// IPHONE, IPAD & ANDROID · CHECKED 18 AUGUST 2026

Screen Time and Family Link — the controls under every app, so set them first

If you do one thing from this whole guide, do this one. Apple’s Screen Time and Google’s Family Link sit underneath every app on the phone or tablet: downtime and bedtime, per-app limits, web filtering, purchase approval, who can message during the day and at night, and (on Apple) age ratings for everything installed. Ten minutes here does more than an hour inside individual apps — and both now default to safer settings for under-18s. Steps below are as Apple and Google print them today (Apple’s pages reference iOS 26; Google’s the current Family Link). Rated 4.9 on Google.

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● Checked 18 August 2026
● iOS 26 & current Family Link
● UK ages & law

/01 — WHY FIRST

One place, every app

An app’s own controls only ever govern that app. The phone’s controls govern the phone: they can put the whole device to bed at nine, cap TikTok at 45 minutes, stop a £40 in-app purchase, filter the web browser, and decide who can text during school. Both Apple and Google have also moved to safer defaults for under-18s — Apple turns on Communication Safety and Web Content limits by default on a child’s device, and Google’s supervision now needs parental approval to switch off until 18. So this page is the foundation everything else on the guide sits on.

Dorset Police have covered the individual social apps in their own guide — the step-by-step for Instagram, Facebook, Messenger Kids, TikTok, X, Reddit, Discord, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Telegram, Fortnite and Roblox. It’s good and it’s official; read it here. This page covers what it doesn’t.

/02 — IPHONE & IPAD: SCREEN TIME

Family Sharing, Downtime, App Limits, Communication Limits, Content & Privacy, passcode

The account. Apple’s UK rule: a child under 13 can’t create an Apple Account without a parent, and must be in a Family Sharing group. Teens 13–17 can have their own account and you can still set Screen Time on their device. Setup path: Settings > Family > the child > Screen Time > Continue > follow the prompts for Web Content, Apps (a rating like 4+, 9+… or Don’t Allow) and media ratings. Turn on Ask To Buy from the same Family screen.
Downtime. Settings > Screen Time > the child > turn on App & Website Activity > Downtime > Turn On Downtime Until Tomorrow, or Scheduled > Every Day or Customize Days > start and end. Block at Downtime decides whether apps are actually blocked or just dimmed — turn it on for a young child.
App Limits. Screen Time > App Limits > Add Limit > choose categories or apps > Next > set the time (Customize Days if weekends differ). Always Allowed is where you keep Phone, Messages and the apps that must never be locked.
Communication Limits. Screen Time > Communication Limits > During Screen Time: Contacts Only / Contacts & Groups with at Least One Contact / Everyone; During Downtime: Specific Contacts. You can also manage the child’s contacts from here.
Content & Privacy Restrictions. Screen Time > the child > Content & Privacy Restrictions > enter your Screen Time passcode > turn on. Then: iTunes & App Store Purchases > Don’t Allow; Allowed Apps & Features; App Store, Media, Web and Games > ratings for apps, films, TV, music, and Web Content > Unrestricted / Limit Adult Websites / Only Approved Websites; plus Game Center, Intelligence & Siri, Privacy, and Allow Changes To (so passcode, account and cellular settings can’t be altered).
Lock it. Screen Time > the child > Manage Screen Time > Lock Screen Time Settings > a four-digit passcode (change it under Change Screen Time Passcode). On iOS 18.5+ Apple can notify you when the passcode is used; on iOS 26 a child can request an exception to a limit rather than nagging.

