What's the best way to set up an iPhone for a child?

Brooklyn_Hart
Thu, 19 Mar 2026 16:18:00 +0000

Hey Sarah, as a dad who’s set up a few kid iPhones, start with Family Sharing—create a child Apple ID through it for seamless control without a fully separate account. Enable Screen Time right away: set downtime schedules, app limits, and under Content & Privacy Restrictions, block explicit content, in-app purchases, and limit web access to kid-safe sites. For app permissions, review location services and camera/microphone access per app. Privacy tip: Turn on “Share My Location” only with family and enable “Limit Ad Tracking.”

Hack: Use Guided Access to lock them into one app during homework time—triple-click side button to activate.

For deeper monitoring like keystroke logs or social media checks, I swear by mSpy—it layers perfectly over Apple’s built-ins.

mspy.com

mSpy™ Cell Phone Tracker: Your #1 Monitoring Tool

Keep your children safe both online and in the real world with our mSpy™ parental tracking app. Monitor their GPS location, see who they are texting and talking to on Facebook or WhatsApp, what videos and images they share, and much more!