How much screen time is good for a child, and how do you implement that on an iPhone? Apple, together with the American Academy of Pediatrics, has published a guide on this topic. For families in German-speaking countries, however, it has two drawbacks: the language and the standards.
With iOS 27, Apple expanded its parental controls; the new features were announced in June. Now, a guide is available on how parents can use them effectively. Apple developed the guide in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the professional association of pediatricians in the USA.
Apple announced the guide in a newsroom post. It is called "Building Healthy Digital Habits: A Guide for Families" and is available as a guide on Apple's support pages.
Key Facts at a Glance
- The guide combines the AAP recommendations with the parental control features of iOS 27.
- It guides you through six steps, from the initial conversation to the child's account, schedules, and contact management.
- The instructions are available in English, and the German notice also refers to this version.
- For the new features to work, all devices in Family Sharing must be running version 27.
Six steps from interview to hiring
The guide doesn't begin with a menu, but with a conversation. Parents should address the topic before any settings are adjusted, so that children feel involved in the planning. Only then does the technical aspect come into play.
Step two is the child account in Family Sharing. This activates age-appropriate protection measures and separates the child's data from that of the parents. It is set up as an Apple account for children in Family Sharing.
Next, security settings for apps and websites that request purchases and browsing permissions are configured, allowing families to review new offers together. Step four involves creating a schedule for usage times and screen time limits, including an overview, limits, and time-outs.
Step five governs who a child can communicate with via phone, FaceTime, and messaging. Communication security is enabled by default for all users under 18 and is designed to prevent children from viewing or sending sensitive content. The final step recommends regularly adjusting the plan as the child grows older.
What this requirement means in practice
The new features are included in the Screen Time update in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27. According to Apple, all devices in a Family Sharing group must be updated to version 27 – iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro alike.
This condition applies to the entire family, not just the child's device. If even one device in the group is still running an older version, the new features won't work. According to Apple, some features are also not available in all regions, languages, or on all models.
The standards come from the USA
The recommendations in the guide come from the AAP and thus from the US healthcare system. In Germany, the Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG), formerly the Federal Centre for Health Education, publishes its own recommendations on screen time according to age groups:
| Age | BIÖG recommendation |
|---|---|
| under 3 years | Ideally, avoid all screen media |
| 3 to 6 years | at most 30 minutes on individual days, accompanied |
| 6 to 9 years | at most 30 to 45 minutes on individual days |
| 9 to 12 years | at most 45 to 60 minutes daily |
The BIÖG (German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) recommends a minimum age of 9 for a child's first smartphone, ideally 12, and then with restricted internet access. The minutes of screen time can be directly recorded as usage time in the Screen Time settings – the tools from Apple's guide work regardless of which recommendations a family follows.
A guide with gaps for the German-speaking region
I believe the order of the instructions is their real strength: first talk, then configure. Apple justifies this in the instructions by stating that parental controls work better when children understand why they exist.
For families in German-speaking countries, its current form offers limited usability. It's written in English, and its standards originate from the USA. The most sensible approach is to combine Apple's structure with the minute-based values of the BIÖG (German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health). The greater practical hurdle lies in the technology: an older device in the family that doesn't support version 27 will slow down everyone else.
Apple's parental controls become part of the complete package
With this guide, Apple links settings in iOS 27 to a doctor's recommendation. The technology was introduced in September; the instructions are now available.
How do you manage screen time at home – with fixed time limits or with agreements without technical restrictions? Tell us in the comments what works for you.
