Screen Time enforcing across all devices for child Apple ID — need device-level control

I’d like to provide feedback regarding Screen Time behavior for child accounts in Family Sharing.


As a parent, I want to strictly manage my child’s iPhone usage while allowing more flexibility on a shared iMac used for schoolwork and creative projects.


Currently, Screen Time enforcement appears to apply at the Apple ID level rather than per device, even when “Share Across Devices” is disabled. This makes it impossible to:


  • Manage the iPhone remotely
  • Leave the Mac unrestricted
  • Prevent Mac usage from counting toward overall time limits


It would be extremely helpful to have true device-level Screen Time control for child accounts.


This seems like a common and reasonable parenting use case, and the current design forces families to create separate Apple IDs to achieve it.


Please consider adding per-device enforcement options in a future update.

Posted on Feb 16, 2026 6:14 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Feb 16, 2026 6:26 PM

This is a user-to-user forum. If you want to send your feedback to Apple, send it here: Product Feedback - Apple


As for your requirements, consider using a second login from a second Apple Account on the Mac.


As implemented, Apple syncs Parental Control settings across all devices logged into the same Apple Account.


Note: Parental controls can be entirely bypassed by any sufficiently-motivated kid, and bypassed on an allowance-scale budget.


1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Feb 16, 2026 6:26 PM in response to FydlStix

This is a user-to-user forum. If you want to send your feedback to Apple, send it here: Product Feedback - Apple


As for your requirements, consider using a second login from a second Apple Account on the Mac.


As implemented, Apple syncs Parental Control settings across all devices logged into the same Apple Account.


Note: Parental controls can be entirely bypassed by any sufficiently-motivated kid, and bypassed on an allowance-scale budget.


Screen Time enforcing across all devices for child Apple ID — need device-level control

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