How to change or turn off your child’s Screen Time
Written by the KlusQuest team · Checked on
To change your child’s Screen Time, use the family organizer’s or parent/guardian’s device when you manage the child through Family Sharing. The steps depend on the family’s Screen Time version. Some age-based or regional protections cannot be switched off.
Start with the change you actually need: remove one limit, allow more time today, or turn off the older App & Website Activity controls. Removing a passcode is not the same as disabling all parental controls.
Choose the change you need
| Your goal | Where to start |
|---|---|
| More time today | In newer controls, check Allow Unlimited Time or Change Schedule under your child in Family settings. |
| Remove one older app limit | In older controls, open App Limits, select the limit and remove it. |
| Turn off older activity controls | See the iOS 26 steps below; check your child’s account and regional restrictions first. |
| An option is missing | Check your parent role, the family’s software versions and region-specific protections. |
How do you turn off Screen Time for a child on iOS 26?
- 1
Open Settings on your iPhone and tap Screen Time
Apple: 'If you want to turn off Screen Time for your child, tap your child's name.'
- 2
Tap Turn Off App & Website Activity
Scroll down to find it. Apple: turning it off 'turns off reporting, Downtime, App Limits, and Always Allowed.'
- 3
Or remove only one part
To stop Downtime, tap Downtime and turn off Scheduled. To remove an App Limit, tap App Limits, swipe left on the limit and tap Delete.
What changes on iOS 27?
iOS 27 moves a child's controls to Settings > Family > your child's name. Apple's guide lists three quick actions there: Pause Device Use, Allow Unlimited Time and Change Schedule. If you want to lift limits for a day, Allow Unlimited Time or Change Schedule is the lighter step.
Removing the Screen Time passcode changes access to settings; it is not the same as turning all protections off. Use the current Apple guide for the exact action available to your child’s account. Do not treat Allow Unlimited Time as disabling content or contact protections.
The new controls only apply when every device in your Family Sharing group runs version 27. Apple: 'If you can't update every device in your Family Sharing group, you can continue to use the previous version of Screen Time and parental controls.'
Which Screen Time names changed in iOS 27?
| What it does | iOS 27 | iOS 26 and earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Hours when most apps and notifications pause | Screen Time Schedules | Downtime |
| A time limit for Entertainment, Games or Social Media | Time Allowances | App Limits |
| Who your child can call and message | Allowed Contacts | Communication Limits |
| Apps that stay available | Always Allowed | Always Allowed |
| Age ratings for apps, films and websites | Content & Privacy Restrictions | Content & Privacy Restrictions |
| Purchases that need your approval | Ask to Buy | Ask to Buy |
When an option is missing
Check that you are the family organizer or a parent/guardian and are viewing the correct child’s account. In Family Sharing, manage the child’s Screen Time passcode from your own device.
Apple says the newer controls require all devices in the Family Sharing group to be updated and the family’s parental controls upgraded. Otherwise the previous controls may remain in use.
Apple also states that some restrictions, including Screen Time, cannot be turned off for certain children in some states, countries or regions. Follow the regional guidance linked from Apple’s current support article; a missing switch is not necessarily a fault.
How do you set Screen Time up again? (iOS 27)
- Settings
- Family
- Your child's name
- Screen Time
- Follow the onscreen instructions
If your child has no Apple Account in your Family Sharing group yet, create one first: on the organizer's device go to Settings, tap Family, tap the Add Member button, then tap Create Child Account and Continue. On iOS 26 you find your child under Settings > Screen Time, below Family.
Set the Screen Time passcode on your own device, not your child's. Apple: 'If you use Family Sharing to manage your child's Apple Account, the family organizer or parent/guardian must set the child's Screen Time passcode on their own device, not the child's device.'
What KlusQuest needs from your settings
KlusQuest locks and unlocks apps through Apple's Screen Time, on your child's own iPhone or iPad. When you set it up on that device, it asks for Screen Time permission; with a Child Account in your Family Sharing group, you confirm that permission on your child's device.
If your child uses an ordinary Apple Account outside your family group, KlusQuest still works, but your child can delete the app. If you don't grant Screen Time permission, earned minutes become vouchers you manage yourself.
KlusQuest is optional and does not replace Apple’s age ratings, web restrictions or purchase approvals. In KlusQuest, approving a chore, collecting coins, exchanging them and starting a session are separate steps.
Questions parents ask
Can I turn off my child's Screen Time from my own iPhone?
On iOS 26, yes: Settings > Screen Time > your child's name > Turn Off App & Website Activity. This works when your child's Apple Account is in your Family Sharing group.
Where did Downtime and App Limits go?
In iOS 27 Downtime is called Screen Time Schedules and App Limits are called Time Allowances. On iOS 26 the old names stay.
How do I give my child more time today without turning everything off?
On iOS 27, Apple's quick actions under Settings > Family > your child's name include Allow Unlimited Time and Change Schedule.
Does KlusQuest replace Apple's Screen Time?
No. It uses authorized Screen Time controls for selected apps. Chore approval is followed by coin collection, exchange and session start. Apple’s content restrictions and purchase approvals remain separate.
Related guides and tools
Sources
- Apple Support — Use Screen Time to manage your child's iPhone or iPad()
- Apple Support — Set up parental controls to manage your child's iPhone or iPad()
- Apple Support — Create an Apple Account for your child()
- Apple — iPhone User Guide (iOS 26): Set up and turn off Screen Time()
- Apple — Apple Devices for Kids and Families: quick actions()
- Apple — Apple Devices for Kids and Families: Screen Time passcode()
Spotted a mistake? Email support@klusquest.com and we will correct it.
Use KlusQuest for a child chore board, parent review and earned screen time on iPhone and iPad. Approval, coin collection and starting time are separate steps.