Content & Privacy Restrictions won't turn off on iPhone

I finally turned it off after many tries (even restarting the phone, all settings etc; don’t try it, it won’t solve the issue). The problem I was having is when I tried to turn it off it will instantly turn itself on. The issue for me was that I was using 2 different profiles on my iCloud (not the family ones or company related), one for iCloud and one for App Store purchases. Mitigate the accounts so they are under the same account.

In settings search Media & Purchases and you should have an option for mitigate, after I’ve done this it worked.

Maybe it’s worth to make sure you have verified your iCloud account and it is 18+ this is done under Apple Account - Personal information.

Hope this helps.

Not even some Apple employees managed to help me with this problem 😑.

 think I’ve narrowed this down to a specific trigger that may help others.

My setup is:

• iCloud Apple Account: Australia (adult, age verified)
• Media & Purchases Apple Account: United States (adult, DOB correct)

Symptoms:

• Content & Privacy Restrictions cannot be turned off (the switch moves to OFF and immediately turns itself back ON).
• Web Content cannot be set to Unrestricted (it immediately reverts to Limit Adult Websites).
• Safari Extensions are completely greyed out and cannot be enabled.
• The same behaviour occurs on both my iPhone and iPad.

After a lot of testing, I found a 100% reproducible trigger:

1. Sign out of the US Media & Purchases Apple Account.
2. Sign into Media & Purchases using the same Australian Apple Account that’s used for iCloud.
3. Immediately (without even rebooting):

• • Content & Privacy Restrictions can be turned off.
  • Web Content can be set to Unrestricted.
  • Safari Extensions become available again.

1. Sign back into the US Media & Purchases account.
2. The problem immediately returns:

• • Content & Privacy turns itself back on.
  • Web Content reverts to Limit Adult Websites.
  • Safari Extensions are greyed out again.

So for me, the issue appears to be triggered specifically by using different Apple IDs for iCloud and Media & Purchases, particularly when they are in different countries (Australia + US).

Both Apple Accounts have the correct adult date of birth, and the Australian iCloud account is age verified.

Hopefully this helps others, and it also gives Apple a reliable way to reproduce the bug.

I have a solution that has worked for me. The problem for me was caused by having a separate login for iCloud and media and purchases. Further the iCloud login was an Australian account and the media and purchases a US account. I had done the age verification on the iCloud account. I still could not turn the green toggle off unless I logged out of the media and purchases account. To get it working for it turned out that I need to do an age verification on the media and purchases and account. The easiest way to do this was to download an app that requires age verification. This forces the age verification wizard to come up for the second account. Once you do the age verification on the second account you get then turn off all restrictions. I downloaded Muse to do this which has are verification. Hope this helps someone as I've been plagued by this problem for months and came across this solution quite by accident.

Had same issue on iPhone and iPad with iOS 27 due to two Apple accounts being use on both - one account was iCloud and my old iTunes account which holds all my Media and Purchases. Both accounts are Australia accounts.

Whilst my iCloud account was 18+ verified, my iTunes account was not.

Only way to do this was on a second device like an iPad.

Sign out of the iCloud account and sign in using your iTunes account. In my case, the iPad automatically signed me into my iTunes account because it was already being used for Media and Purchases.

Once signed in go into Personal Information and complete 18+ verification like what was done for the iCloud account. In my case, Apple decided it already had enough information to verify my age and noted as verified.

Tested on the iPhone and I was immediately able to turn off Content and Privacy Restrictions.

Logged back into my iCloud account on the iPad and all was back to normal there too.

A lot of fuss that could have been communicated better by Apple.

Would be great if Apple could enable long term users the option to link the Apple ID’s.

I can only come up with 3 additional recommendations and would perform them in this order.

1.. Force Restart the iPhone

• Press and quickly release Volume Up
• Press and quickly release Volume Down
• Press and HOLD side button until the Apple logo appears. This can take up to 15 seconds while holding the side button before you will see the Apple logo and you have to ignore anything else on the screen during that time, including the prompt to Slide to Power Off. If you don't see the Apple logo while holding the side button, try again as it may take a couple of attempts to get the speed and sequence correct.

2.. Reset All Settings. This will not delete any data, but Settings will be reset a you will need to enter your Wifi password again when connecting for the first time.

Reset iPhone settings to their defaults - Apple Support

3.. If all else fails, I would suggest contacting Apple directly. Please update if a resolution has been found there. There is the typical phone/message tree to narrow down your issue, but you will get direct contact with Apple. When using the Online method, it narrows down to related Support Articles that may help, but on the bottom of the screen there is a link for More Options, where you will get a link to start a chat or phone number to call.

Contact Apple Support - Apple Support

Ian_W wrote:

I have never Content and Privacy restrictions on this phone.

however it is turned on.

