A Parent’s Guide to the App Store

It’s easy to make sure your kids are engaging with age-appropriate content. Here are some ways to manage their activity.

Screen Time gives you a better understanding of the time you and your kids spend using apps, visiting websites, and on your devices overall. You can get weekly reports or see specific app usage, notifications, and device pickups. Screen Time also lets you set the amount of time you and your kids can spend each day on specific apps and websites. You can create exceptions for specific apps, like Messages or education apps, and kids can always request more time for you to approve. With Downtime, you can set a specific time, like bedtime, when apps and notifications are blocked. You can choose which apps are off-limits.

Some apps and games offer in-app purchases, which are optional transactions that change an app's functionality. Depending on your password settings, once you enter your password to make an in-app purchase, you can make additional in-app purchases for 15 minutes without re-entering your password. However, you can change your device settings to require a password with every in-app purchase. To change how often we prompt you for your password in iOS 12 or later, open Settings, then tap iTunes & App Store to change your settings for additional purchases. If you use Touch ID or Face ID, it’s required for every transaction.

Parents can find a wide variety of age-appropriate content based on age rating listed with each app. The App Store makes it easy to find suitable apps for younger users in the children’s sections of the App Store. Our Kids category pages cater to specific age ranges (5 and under, 6–8, and 9–11) and feature apps and games that developers have self-identified as being appropriate for those age groups. That way, parents can easily find great apps and games they know are suitable for their children. The age range for each app is also listed on its product page.

To keep your children from accessing your iOS devices without your permission, set up a passcode that you don’t share with them.

Family Sharing lets you share eligible apps and viewing privileges with up to six family members. In-app purchases cannot be shared. Simply enable Purchase Sharing for your family and all purchases initiated by family members will be billed to the family organizer, who can also create Apple IDs for kids aged under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age applicable in your country or region) and add them to the family group. And with Ask to Buy, you can give kids the freedom to make their own choices while still controlling your spending. With Ask to Buy turned on, whenever a family member who isn’t an adult initiates a new purchase or free download, a request goes to the organizer. The organizer can review the item and approve or decline the purchase right from their own device. The organizer can also designate another parent or guardian to approve review purchases if they’d like to share this responsibility.

*Content availability may vary per country or region.