Setting up Screen Time on your child's iPhone
Paul Kasten, co-founder of TaskBlue · Updated · 5 min read
It's best to set up Screen Time for your child from your own iPhone: set up Family Sharing, create a child account for your child, then in Settings tap "Family", your child's name and "Screen Time" and follow the instructions. According to Apple, you set the Screen Time passcode on your device, not on your child's.
What Screen Time can do
Screen Time is the parental control Apple builds right into the iPhone. It's free and does quite a lot:
- Allow or block apps and websites, with purchase and browsing requests sent to you.
- Decide who your child can contact in Messages, FaceTime and Phone.
- Time budgets for app categories such as games or social media.
- Schedules for which apps work before, during and after school.
- Age-based content restrictions and limits on settings such as Share My Location.
The passcode belongs on your device
Apple recommends managing your child's Screen Time from a parent's device and setting the passcode there. If your child doesn't know the passcode, they can't change the settings themselves. Depending on the iOS version, you can also stop apps from being deleted under Restrictions.
With iOS 27, Apple reworked its parental controls. According to Apple, every device in the family group needs to be updated to use the new options. Otherwise the previous version stays in place.
Where TaskBlue fits in
TaskBlue uses the same Apple technology but takes a different angle: the chosen apps disappear automatically as soon as your child arrives at a place like school, on a weekly schedule or before calendar events. Only the BlueTag or your parent PIN can end that early, and every focus hour removes about 100 g of plastic from the sea. The two work well together. The comparison with Screen Time shows the differences in detail.
Set up Screen Time in four steps
- 1
Set up Family Sharing
Set up Family Sharing on your iPhone if you don't use it yet.
- 2
Create a child account
Create a child account of their own for your child and add it to the family group.
- 3
Open Screen Time
Open Settings, tap "Family", then your child's name and "Screen Time".
- 4
Set rules and passcode
Follow the instructions, choose schedules and limits, and set the Screen Time passcode on your device.
Frequently asked
Do I need an iPhone of my own for this?
To manage it remotely you need an Apple device with Family Sharing. According to Apple, parental controls can also be set directly on the child's device. TaskBlue doesn't need a parent iPhone.
Can I use Screen Time and TaskBlue at the same time?
Yes. Screen Time is good for age ratings, purchases and contacts, TaskBlue for fixed focus times at places and on a schedule.
Sources
As of October 2026. All information without guarantee.
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Fewer distractions for your child. Less plastic in the sea.
A year costs €49.99 once, a month €9.99. The BlueTag comes with both plans.