To limit your child’s game time on an iPhone, add them to Family Sharing, then open Settings > Screen Time on your own phone, tap your child’s name and add an App Limit for the Games category. On Android, use Google’s Family Link app: select your child, tap Screen time, then Time limits, and set a daily limit. Both systems can also block in-app purchases, which matters as much as the clock with free-to-play games.
Here are the steps, and the things limits won’t do for you.
How do you set screen time limits for games on iPhone? #
Apple’s parental controls live in Screen Time. Once your child is in your Family Sharing group, you can manage everything from your own iPhone. Apple’s parental controls guide has the full reference.
Limit game time with App Limits #
- On your iPhone, open Settings and tap Screen Time.
- Under Family, tap your child’s name.
- Tap App Limits, then Add Limit.
- Choose the Games category, or pick individual games.
- Set the daily time, and use Customize Days if weekends should be different.
When the limit runs out, the games lock. Your child can tap to ask for more time, and the request comes to your phone.
Keep games out of bedtime with Downtime #
Downtime blocks everything except the apps you choose during a set schedule, such as bedtime or homework hours. You’ll find it in the same place: Settings > Screen Time > your child’s name > Downtime.
Block in-app purchases #
- Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
- Under Family, tap your child’s name.
- Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn it on.
- Tap iTunes & App Store Purchases.
- Set In-app Purchases to Don’t Allow.
If you’d rather approve purchases one at a time, turn on Ask to Buy in Family Sharing. Your child’s purchase and download requests then come to you first.
Limit games by age rating #
Under Content & Privacy Restrictions, tap App Store, Media, Web, & Games and choose which app age ratings are allowed. This hides games rated above your chosen age from the App Store on your child’s device.
Set a Screen Time passcode that’s different from the device passcode. Otherwise a child who knows the phone’s code can change the limits.
How do you set screen time limits on Android? #
Google’s Family Link handles this on Android phones and tablets running Android 7 or later. From Google’s Family Link help:
- Open the Family Link app.
- Select your child at the top left.
- Tap Screen time, then Time limits.
- Turn on Daily limit.
- Tap Weekly schedule, choose a day and enter the amount of screen time.
- Tap Apply to all days of the week if you want the same limit every day, then Done.
When the daily limit is reached, your child can’t use the device except for apps you’ve marked as always allowed. You can grant Bonus time for a special occasion or lock the device right away from your phone. Family Link also lets you set time limits on individual apps or block an app completely, which is handy when one game is the problem and the rest of the phone isn’t.
For purchases, open your child’s Google Play settings in Family Link and require your approval for purchases, including in-app purchases. Content ratings for apps and games are set in the same area.
Why isn’t a daily limit enough for games? #
Screen time limits count minutes. Many free games are built around other hooks:
- Energy and daily rewards. Timers and log-in bonuses are designed to pull kids back in for a minute or two, several times a day. A daily limit caps the total but doesn’t stop the check-ins.
- Loot boxes and in-game currency. A purchase block does more here than any time limit. Check the “Contains loot boxes” line on the App Store listing.
- Games with no natural end. RPGs with quests and events are hard to stop in the middle of. Arcade games that end each round within minutes give you a clean stopping point.
That last point is worth using. In Capybara Crossing, for example, a run lasts thirty seconds to a few minutes and ends on its own, which makes a rule like “three more runs” easy to enforce. It has no in-app purchases. It does show ads, and it has a daily coin gift that grows with a streak, so it isn’t free of hooks either. Knowing what’s in a game tells you which controls to switch on.
House rules that make limits stick #
- Agree on the stopping point before starting. “When the timer ends” or “five more runs” avoids the argument in the middle of a game.
- Turn off game notifications. Settings > Notifications on iPhone, or the app’s notification settings on Android. Fewer reminders means fewer requests.
- Keep devices out of bedrooms at night. Downtime helps, but the phone on the kitchen counter helps more.
- Pick games with clear endings for short breaks. Our guide to capybara games for kids compares ratings, ads and purchases, and are endless runner games safe for toddlers? covers the youngest players.
- Talk about spending. Our post on in-app purchases in free games is a good starting point for older kids.
Frequently asked questions #
Can kids get around Screen Time or Family Link limits? #
Some try. On iPhone, set a Screen Time passcode that your child doesn’t know and that isn’t the device passcode. Requests for more time come to you as notifications either way, so you decide whether to grant them.
Do offline games count toward screen time limits? #
Yes. Both Screen Time and Family Link track time spent in apps on the device, whether or not the game is online. Airplane mode doesn’t pause the limit.
How much game time is right for kids? #
There isn’t one number that suits every family. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests consistent limits for school-age children and a family media plan built around sleep, school and physical activity, rather than a single daily total.
Can I limit just one game instead of all of them? #
Yes. On iPhone, add an App Limit for that single app instead of the Games category. In Family Link, set a limit on the individual app or block it, and leave the rest of the device alone.