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Setting up an iPad for kids: Screen Time, Guided Access and good habits

By the KidStudy team9 min read

You’re about to hand your child an iPad and want it set up properly first. Which settings matter, and where are they? Here’s how to set up an iPad for kids step by step, using Apple’s own menu names: a Child Account, Screen Time, Ask to Buy, age limits and Guided Access. Then come the habits that keep your child safe and the iPad in one piece, and what children learn about devices at school.

Before you start: whose iPad is it?

  • Your child’s own iPad. Apple says it’s important that your child “has their own Apple Account, and isn’t sharing an account with anyone else”. In Australia, “a child under 13 can’t create an Apple Account without help and consent from a parent or guardian. They must be part of a Family Sharing group.” You then manage their settings from your own iPhone or iPad.
  • A shared family iPad. Turn on Screen Time and lock the settings on the iPad itself, and use Guided Access when you hand it over (both below).

Passing on an old iPad? Apple recommends that you “create a backup, sign out of your Apple Account, and remove your personal information” first. The eSafety Commissioner adds: if your child has their own device, “avoid logging into your own accounts on that device”.

How do I set up Screen Time for my child?

These steps follow Apple’s current instructions for iPadOS 27, done from your own iPhone or iPad.

  1. Set up Family Sharing on your device, if you haven’t already.
  2. Create a Child Account. Go to Settings, tap Family, tap the Add Member button, then tap Create Child Account. Apple’s reminder: “Make sure you enter the correct birthday.”
  3. Turn on Screen Time. In Settings, tap Family, tap your child’s name, then tap Screen Time and follow the onscreen instructions.
  4. Choose the Screen Time passcode on your device. Apple says the parent “must set the child’s Screen Time passcode on their own device, not the child’s device.”

For a shared iPad, go to Settings, tap Screen Time, tap Manage Screen Time, then tap Lock Screen Time Settings and enter a four-digit passcode.

If some family devices can’t update to version 27, Apple says you can keep using “the previous version of Screen Time and parental controls”. On those iPads, the time settings are called Downtime and App Limits.

Where are the main settings?

iPadOS 27, from your device: Settings, then Family, then your child’s name
You want to…SettingWhere to tap
Approve every app before it’s downloadedAsk to BuyApps & Websites, Restrictions, Ask to Buy, then turn on Require Purchase Approval
Set age ratings for apps, films, TV and booksContent & Privacy RestrictionsContent & Privacy Restrictions, then a type under Content Restrictions
Limit how long games and videos are usedTime AllowancesTime Allowances, then the Add button
Choose when apps can be usedScreen Time ScheduleScreen Time Schedule, turn on Schedule, then Add Schedule

How do I stop my child buying or downloading apps?

Turn on Ask to Buy. When your child wants to download an app or make an in-app purchase, you get a notification and can approve or decline it. Your child needs your permission “regardless of the app’s age rating”, and Ask to Buy is on by default for children under 13. If you don’t answer within 24 hours, your child has to ask again.

Many apps cost money, show ads or ask for personal information, so a grown-up should always decide before a new app is added.

How do I set age limits and time limits?

Content & Privacy Restrictions let you “choose age-appropriate ratings for categories of apps, music, books, films, TV shows and more”. On a shared iPad, find them under Settings, then Screen Time.

Screen Time Schedules choose which apps can be used at different times, with built-in windows “like Before School, School, and After School”. Time Allowances set how long your child can spend in categories such as Entertainment and Games. Add family members to Always Allowed so your child can always reach you.

How much time is right? Australia’s guidelines recommend no more than 1 hour a day of screen time for children aged 2 to 5, and no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time for 5 to 17 year olds, not counting school work. Our guide to screen time guidelines in Australia explains them by age.

What is Guided Access?

Guided Access locks the iPad to one app, which Apple calls “useful when you let a child use your device”.

  1. Go to Settings, tap Accessibility, tap Guided Access and turn it on. Set a passcode under Passcode Settings.
  2. Open the app your child will use.
  3. Triple-click the top button (or the Home button on an older iPad) and tap Start.
  4. To finish, triple-click again, enter your passcode and tap End.

Two more settings worth turning on

  • Screen Distance warns your child when they hold the iPad closer than 30 cm for a long time. It works on iPads with Face ID and is on by default for children under 13 in a Family Sharing group.
  • A volume limit. In Settings, tap Sounds, then Volume Limit, and turn on Limit Maximum Volume. For headphones, turn on Reduce Loud Audio.

Good habits and looking after the iPad

  • Two hands, dry hands. A case helps protect against scratches. Apple warns not to plug in the charger if there may be liquid in the charging port.
  • Charging is a grown-up job for young children: you plug the charger into the wall.
  • Clean it gently. Apple says to turn the iPad off, unplug it and use “a soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth”, with no household cleaners or sprays.
  • Lock your own devices with a passcode, so your child can’t go online on them without you, and bookmark a handful of trusted sites on theirs.
  • Agree on the rules together. eSafety has downloadable family tech agreements for under 5s and for 5 to 8 year olds. Our post on talking to your child about online safety has the words to use.

What children learn about devices at school

Using a tablet is part of Digital Technologies from the first year of school (Prep in Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania, Kindergarten in NSW and the ACT, Reception in SA, Pre-primary in WA and Transition in the NT). In Victoria, children from Foundation to Level 2 learn to “identify and explore digital systems including hardware and software components for a purpose” (VC2TDI2S01), for example using “a keyboard to type a simple message on a tablet”, and to use “the basic features of common digital tools” to create content (VC2TDI2D02). In the Australian Curriculum, Foundation children “recognise and explore digital systems (hardware and software) for a purpose” (AC9TDIFK01).

KidStudy’s Prep Coding lesson, Using an iPad, covers tapping to open an app, swiping, pressing and holding for more choices, swiping up from the bottom or pressing Home to get back to all your apps, the volume buttons, holding it with two hands, keeping it dry, charging, and asking a grown-up before getting a new app. Its 10-minute home activity, iPad helper, has your child show you how to open an app, go back Home and change the volume, then help you put it on the charger. Our post on screen time that helps explains why short, shared sessions work best.

Questions parents ask

How do I set up an iPad for a child?

Set up Family Sharing, create a Child Account with the correct birthday, then go to Settings, Family, your child’s name and Screen Time. Turn on Ask to Buy and choose your content, time and schedule settings.

Does my child need their own Apple Account?

For their own iPad, Apple recommends it. In Australia, a child under 13 needs a parent’s help and consent, and must be in a Family Sharing group. On a shared iPad, use a Screen Time passcode and Guided Access instead.

How do I stop in-app purchases on an iPad?

Turn on Ask to Buy: Settings, Family, your child’s name, Apps & Websites, Restrictions, Ask to Buy, then Require Purchase Approval.

How do I lock an iPad to one app?

Use Guided Access, under Settings, then Accessibility. Open the app, triple-click the top button (or Home button on older iPads) and tap Start. Triple-click and enter your passcode to end it.

Where is Downtime on the iPad?

In iPadOS 27, Downtime and App Limits were replaced by Screen Time Schedules and Time Allowances. Older iPads still have Downtime and App Limits under Settings, then Screen Time.

Sources

Related lesson

Coding · Prep Using an iPad Tap, swipe, go home and look after it. Start the lesson ›

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