At a Glance
While parents have plenty of controls they can use to monitor their child’s activities on their iPhone or iPad, there are also plenty of ways for that child to get around those parental controls.
In this article, I’ll discuss how children get around parental controls on their Apple devices, and I’ll share the ways you can better lockdown the device, helping you to at least slow them down from evading your controls.
How Kids Evade Parental Controls on Apple Devices
They Watch You Enter Your Passcode
If you use a passcode to unlock your iPhone or iPad and to set App Limits and Downtime, there is a good chance that your child knows your passcode. While they may appear to be not paying attention when you enter your device’s passcode, they may be side-eyeing while you enter it. Once a child knows your passcode, they can use it to unlock your devices and to change or bypass App Limits and Downtime.
Whenever possible, use Face ID or Touch ID to unlock your iPhone or iPad. If you still use a passcode, be discreet while entering your passcode, making sure that your offspring cannot see you enter it. Don’t use the standard four-digit passcode. Instead, use a longer passcode or use an alphanumeric password. The longer and more complex the passcode, the harder it will be for your child to follow along and remember. Of course, a longer passcode is also tougher for you to remember, so make sure you can remember it.
While this may sound far-fetched, it happened to my wife. While nannying for two pre-teens, one of the children learned my wife’s four-digit passcode by watching my wife unlock her iPhone when a passcode was required. BAM! The child knew the code! Luckily, she was so proud that she did it, she recited it back to her. My wife immediately went into another room to change her passcode to a longer one.
Also, make sure your child isn’t using recording software to capture your activity on your device, including your keystrokes. Stay alert for a red dot at the top of your screen. If you see one, that’s iOS telling you that an app is recording your device’s screen.
At this point in time, sit your child down and explain why doing this is wrong. If that doesn’t put a stop to your little hacker’s antics, do the following to disable Screen Recording:
- On your child’s iPhone, go to: “Screen Time” -> “Content & Privacy Restrictions” -> “Content Restrictions” -> then scroll down to the bottom.
- Tap “Screen Recording” and check “Don’t Allow.”
Using Siri to Send Messages
This method of getting around messaging restrictions is likely quite popular among the younger set. Your child can evade App Limits and Downtime to still text their friends using iMessage by dictating a message to Siri. You can quickly shut down this loophole by toggling “Siri & Dictation” to “OFF” under the Allowed Apps option.
Changing Their Device’s Time Zone
Downtime allows you to limit your child’s access to certain apps at designated times. If you have set an app to be blocked during Downtime, a child can make a request to their parents for a bit of extended time. Unfortunately, a child can change their device’s time zone to stretch out their allotted time. (For example, if you live in the U.S Eastern Time zone, the child could gain three more hours of usage by changing their device’s time zone to the U.S. Pacific Time zone.)
You can prevent them from doing this by turning on “Don’t Allow Changes” on the Location Services screen to prevent them from changing their time zone.
Overriding Screen Time Limits
If you have set screen time limits on your child’s device and they’re still able to use those apps, do the following. On your offspring’s iPhone, go to: “Screen Time” -> “App Limits” -> “Add Limit” -> Select the category or app ->Tap on “Next” -> Set the time limit ->Toggle on “Block at End of Limit.”
Watching YouTube Videos Through iMessage or Safari
Even if you have shut down access to the YouTube app, your kid can still view YouTube videos if they receive a link in iMessage. The YouTube applet loads through iMessage and allows them to watch videos, even when the app is blocked.
If your child is taking advantage of this loophole, you will need to remove the iMessage app from Screen Time’s “Always Allowed” list. Go to: “Screen Time” -> “Always Allowed” -> then remove the app from “Allowed Apps” by tapping the red circle icon with the white minus sign.
If you have decided to allow your child to access Safari all of the time, to help with school work, of course, he or she can visit the YouTube website and view videos through the browser. Children can also use the browser to access social networks, like Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok. Make sure to shut down Safari or any other browser on your child’s device.
You can also make sure they cannot access the YouTube website by doing the following:
- Go to: “Screen Time” -> “Content & Privacy Restrictions” -> “Content Restrictions” -> enter your passcode -> “Web Content”.
- Check “Limit Adult Websites.”
