How is my child bypassing screentime limits?

I’m not sure if you got anywhere with this. I realize it’s and older post. BUT I just found out from my own issues with my kid with this that they can use other apps like maps, Life360, watch, health, settings even! They go to the legal formats for the apps and click on the web browser link and then they are in to use the internet even if the internet is deleted from their phone. It’s very sneaky. I was able to delete everything but the settings app. I’ll just have to keep my eyes on it. Hope this helps someone

Some questions:

1) Did you (or another adult) as Family Organizer create the child’s AppleID as described here:

Create an Apple ID for your child - Apple Support

2) Did the Family Organizer personally setup the child’s device after it had been Factory Reset (or purchased new) … specifically selecting “This is a Child’s Device” during setup?

3) Did the Family Organizer additionally setup Screentime on the child’s device - again selecting “This is a Child’s Device” AND use a unique secret passcode unknown to the child?

Use parental controls on your child's iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support

4) If the Organizer selected to use their OWN AppleID for Screentime passcode revovery, is the adult’s AppleID password indeed unknown to the child?

5) Within Screentime - specifically within the final group “Other Settings and Features” are restrictions set to prevent child from:

• Changing AppleID
• Changing Device Passcode
• Changing Data Plans

Mazaresbern wrote:

1. I have the same issue, and I know how he does it. I have been requesting support for this problem for a long time but there seems to be no solution from Apple.

The method used is the following:

Click on change screentime code.

2. Click on I forgot the password.

3. When asked Appe ID you write it and then click on “forgot password”

4. Then you are asked the 6 digit code of the phone (!!!) and there you go, it allows you to change the Apple ID password, with which you are allowed to change the 4 digit screen time code.

Now the kid can do whatever he wants.

If he has the 6 digit code for unblocking the phone, then the screen time can be overriden in a matter of seconds.

At least this is the problem I have, I hope this can help.

Cheers

When setting the ScreenTime passcode, you can optionally associate the ScreenTime passcode with an AppleID account. Choose an AppleID that is not the child's AppleID (e.g., you own AppleID - the password for which should be known only to you).

Alternatively, when setting the ScreenTime Passcode, you can skip associating the ScreenTime Passcode with an AppleID altogether. This will prevent reset of an unknown ScreenTime Passcode - but consider that a subsequently forgotten ScreenTime Passcode will entail complete reset of the iPad and starting again afresh; in this situation you will not be able to restore data from an iCloud or iTunes backup - as to do so you would also restore the unknown ScreenTime Passcode.

I have the same issue, and I know how he does it. I have been requesting support for this problem for a long time but there seems to be no solution from Apple.

The method used is the following:

1. Click on change screentime code.
2. Click on I forgot the password.
3. When asked Appe ID you write it and then click on “forgot password”
4. Then you are asked the 6 digit code of the phone (!!!) and there you go, it allows you to change the Apple ID password, with which you are allowed to change the 4 digit screen time code.

Now the kid can do whatever he wants.

If he has the 6 digit code for unblocking the phone, then the screen time can be overriden in a matter of seconds.

At least this is the problem I have, I hope this can help.

Cheers

Change your Screen Time passcode daily (keep it very different each time) & see if it still happens. It may be a PITA but if the unauthorized access still happens, you maybe he DOES know (by whatever means) the Screen Time passcode and may be keeping the access at a minimum (or within certain parameters) to draw attention away from it. It's worth a try anyways, especially if you don't change the Screen Time passcode regularly.

If changing the passcode daily does NOT stop the access, then he is gaining access in some other way (of which you are indeed trying to figure out).

Just a thought...I don't know that you mentioned it in what you've tried. Since these seem to be online apps (SnapChat and TikTok) that he wants to use, have you tried adding parental controls to the router/gateway to block all access to the internet from his specific device?

Momofabunch wrote:

My teen has admitted to getting around screen time and restricted contacts by turning his phone off. When the phone is powered back on, it gives him access to apps and phone numbers for a few moments (I haven't timed how long) before the regular parental control settings start working again.

Have you confirmed this?

It may also be that he knows your passcode and does not want to tell you. Even it it allowed access to an app for a few seconds it does not seem like it would be beneficial to restart your phone 30 times for just a minute of extra use.

This is exactly it. Mine does the same thing, admitted to it and showed me. They get exactly one minute to do what ever they want every time they reboot their phones before screentime kicks back in. This is a crappy design.

So far I am kind of ok with it as its annoying to them, but I would rather they not be allowed to do this. Defeats the purpose of screen time all together.

I have yet to find a fix.

Child bypasses using restart > one more minute > launch youtube in an inset window. The youtube won't show up on screentime as the app isn't considered active. The restrictions won't shut down the app because it isn't considered active.

Apple security is literally being defeated by grade-school children. I'm not being contentious, these are just the facts. Read the threads.

There is a trick which apple could not fix.

You can guess an unlimited amount of times if you go to settings > general > transfer or reset iPhone > erase all content and settings > continue > enter passcode for your iPhone > then it will ask you to enter your screentime passcode. You can guess an unlimited amount of times, and once you get it right, you will know because it will begin to erase your device, but you can cancel immediately.

You can start at 0000, then 0001, then 0002, etc. all the way up to 9999.

Some possibilities:

https://www.cloudwards.net/how-to-hack-screen-time/

Ensure that the iPad has been updated to iPadOS 16.6.

You can ask Siri to open an app during downtime. Can’t seem to find how to prevent turning Siri back on. Web content restrictions also don’t apply to Siri web search.

Go to Screen Time --> Content & Privacy --> (Allow Changes to:) Passcode & Face ID

Set up a parallel SSID and lock them to that, and shut that off on a schedule. This can be done with various approaches, including a cheap timer on a cheap router, or a mid-grade router with some scheduling controls.

To be blunt, all of this Parental Controls stuff can be bypassed, and that on an allowance scale budget, if the kid is inclined. Only reliable use I’ve found for these controls is keeping less technical folks locked down and away from random changes to settings. Kids, kids can bypass these, if not directly (password surfing, etc) then through readily available alternatives.