Children bypassing screen time lock
My children seem to disable screen time and i noticed 3s usage on an app called screentime unlock but there's no such app on their device. What are they doing and how can I stop them?
iPad, iPadOS 18
Question marked as
It may have been a users page on TikTok or Instagram that was saved to their device and later removed. There are also websites that kids can navigate to that will allow them to use the web version of the Social Media site, even when that webpage is restricted. These sites act as a middleman which Screen Time cannot detect. It would be like if you prevented them from talking to a particular person, they could call their friend and their friend could call the person and allow a 3 way call. These actions would indicate a willful intent to violate your rules where you would need to step in and take action depending on your parenting style.
There are additional steps you can take:
- TikTok has Parental Controls that you can have much more controls over what the child is able to do on their service. This includes restricting content in their feeds and restricting communications, which is not possible to do with Screen Time.
- Also change your Apple ID Password along with a new Screen Time Passcode. Kids are very resourceful about finding your passwords and if they know your Apple ID Password, they can reset Screen Time.
- To prevent additional changes on the child's device, prevent them from making any Account Changes by going to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Account Changes and set that to Don't Allow.
- Let them know that they still do make phones that don't have internet access at all or any apps, and having the latest, greatest phone is a privilege that can also be taken away.