iOS Tip: How to stop your kids from trying to hack Screen Time

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Let’s be honest here, as much as we want to have some semblance of parental control over what kids do on their iPhones, iPads or iPods they somehow have the knack of finding loopholes. Well, it’s time to fight back! Kidding…somewhat. But here are 3 loopholes that some smart alec kids have been able to find to bypass Apple’s Screen Time parental control feature and also their SOLUTIONS!

BYPASSING SCREEN TIME BY CHANGING THE TIMEZONE…

  1. High-five the child for such a genius hack then take their phone off them

  2. Disable Screen Time on their phone

  3. Go to Settings > General > Date & Time > Enable “Set Automatically”

  4. Enable Screen Time again and make sure you set the 4-digit Pass Code (remember it and hide it from the kids!)

  5. Turn on “Content & Privacy Restrictions”

  6. Go down and tap on “Location Services”

  7. At the bottom you’ll see “System Services”

  8. Enable “Setting Time Zone” and then go back

  9. At the top of the “Location Services” screen, toggle on “Don’t Allow Changes” - This should grey out the options in System Services and “Setting Time Zone”

  10. Now in Settings > General > Date & Time everything should be greyed out and the kid won’t be able to change anything!

MY KID CAN STILL USE THE APP EVEN THOUGH I’VE SET APP LIMITS!

This one is simple. One little switch makes the difference!

  1. On their phone go to Settings > Screen Time > App Limits > Add Limit

  2. Select a Category or individual App

  3. Set the time limit and now make sure you enable “Block at End of Limit”

  4. Done!

THEY’RE WATCHING YOUTUBE VIDEOS THROUGH THE iMESSAGE WIDGET!

What a little genius, but such genius must be squashed…

  1. Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Content Restriction > Enter Passcode > Web Content

  2. Tick “Limit Adult Websites”

  3. Under “NEVER ALLOW” add this web address - https://www.youtube.com - NO MISTAKES! COPY IT EXACTLY OR IT WON’T WORK!

  4. You may also want to remove the iMessage app from the “Always Allowed” list…

  5. Settings > Screen Time > Always Allowed > Remove it from the Allowed Apps by tapping on the red circle with the minus sign in the middle

How To: "Password-Protect" Apps using Screen Time

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Did you know the Screen Time feature on your iPhone and iPad does more than just track how long you spend on various apps? Here’s a little hack on how you can use Screen Time as a way to password protect your apps…although I admit it just has one wee flaw.

Firstly, you’ll need to make sure you have Screen Time enabled by going to Settings > Screen Time and then set a passcode by tapping on Use Screen Time Passcode.

Now you’ll need to set a time limit for the apps you want to lock. What we are trying to do is set a minimum time limit so that the app will lock straight away (the minimum limit is 1 minute - this is the one flaw, as you’ll be “unprotected” until the app has been used for 1 minute).

To add a time limit to to an app, tap on the bar graph that shows your current day’s usage. Find the app you want to add a limit to in the list and tap on it. Next, tap on Add Limit and enter the passcode you set earlier in Screen Time. Set it to 1 minute and make sure you have enabled Block at End of Limit. Now tap on Add. Voila! Now after using your app for 1 minute it will lock - the icon will be greyed out on your home screen. When you tap on the greyed out icon you’ll get this message, “Ask For More Time” which you just tap on and enter your Screen Time passcode to unlock.

So, there you have it! A little Screen Time hack to “Password Protect” your apps!