How to Change Age Restrictions on an iPad

To change age restrictions on an iPad, go to Settings › Screen Time › Content & Privacy Restrictions on the iPad, enter your Screen Time passcode, and set the age rating for apps, movies, TV shows and books. If your child has their own Apple Account in Family Sharing, you can do this from your own iPhone or iPad under Settings › Family instead.

This guide covers changing ratings from a parent’s device and on the iPad itself, what each setting controls, where web filtering and Ask to Buy moved in iPadOS 27, why some settings can’t be turned off, and what to do if you forgot the Screen Time passcode. Menu names differ slightly between iPadOS versions, so both current and older labels are included.

Change age limits from your device (Family Sharing)

These steps follow Apple’s Set up parental controls guide. You need to be the Family Sharing organizer or a parent/guardian in the family group.

1. On your iPhone or iPad, open Settings and tap Family.
2. Tap your child’s name.
3. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and enter your Screen Time passcode if asked.
4. Under Content Restrictions, tap a type of content, such as apps or movies, and choose an age rating. You can also pick Don’t Allow, Unrated or Allow All.

Result: the new limits apply to your child’s iPad without you touching it. Apple says many of these settings are applied automatically based on your child’s age, but you can change them at any time.

Change age limits on the iPad itself

1. On the iPad, open Settings › Screen Time.
2. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn it on.
3. Enter the Screen Time passcode. If you haven’t made one, set one now so your child can’t change the limits.
4. Open the content section (called App Store, Media, Web & Games on recent versions, or Content Restrictions / Store, Web, Siri & Game Center Content on older ones).
5. Set the ratings for Apps, Movies, TV Shows and Books.

Result: content above the rating is blocked on that iPad. For example, LINE’s help center notes that choosing 12+ under Apps lets 12+ apps install again.

Web filtering and Ask to Buy (iPadOS 27)

In iPadOS 27, Apple moved several controls into Apps & Websites:

• Websites: Settings › Family › your child › Apps & Websites › Restrictions › Filtering, then choose Limit Adult Websites or Approved Websites Only (which uses Ask to Browse).
• Purchases: in the same Restrictions screen, tap Ask to Buy and turn on Require Purchase Approval. For a game example, see how to block in-app purchases in Pokémon GO on iPhone and Android.
• Specific apps: select an app in Apps & Websites and tap Block App. Apple says a blocked app isn’t deleted; it’s dimmed on the Home Screen.

Apple notes these newer controls need every device in the Family Sharing group updated to the 27 releases. On older versions, web filtering is under Content & Privacy Restrictions as Web Content.

What each setting controls

• Apps: blocks apps above the age rating you pick, like 9+ or 12+.
• Movies and TV Shows: uses your region’s ratings, such as PG or TV-14.
• Books, Music and podcasts: can restrict explicit content.
• Web content: filters Safari and other supported browsers.
• Purchases: Ask to Buy sends you a request before downloads and in-app purchases.

Why some settings can’t be turned off

Apple says that, depending on your state, country or region and your child’s age, some controls are on by default for accounts under 18 and can’t be removed. Apple lists Ask to Buy as on by default for children under 13 and Limit Adult Websites as on by default for children under 18. If a switch won’t move, that’s usually why.

If you forgot the Screen Time passcode

Use the Forgot Passcode? option on the passcode screen and sign in with the Apple Account that set it. Apple’s support site has a full guide for resetting a forgotten Screen Time passcode. Avoid using the same code as the iPad’s unlock passcode.

Keep a Child in One iPad App With Guided Access

Content ratings control which material is available. To temporarily keep a child in one app, use Guided Access: open Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access, turn it on, and set its passcode under Passcode Settings. This is separate from Screen Time and the iPad’s unlock code.

Open the intended app, then triple-click the top button, or the Home button on an iPad that has one. Select Guided Access if an accessibility menu appears. Circle screen areas to disable, or open Session Settings (called Options on older versions) to control touch, buttons, rotation, or a time limit. Tap Start.

To end a recent-iPadOS session, triple-click the same button, authenticate, and tap End; Apple specifies double-clicking to pause on iPadOS 18 or earlier. Previously configured apps may start with saved settings, so review them before handing over the iPad. Apple notes emergency services are unavailable during a session. See its Guided Access instructions.

Tips

If your child also uses the family television, review Apple TV purchase and rental restrictions on that box. Content age ratings and authorization for new purchases are separate controls, so check both for each device they use.

• Pick a Screen Time passcode that’s different from the iPad’s unlock code.
• If an app disappears or dims after you change the rating, it isn’t deleted. It comes back if you raise the limit.
• Turn on Ask to Buy in Family Sharing so you approve downloads.

Frequently asked questions

How do I allow 17+ apps on an iPad?

Set the Apps rating to 17+ or Allow All under Content & Privacy Restrictions. On a child account, some regions keep certain limits on until the child is older.

Can I change my child’s birthday to lift restrictions?

Generally no. Child account birthdays are locked to keep age-based protections in place.

Will changing restrictions delete apps?

No. Apps above the limit are hidden or dimmed, not deleted.

Can I set this up without Family Sharing?

Yes. Set it on the iPad itself with a Screen Time passcode, as in the second section.

Related: How to Turn Off the Passcode on iPad.