How to Block Apps on iPhone: A Parent's Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

Step 1: Turn on Screen Time and set a passcode

Everything else depends on this. If your child has their own Apple Account in Family Sharing, you can do all of this from your own iPhone under Settings → Screen Time → [child's name]. Otherwise, do it on their phone.

1. Open Screen Time. On your child's iPhone, open Settings and tap Screen Time.
2. Turn on App & Website Activity. Tap App & Website Activity, then Turn On App & Website Activity, and choose "This is My Child's iPhone" if prompted.
3. Lock Screen Time settings. Tap Lock Screen Time Settings (Use Screen Time Passcode on older iOS) and create a 4-digit passcode that's different from the phone's unlock code.
4. Add your Apple Account for recovery. Enter your own Apple Account when asked, so you can reset the Screen Time passcode if you forget it.

Tip: Never reuse the phone's unlock code, a birthday or your bank PIN. Kids watch over shoulders — enter it out of sight.

Step 2: Block or remove specific apps

Apple's own apps (Safari, Camera, FaceTime and so on) can be switched off entirely. Third-party apps can be removed, hidden, or blocked by time limit or age rating.

1. Open Content & Privacy Restrictions. In Screen Time, tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn the switch on.
2. Turn off built-in apps. Tap Allowed Apps & Features and switch off any built-in app you don't want available, such as Safari, Camera or AirDrop. They disappear from the Home Screen until you switch them back on.
3. Delete third-party apps. Press and hold the app icon, tap Remove App, then Delete App. This removes the app and its data from the phone.
4. Offload instead if you want to keep data. Go to Settings → General → iPhone Storage, tap the app and choose Offload App. The app is removed but its data stays, ready if you reinstall it later.

Tip: To block a third-party app without deleting it, set an App Limit of 1 minute (Step 3) or block it by age rating (Step 6).

Step 3: Limit time with App Limits and Always Allowed

1. Add an App Limit. In Screen Time, tap App Limits, then Add Limit.
2. Choose apps or categories. Pick a whole category (like Social or Games) or expand it to choose individual apps, then tap Next.
3. Set the daily time. Set the amount of time allowed per day, and use Customize Days for different school-day and weekend limits. Make sure Block at End of Limit is on.
4. Set Always Allowed apps. In Screen Time, tap Always Allowed and keep only what your child must always reach — Phone, Messages to you, Maps — so limits never cut off a call home.

Step 4: Schedule Downtime for a nightly lockout

1. Open Downtime. In Screen Time, tap Downtime and turn on Scheduled.
2. Set the hours. Choose Every Day or Customize Days, and set start and end times — for example 8:30 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. on school nights.
3. Block at Downtime. Make sure Block at Downtime is on, so only Always Allowed apps work during those hours.

Tip: Downtime works best paired with a simple house rule: phones charge outside the bedroom overnight.

Step 5: Stop new apps being downloaded

Blocking an app means little if your child can reinstall it in 10 seconds. Close that door:

1. Open purchase settings. In Content & Privacy Restrictions, tap iTunes & App Store Purchases (App Store Purchases on newer iOS).
2. Block installing apps. Set Installing Apps to Don't Allow. The App Store disappears from the Home Screen.
3. Block deleting and in-app purchases. Set Deleting Apps and In-app Purchases to Don't Allow, and set Require Password to Always Require.
4. Or use Ask to Buy. If you'd rather approve apps one at a time, leave installs allowed and turn on Ask to Buy for your child in Settings → [your name] → Family Sharing.

Step 6: Block mature apps, websites and explicit content

1. Open Content Restrictions. In Content & Privacy Restrictions, tap App Store, Media, Web & Games (Content Restrictions on older iOS).
2. Set an app age rating. Tap Apps and choose the highest age rating allowed. Apps rated above it are hidden and can't be downloaded.
3. Filter websites. Tap Web Content and choose Limit Adult Websites, or Only Approved Websites for younger children.
4. Block explicit media. Set Music, Podcasts, News & Fitness to Clean and restrict movies and TV shows to an age-appropriate rating.