- Under the “NEVER ALLOW” section that appears, enter the following web address exactly like this (or it won’t work): https://www.youtube.com
The Child Keeps Using an App After the Time Limit is Reached
It’s easy to block this loophole. Just do the following:
- On your child’s iPhone, go to: “Screen Time” -> “App Limits” -> “Add Limit.”
- Then, select the category or individual app you want to limit. Tap “Next.”
- Set a time limit, and check to make sure “Block at End of Limit” is toggled on. See the image below.
The Child Downloads New or Deleted Apps From the App Store Without Permission
What can you do if your child is downloading new or previously deleted apps from the App Store without your permission?
Make sure that parental permission is not turned off for installing apps, deleting apps, or reinstalling them. In iOS Screen Time, go to: “Content & Privacy Restrictions” -> “iTunes & App Store Purchases” -> Type in your Screen Time passcode -> Toggle “Installing Apps,” “Deleting Apps,” and “In-app purchases” to “Don’t Allow.”
The Child Is Using a VPN
A VPN protects any user from having their online activities tracked and monitored, protecting them from data collectors and advertisers. Normally I would applaud anyone who uses a VPN. However, if your child has installed a VPN on their device, they could be using it to hide their actions from you.
First of all, take a look at the Home Screen on the device. See if there is a “VPN” icon up near the top of the screen, right next to the WiFi or cellular signal indicator, as seen below.
If there is a “VPN” icon, your child has installed and is using a VPN.
To delete the VPN, first search for “VPN” to find the app (most VPN apps have VPN in the app’s name). You’ll first want to check in the app or in your subscriptions list whether or not there is a subscription related to the VPN service. If it is, and it’s not using your VPN subscription, cancel the subscription. If it’s your subscription, change the password.
If the installed VPN is a free VPN, you’ll also want to delete it as soon as possible. Since free VPNs don’t charge a subscription fee, they make their money in other ways, which includes logging your online activities and then selling that information to advertisers and other nosy types, meaning they are violating the privacy of their users. This means some of your child’s private information may be out there on the web.
The Child Gets Around Your Router Settings
One of the best ways to protect your child from accessing forbidden content or prevent them from accessing content at certain times of the day is to use a router. Not all routers are powerful enough to handle parental restrictions, but many modern-day routers are powerful enough to offer extensive parental controls.
One router that I can strongly recommend is the powerful Vilfo router. This router offers excellent parental controls, while also being compatible with several leading VPN providers. This means that not only will you be able to control your offspring’s access, but all of your family’s online activities will be kept private from outsiders. Read my review of the Vilfo router here.
Parents can also use a parental control appliance that sits between the router and the devices connected to the router. These parental control appliances allow you to manage screen time, block dangerous apps and websites, and much more. These appliances are usually available for less than $100 USD. The appliance makes it easy to control access for all connected devices, including your iOS devices, Android devices, Mac, Windows, and Linux computers, media players, gaming consoles, and more.
However, if your child is tech-savvy, they may know how to reset the router or parental control appliance password, providing access to the parental controls. The best way to protect against this is to change the password on a regular basis, making sure the password is both unique and secure. Otherwise, the child may be able to run through known used passwords, pet names, and other easily guessable passwords, allowing them to take control.
Children can also use a proxy server site to evade website restrictions. While most well-known proxy sites are blocked by parental control software and parental control devices, there are new proxy sites opening on a regular basis, so there is a good chance that an inquisitive child can evade your blockades.
Talk to Your Children
I’m not a family therapist or an expert at raising kids. However, I remember that when I was a child, I responded to my parents’ restrictions much better when they explained why there were limitations. Take the time to sit down with your kids and explain about the dangers of the web, as well as the reasons that you apply usage limitations. Also explain why time limits are important, as they help them concentrate on their schoolwork, providing a better foundation for success later in life.
If your children are savvy enough to understand technology, they’re intelligent enough to understand why they should respect the limits you’ve put in place.
In Closing
As you can see, inventive children can find ways to bypass parental controls on their Apple devices, especially if they’re even just a bit tech-savvy. Luckily, we’ve also looked at how you can foil their plans with just a few taps of the finger.
By taking care to keep an eye on their device and app settings, you can help prevent your offspring from using their device outside of allowed times and allowed activities. You will simply need to stay alert, while also discussing online safety with your child.