How to Manage Content 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, turning off the available Content & Privacy master switch, 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.

Restrictions on an Older iPad

On the iPad 2’s pre-Screen Time layout, open Settings > General > Restrictions > Enable Restrictions. Create and confirm the restrictions passcode, then configure the permitted apps and content. Keep the code available to the authorized owner; it is not necessarily the device-unlock code. Return to Restrictions and check the chosen controls. Newer iPadOS uses the current Screen Time routes above.

On iPadOS layouts with Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Content Restrictions > Web Content, enable the restrictions and select Limit Adult Websites. Under Never Allow, tap Add Website and enter the specific address to block. Try that address in Safari and confirm the restriction. Older General > Restrictions layouts can place Websites under Allowed Content; current software can instead expose web filtering under Apps & Websites. Use the route for the installed version. A filtering rule is separate from the age rating selected for an app.

Turn Off Content & Privacy Restrictions on an iPad

Where the master switch is available, open Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions on the iPad and turn Content & Privacy Restrictions off. Enter the Screen Time passcode if asked. Reopen the screen to check that the switch remains off, then retry the permitted task. Apple’s parental-controls instructions explain that this pauses the controls in this group until you turn it on again; it does not delete their saved choices.

Separate App Limits and Downtime can still apply. For a child’s device, use the authorized parent or guardian’s Screen Time controls. Some age- or region-dependent protections cannot be disabled. A school or work management profile is also separate from this switch. If the passcode is forgotten, use the Apple recovery guidance linked above. Turn the master switch back on to restore the paused content and privacy controls.

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.

Check School Management Separately From Screen Time

School management is different from a Screen Time age restriction. Open Settings > General > VPN & Device Management and select a listed profile to identify the managing organization. For a school-owned device, ask its administrator about the restriction. Apple explains configuration profiles; removing a profile removes its associated settings, apps and data, so preserve needed work and obtain authorization before removal.

If your administrator permits removal and the profile offers Delete Profile, Remove Profile or Remove Management, use that control, provide the required passcode or removal password and review the confirmation. Restart when instructed and return to the management list to check the result. Apple provides profile removal instructions. If removal is unavailable, contact the administrator; do not try to bypass it. Apple’s deployment guide explains removal policies, and Automated Device Enrollment can prevent unenrollment. Factory erasure alone does not release an assigned device and can lead to enrollment again. The Screen Time instructions above address a separate control.