/03 — ANDROID: FAMILY LINK

Supervision, app approvals, ratings, screen time, downtime, location

Supervise. Family Link app > Add child > follow the steps and give consent by signing in as yourself. Google’s rule: supervision is for children under 13 (“or the applicable age in your country”), and children need parent approval to stop it until 18.
App approvals. Family Link > the child > Controls > Google Play > under Purchases & download approvals tap Require approval for > All content / Paid content only / In-app purchases only / Never. (Apps you’ve already approved, and Family Library apps, don’t ask again.)
Content ratings. Same screen: choose the highest maturity level for Apps & games, Movies, and TV, and whether Books can include explicit content. Google shows your region’s rating scale.
Screen time. Family Link > the child > Screen time > Time limits > Daily limit on > Weekly schedule > a day > the amount (Apply to all days of the week) > Done. Note Google’s wording: daily limits apply to each Android device or Chromebook the child uses.
Bedtime. Screen time > Schedules > turn on Downtime and/or School time (Google’s current names for what used to be called Bedtime); calls and texts stay available.
Location. Family Link > Location > the child, once you’ve turned on Location sharing for them. Talk about this one with an older child rather than switching it on silently.
At 13 Google emails you both; the child can keep supervision by ignoring it, or choose “Update your account” — but still needs your approval to stop supervision until 18.

/04 — UK 2025–26

The age checks you’ll meet, and what’s new

Apple, UK: adults now have to confirm they’re 18 or older to use certain features — with a credit card, passport, driving licence, or a PASS card (CitizenCard, My ID Card, TOTUM ID, Young Scot). Until an adult confirms, Apple treats the account like a minor’s: Web Content Filter and Communication Safety are on automatically. That’s a good thing for a child’s device and a mild nuisance on yours; do the confirmation only in Settings, never from a link. Google: Family Link’s schedules are now called Downtime and School time; and YouTube’s age estimation applies in the UK (see our YouTube page).

// CHECKED AGAINST THE MAKER’S OWN INSTRUCTIONS · 18 August 2026

Apps change their menus often. Every step on this page was checked against these official help pages on the date above. If a step no longer matches what you see, tell us on 01202 775566 and we’ll fix it.

// IF SOMETHING HAS ALREADY GONE WRONG

A child is in immediate danger: call 999. Otherwise Dorset Police on 101 or online at dorset.police.uk.
Someone online is talking to your child in a sexual way, or asking for images: report to CEOP (the police’s child-protection command) at ceop.police.uk.
A nude or sexual image of an under-18 is online: Childline’s Report Remove can get it taken down, confidentially.
You want to talk it through with someone: the NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000 for adults; Childline 0800 1111 for children and young people.
Bullying, scams or a compromised account: screenshot everything before you delete anything, then use the platform’s report tool — and if the account is one we look after, ring us.

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// GOOD QUESTIONS

Frequently asked

Screen Time or the app’s own controls — which first?

Screen Time (or Family Link). It governs every app at once — bedtime, limits, purchases, web filtering, who can message. Then do the two or three apps your child lives in. Doing it the other way round means redoing work.

My child is 14 with their own iPhone. Can I still use Screen Time?

Yes. Teens 13–17 can have their own Apple Account, and you can set Screen Time on their device (Settings > Screen Time, then a Screen Time passcode they don’t know), or through Family Sharing if they’re in your group. At that age agree the settings together — iOS 26 even lets them request an exception rather than argue.

What’s the difference between Downtime and App Limits?

Downtime is a schedule — the whole device goes quiet between two times (only Always Allowed apps and calls work). App Limits are per-app or per-category daily allowances. Most families want both: bedtime Downtime plus a limit on the two or three time-sinks.

Family Link’s bedtime option has vanished. Where did it go?

It’s been renamed: Screen time > Schedules > Downtime (and a separate School time). Same job.

My own iPhone is asking me to prove I’m 18. Why?

The UK age rules: Apple asks adults to confirm they’re over 18 for certain features, using a card, passport, driving licence or a PASS card, and treats unconfirmed accounts like a minor’s (web filter and Communication Safety on). It’s legitimate — do it only inside Settings, never from a link in a message.

Rather we set it up on the actual devices?

Call 01202 775566 or text 07520 615332, Mon–Fri 9–5. We’ll set the controls up properly on your child’s phone, tablet, console or PC — remotely, or at home across Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch & Dorset — and show you where everything lives, so you’re in charge afterwards, not us. Free 15-minute phone chat first; no charge for advice.

Jump to the steps Call 01202 775566

01202 775566 · help@365techies.co.uk · MON–FRI 9AM–5PM