by country, which is why Apple asks for a birthday instead of a fixed number.
2. 3 min

   Sign the child in on their iPhone

   On the child's iPhone, open Settings and tap Sign in to your iPhone at the top. Enter the child Apple Account and password you just created. If the phone was already in use, tap the existing name at the top, scroll down, and tap Sign Out first.

   Note: Below the local age limit, a child cannot leave a family group on their own. The organizer has to transfer them to another family.
3. 2 min

   Turn on Ask to Buy

   On your iPhone, go to Settings, tap your name, tap Family, then tap the child's name. Turn on Ask to Buy. Downloads, purchases, and in-app purchases then send an approval request before anything goes through.

   Note: Free apps still need approval. Requests reach the organizer and any adult you have marked as a parent or guardian in the group.
4. 10 min

   Set Screen Time with its own passcode

   From Settings > your name > Family > the child's name, tap Screen Time. Set Downtime, App Limits, and Content & Privacy Restrictions. Create a Screen Time passcode when prompted. Content & Privacy Restrictions holds age ratings, Web Content, and the Allow Changes list that locks account edits.

   Note: Make the Screen Time passcode different from the device passcode. If they match, the child already knows it and the limits are decoration.
5. 5 min

   Limit who the child can reach

   Still under Screen Time, open Communication Limits and choose who can be contacted during allowed time and during Downtime. Then open Communication Safety and confirm it is on. It checks photos and videos on the device before they are sent or viewed.

   Note: Communication Limits works from the child's Contacts, so Contacts has to be on in iCloud for that account or the rules have nothing to read.
6. 5 min

   Turn on location, then check recovery

   In Settings > your name > Family > the child's name, tap Location Sharing and turn it on. On the child's iPhone, tap their name, tap Find My, and confirm Find My iPhone and Send Last Location are on. Then open Sign-In & Security > Account Recovery.

   Note: Recovery matters more than tracking. A forgotten child password with no recovery contact is a locked phone and a long afternoon with support.