When I click on the green button, it did nothing.

I followed a guide that says you need to have a screen time pin for it.

So I set one up.

When I press the green toggle it now asks for that and then still doesn't turn off.

It seems very similar to this, which 401 people said me too - to, but was never resolved.

Allowed Websites Only not working - Apple Community

To fix a stuck Content & Privacy toggle, go back to the main Screen Time menu, tap Change Screen Time Passcode, and select Turn Off using your PIN or Apple Account. Once the passcode feature is completely deactivated from that menu, you can toggle the main restrictions switch off without it freezing. [1]

Fix Steps

• Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
• 
  
• Tap Change Screen Time Passcode, then tap Turn Off Passcode.
• 
  
• Enter your PIN or verify with your Apple Account.
• 
  
• Go back to Content & Privacy Restrictions and toggle the switch off.
• 
  
• Restart your phone if the switch remains stuck.

If the toggle is still unresponsive, tell me:

• Your current iOS version
• If this is managed by a Profile or MDM (School/Work)

1. Is this your corporate/organisation/enterprise/School Management iPhone? Then please contact the system administrator of your corporate//organisation/enterprise/School Management
2. If it is your device, in that case, do you have any profile installed by your corporate/organisation/enterprise/School Management?
   1. Erase the profile added by you If you have installed a profile on your own --> Install or remove configuration profiles on iPhone - Apple ...
   2. Or please contact the system administrator of the organisation who provided the profile to you

A corporate profile installed on your iPhone could potentially be contributing to the inaccessibility of certain features. 

Here's why:

• Restrictions: Corporate profiles can have restrictions placed on apps and functionalities. These restrictions might be limiting some activity, causing it to be unresponsive or quit.
• Managed Apps: IT departments might deploy specific navigation apps through the profile, potentially blocking certain functions or features.
• Security Settings: Corporate profiles often have stricter security settings that could affect app or function behavior. This might be causing unexpected behavior of an App or functions.

Here's what you can do:

• Check with IT: The best course of action is to contact your IT department. They can explain the restrictions set by the corporate profile and see what is affected. They might be able to adjust settings or suggest alternative apps or features approved for corporate use.
• Look for App Conflicts: See if your IT department uses a different app through the corporate profile. Conflicting apps might cause crashes.

Additional points to consider:

• Even if the profile isn't directly affecting the function, it's still a good idea to check with IT. They might be aware of similar issues and have workarounds.
• While troubleshooting, make sure you prioritize safety. Don't fiddle with your phone. 

By working with IT and considering these possibilities, you can hopefully identify if the corporate profile is the culprit and find a solution that allows you to use the iPhone to your liking.

Not sure what the link you provided has anything to do with your post. The post pertains to "Allowed Websites", not the issue you describe of not being able to turn off "Content & Privacy Restrictions".

Are you in the UK?

If you have not verified you are an adult as required in that region, there are going to be limits, such as Web Access, that you will not be able to turn off until you have completed the verification step.

Age requirements for managing an Apple Account in the UK - Apple Support

Thank you sooooo much, worked with signing out the iTunes account.

it almost drove me nuts.

When you open Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions and scan down to Allow Changes to, is everything marked Allow?

I have a NZ account, an Australian purchasing account. To fix this issue I went in the AppStore and tried to purchase a 18+ games (GTA 5). I was then asked to verify my age. When I prepared my ID and clicked next, Apple said “because of the time you have already had an account, you have been verified “. It was then fixed

• It is correct that Apple may use a Credit card you have added to your Apple Account and I recall seeing that there is a permission prompt after the update asking if you want to allow Apple to use this for verification and that can be accepted or declined. I have also seen where this prompt will not come up even if a card is added. If you have a Credit Card in your Wallet, I have seen a previous post where changing that card to the Default Card allowed the verification to proceed.

Change or remove the payment cards that you use with Apple Pay - Apple Support

• Are you showing the correct Birthdate for your account where your age is 18+?

Update the birthday associated with an Apple Account - Apple Support

• Are you on iOS 26.5? If not, I would update first.
• When you go to Settings, do you have a message on top under your Apple Account with a Red exclamation point that says verification has not been performed?
• If no message in Settings, try looking for an app to download in the App Store that is rated for an adult to see if that will prompt the verification. One example is Claude by Anthropic, but that is not a recommendation to use the app and honestly I would delete it after download. The purpose is just to see if the age verification process will start.

This means your account is under age and you'll need to do a family share with and adult account. The adult account will need to add you as a member from their family share account, which requires them to add you using your apple account login credentials from their device. Then when you select Get on apps, there will be an option to send a Request to the adult and they will receive a text message from you with the request, that they can approve with the pin or their account credentials.