Screen Time and Safari

Jimjimms64, Just because it's working that way for you doesn't mean everyone else is having the same experience. I was able to get Screen Time for Safari working, but only after I deleted all my settings a couple times. I easily spent a couple hours troubleshooting the problem. Not everyone has that much spare time and a simple workaround may be the best solution for them.

Having said that, people should read thru the previous posts to see what worked for other people.

My problem was that how it was supposed to work wasn't working. I get that Safari itself isn't managed by Screen Time, but videos opened into full-screen mode in Safari, if left open, continued indefinitely during downtime and after the allotted time for the day. Maybe it has been fixed since I first voiced this complaint, but it was so frustrating that I turned off Safari on my boys' devices and I haven't looked back. Not an ideal solution, but it felt so broken at the beginning that I didn't want to spend any more time trying to deal with it.

Seriously guys the “solution” or reason safari stays active during downtime has been explained several times on this thread. When Downtime is active safari stays accessible. *However* it is restricted from loading any websites by the user. Please see the attached screenshot.

No need to download chrome, or other workarounds. This is how it’s meant to operate.

I have just turned on downtime, clicked on safari and tried to load several websites. As expected nothing loads. I tried google.com, YouTube.com, and even the apple.com site. None of them loaded. So I don’t understand where the problem is?

By the way if you are setting this up for a child and you want to replace the “ignore limit” option with “ask for permission to extend limit” option you need to set up downtime under family sharing.

I think I found it! For my case, I wanted to limit Chrome use. This is what I did:

1. Settings
2. Screen Time
3. iPad name (first option on top) click arrow pointing right
4. Under "Most Used", click the app
5. Under "Limits", add time limit

I hope this works for you.

The last time I tried Chrome, the parental controls for browser content restrictions will not apply to the Chrome browser. They only work for Safari. You can set Chrome content restrictions within Chrome itself, but you can't lock them.

For an inelegant workaround, you could download the Chrome browser and use that instead of Safari. Block all access to Safari.

This is totally ridiculous - I want to put Safari in down time, simple as that, I don’t want a time limit. Apple this is a bug / flaw. Why on earth create down time (at last) but leave THE most problematic app out of it??! Is it some kind of developers joke?

Your fix worked - sort of, lol. It does now trigger screen time unless her last website was YouTube. Then it goes to the video but then 2 seconds in (or so) it blocks the video with the screen time message (saying she can request more time) but the audio still works!! But I guess we are halfway there lol

Nope. My kid can still access all of safari and watch YouTube videos using safari. I just tested it.

Safari is always allowed even though the time restrictions (shut down phone at 8 pm etc) or the time limit (shut down after 1 hour)

clicking on safari doesn’t trigger the screeen time limits. Not only that, my kid learned that she can use safari to play YouTube videos (rather than the app) and the limit doesn’t kick in until after she finishes the video and tries to watch another. Then she just closes safari, clicks a new video and watches that one. (Lucky i have an honest kid who showed me lol)

Thank you, appreciated

I was having same issue, but figured it out. Hope this helps...

1. Open“Settings” on IPhone
2. Click on “Screen Time”
3. Scroll to the bottom and Turn off “Screen Time”
4. Now Turn “Screen Time” back on
5. Close Settings and open “Safari” for a few seconds(Like 10-15seconds is fine)
6. Go back to Settings and click on “Screen Time”
7. At the top click on “IPhone”
8. Scroll down to where it says Most Used and to the right it will either say “Show Categories” or “Show Apps & Websites” in blue lettering.
9. Click on either “Show Apps & Websites” or “Show Categories” until you’re reading “Show Categories”
10. Safari should be under one of your most used so click on “Safari”
11. Scroll to bottom where it says “Add Limit” and add whatever limit you want to have set while using the Safari App.
12. Click the “Add” button on the top right

That’s it, hope this was helpful for someone.

I was having same issue, but figured it out. Hope this helps...

1. Open“Settings” on IPhone
2. Click on “Screen Time”
3. Scroll to the bottom and Turn off “Screen Time”
4. Now Turn “Screen Time” back on
5. Close Settings and open “Safari” for a few seconds(Like 10-15seconds is fine)
6. Go back to Settings and click on “Screen Time”
7. At the top click on “IPhone”
8. Scroll down to where it says Most Used and to the right it will either say “Show Categories” or “Show Apps & Websites” in blue lettering.
9. Click on either “Show Apps & Websites” or “Show Categories” until you’re reading “Show Categories”
10. Safari should be under one of your most used so click on “Safari”
11. Scroll to bottom where it says “Add Limit” and add whatever limit you want to have set while using the Safari App.
12. Click the “Add” button on the top right

That’s it, hope this was helpful for someone.

JamesMCook, For an inelegant workaround, you could download the Chrome browser and let your kids use that instead of Safari.

Great, appreciate your time