As a parent of three young kids with limited screen time, the prospect of handing them their very own iPad or iPhone sends me into an anxiety-induced spiral. The prospect of having to micromanage screen time (and the overstimulated meltdowns that follow), plus trying to protect them on social media and against all the other horrors lurking online, is enough to make me want to swear off screens altogether. But I'm also a realist and know I can't fend off screens forever. In fact, their peak device years are just ahead. So when that time comes, I want to be prepared with all the tools.
Fortunately, Apple already has a surprising number (at least to me) of guardrails and parental controls in place, with features like child accounts, screen time settings, and communication limits that help parents create safer digital environments. And there's more on the way.
Apple's latest tools, rolling out to the iPhone and iPad with iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 respectively, help parents set age-appropriate content filters, monitor app use, limit communication, and even blur explicit images before they appear on-screen. Here's how to find them, set them up and feel more confident handing over that screen to your kids -- no matter what age they are.
Setting up a child account: The key to unlocking parental controls
The first step to unlocking parental controls is setting up a child account from either your own iPad/iPhone or directly in your child's. Josh Miller/CNET
Setting up a child account is the key that unlocks all these great parental control features so if you haven't already, make sure you do this first. Apple lets you create a dedicated child account for an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, giving parents full control over settings remotely through their own device. If it's a shared iPhone or iPad, you'll need to choose between setting it up as an adult or child account -- unlike an Apple TV, there's no multi-user option. Starting in September, iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 will also let you convert an existing device into a child account without needing to reset it -- meaning you can keep whatever content that you already have on your Apple device.
Step-by-step: Creating a child account from your own iPhone or iPad. Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNET
There are three ways to set up a child account on a new device:
The first (and simplest) is using your own device. As soon as you bring the two devices close together, setup instructions should automatically appear on screen using Quick Start. If you're not using Quick Start, you can still set it up directly on the new device. Just choose Set Up Without Another Device and follow the on-screen instructions. If you're setting up a device for a child age 12 or younger, it must be linked to your adult account. You can also create a child account in advance, even without the child's device nearby. Go to Settings > [your name] > Family, then tap the Add User icon in the top right corner. Select Create Child Account and follow the prompts.
Screen Time: the command center for parental controls
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