Looks like Apple is paying close attention to every criticism that is directed upon it unlike ever before. And that is turning out very good for consumers. The latest such addition from Apple is a more powerful parental control system. While Screen Time already offered reliable parental controls, it lacked the tool to restrict communication for children. But with the release of iOS 13.3, the Cupertino-based company has finally filled that void. So, if you are looking for a way to rein in your unruly kid or have better control over who he/she can communicate with, this new Screen Time feature is for you. Let me walk you through this hands-on guide to set up communication limits for children on the iPhone and iPad.
First things first, the communication restriction basically applies to four things: Phone, FaceTime, Messages, and iCloud contacts. That means you can allow your child to send iMessage, make a phone call to selected people or get into face-timing with only specific people. What’s more, you can also prevent your kid from making any changes to the contact. But keep in mind, the communication to known emergency numbers is always allowed for security concern.
If you want to restrict who your kid can communicate with during allowed screen time, tap on During Allow Screen Time. Then, select Everyone or Contacts Only.
Note: If you have enabled Screen Time passcode, you will need to enter it before being able to customize the “During Allow Screen Time” feature. If you have forgotten the passcode, head over here to reset it right now.
Should you want to restrict communication limit during downtime (the period during which your child is not allowed to access restricted apps and features), tap on During Downtime. Now, you have two options:
For better parental controls, select Specific Contacts. After that, Choose Contacts from your address book or add a new contact. I’m going to select from my address book. Once you have selected contacts, tap on Done to finish.
If you don’t want your kid to edit contact without your permission, turn off the toggle for “Allow contact Editing”.
