Apple Screen Time is the most widely used parental control tool in existence — and it’s also the most misconfigured. Three specific mistakes undo almost everything you think you’ve set up.

Mistake #1: Using the same passcode for Screen Time and device unlock. If your child knows the device passcode (which they do — they unlock it 50 times a day), and your Screen Time passcode is the same number, they can go into Settings → Screen Time and change every restriction you’ve set. They can extend their time limits, remove app restrictions, disable Downtime, and turn off content filtering. The fix: Screen Time passcode must be a different 4-digit code that your child does not know.

Mistake #2: Not restricting Siri web search. You set up Safari content restrictions, you limited adult websites, you feel secure. But your child asks Siri a question, and Siri pulls up unrestricted web results right on the screen. Siri’s web search bypasses Safari’s content filter entirely. Go to Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → Content Restrictions → Siri → Web Search Content → OFF. This closes the backdoor.

Mistake #3: Not disabling app deletion. This one catches parents off guard. A child downloads TikTok despite your restrictions? No — they downloaded it before you set restrictions, or they got it through a friend’s device via AirDrop. But here’s the real issue: if they can delete apps, they can remove the Family Link app, the Bark monitoring app, or any MDM profile you’ve installed. Preventing app deletion keeps your controls persistent. Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → iTunes & App Store Purchases → Deleting Apps → Don’t Allow.

Additional settings most parents miss: Turn off ‘Allow Changes’ for Passcode Changes and Account Changes in Content & Privacy Restrictions → Allow Changes. This prevents your child from changing the device passcode (locking you out) or modifying the Apple ID settings. Set Location Services to ‘Don’t Allow Changes’ so they can’t disable Find My. Set ‘Share Across Devices’ to ON so Screen Time settings apply across all their Apple devices, not just the iPad.

The pattern here is clear: Apple gives you the tools, but buries them deep enough that most parents never find them. Every one of these settings takes less than 30 seconds to configure. The cost of not configuring them is your child having unrestricted access to the internet through a device you thought was locked down.