We all know how quickly the minutes go by while using an iPhone. Controlling yourself is sometimes difficult for an adult! When it comes to children, the problem can take on frightening proportions. Luckily, taking control of your interactions with your phone and it is easy to call your child to order. For this, there is such a wonderful feature as iPhone Screen Time.
What are the purposes of iPhone Screen Time?
Initially, Screen Time was created with a simple goal: to give the owner of the phone a complete report on how often and for how long he uses the device during the day and, if necessary, limit the screen time on the iPhone to certain indicators. This permitted them to discipline themselves or prevent children from developing an excessive passion for technology.
Soon the ability to set up restrictions on unwanted applications was added. For example, with its help, a child can be protected from visiting sites with 18+ content or from making rash online purchases.
More recent updates have given iPhone owners the power to control who can call and send them text messages to cut off spam and scammers. In short, the feature has proven to be very useful and widely requested.
Turning on Screen Time
To take all advantages of Screen Time, the first step is to make sure that this feature is generally turned on. Check if your phone is updated to version 13.3 by following the path:
- "Settings";
- "Basic";
- "About the program".
If the right numbers 13.3 are in place, everything is in order. If not, go to the "General" and "Updates" section to install the latest version.
After that, it remains only to find the "Screen Time" line in the "Settings", indicate who owns the phone, you or your child, and set a password. Here you can also enable the function of transferring information among devices if you need to share control between several adult family members.
Now a schedule showing the daily activity of the child on the network will appear on the screen every time after clicking on its upper part and the function of viewing all activities will show in detail which applications received increased attention.
Screen Time Limit
If it is interesting for you how to limit screen time on iPhone, and you want the iPhone to remain inaccessible for a certain period in principle, use the "Downtown" function.
Take the following steps:
- Enter the Screen Time app.
- Find the line "Downtime" in the menu and touch the switch.
- Set "Start" and "End" times on the timer.
If you need to keep some of the applications constantly available, find the “Always allowed” item in the Screen Time settings, view the list that opens and click the cross of green color next to the required lines.
Content restriction
If you want to block access to inappropriate content, you have to visit the Screen Time page once more and do the following:
- Click on the "Content and Privacy" button.
- Enter a password if required.
- Click "Content and Privacy Restrictions".
Further, your actions depend on what exactly you consider harmful to the child. Here you can:
- Set age limits in apps by following the setup instructions. They apply to music, videos, books, news and games.
- Block iTunes and App Store purchases and downloads by setting "Do not allow" in the settings.
- Restrict the use of built-in applications by removing them temporarily from the main screen.
Although Screen Time restrictions have proven themselves well, psychologists advise parents to be gentle so as not to destroy trust with the child. Make some kind of agreement to remove some of the restrictions in exchange for good academic performance, get your son or daughter interested in a new hobby and organize joint leisure activities so that disconnection from the phone does not seem like a catastrophe to him. This will benefit everyone.
Screen Time Apps
Users are generally happy with Screen Time, but there are now plenty of time-limiting apps designed for the iPhone that give parents more control.
One of the best examples is the Kidsfinder parental control app, which:
- Helps correctly organize your child's daily routine by indicating how much time he spends on video games and other entertainment and setting an available limit for them.
- Cares about the life and health of the child, showing his location on the map in real time, letting you know if the children leave the geofences marked by parents as safe, and sending SOS signals if the child feels threatened. There is even a function to connect to a microphone in case a parent suspects that his child is being involved in a bad company or incited to unseemly acts.
In part, all this can be done by “smart” gadgets, such as GPS watches, but their shortcomings are not always compensated by their advantages. Yes, watches are expensive, discharge quickly and require the purchase of a separate device for each child in the family, while the once downloaded Kidsfinder application can be installed on several gadgets (up to 5 pieces).
