{"slug": "apple-screen-time", "name": "Apple Screen Time", "category": "os", "category_name": "Operating systems and desktop", "description": "", "recommenders": 3, "commenters": 6, "warners": 2, "score": 1.052, "rising": 0.35, "first": "2025-12-12", "latest": "2026-10-31", "why": "I use Screen Time (iPhone) to limit it to 20 min a day", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 0, "compare": 1, "warn": 2}, "spark": [0, 0, 2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "I use Screen Time (iPhone) to limit it to 20 min a day", "kind": "", "icon": false, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Apple Screen Time", "Screen Time"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 805097136, "item_id": 50318571, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50318571", "by": "insane_dreamer", "date": "2026-10-31", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Screen Time (iPhone) to limit it to 20 min a day", "excerpt": "I was a heavy Twitter user since its early years. 6-7 years ago I started trying to cut back on it because it was just consuming too much of my time, which was impacting me negatively, but found it really hard--it's addictive. When Elon took it over I decided to go cold turkey and delete my account altogether so I couldn't go back. Best decision ever. I have twinges where I miss it, but I'm much better off without it", "context": "", "use_case": "limiting Instagram usage", "switched_from": "", "story": "Digital minimalism"}, {"id": 744498832, "item_id": 46531177, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46531177", "by": "marconey", "date": "2026-01-07", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The screentime controls as part of an Apple family are great", "excerpt": "The screentime controls as part of an Apple family are great - downtime - time limits per app - approval needed to install apps - communications controls Highly recommended", "context": "parent", "use_case": "parental controls for children", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What kind of setup do you run for your children?"}, {"id": 743543680, "item_id": 46471480, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46471480", "by": "jesenpaul", "date": "2026-01-02", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Look into using Screen Time", "excerpt": "Look into using Screen Time https://support.apple.com/en-us/108806", "context": "", "use_case": "locking apps on iPhone", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Is there any way to lock apps on iPhone?"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 788143265, "item_id": 49258954, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49258954", "by": "oolie", "date": "2026-08-11", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "Google's implementation of parental controls is way superior to Apple's", "excerpt": "I have used both Google's FamilyLink and later iPhone's ScreenTime parental controls. Google's implementation of parental controls is way superior to Apple's. FamilyLink tracks multiple devices, has easy settings for daily screen time limits, has school time downtime schedules, and has per-app time limits that cannot be bypassed, unlike Apple's implementation which can be bypassed with the tap of a button. I really l", "context": "", "use_case": "Parental controls", "switched_from": "", "story": "The UK's War on Anonymity Has Come to America"}]}], "who": [{"by": "marconey", "context": "parent", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46531177", "date": "2026-01-07"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["limiting instagram usage", "parental controls", "parental controls for children", "locking apps on iphone"], "compared": [], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50313661", "title": "Digital minimalism", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49251411", "title": "The UK's War on Anonymity Has Come to America", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46513089", "title": "Ask HN: What kind of setup do you run for your children?", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46471077", "title": "Ask HN: Is there any way to lock apps on iPhone?", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46253985", "title": "YouTube's CEO limits his kids' social media use \u2013 other tech bosses do the same", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46243848", "title": "Why isn't online age verification just like showing your ID in person?", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {"compare": 1, "warn": 1}, "2026-01": {"recommend": 2}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {"warn": 1}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {"recommend": 1}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "family_ref": null, "runs_on": null, "lines": [], "quotes": [{"id": 805097136, "item_id": 50318571, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50318571", "by": "insane_dreamer", "date": "2026-10-31", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Screen Time (iPhone) to limit it to 20 min a day", "excerpt": "I was a heavy Twitter user since its early years. 6-7 years ago I started trying to cut back on it because it was just consuming too much of my time, which was impacting me negatively, but found it really hard--it's addictive. When Elon took it over I decided to go cold turkey and delete my account altogether so I couldn't go back. Best decision ever. I have twinges where I miss it, but I'm much better off without it", "context": "", "use_case": "limiting Instagram usage", "switched_from": "", "story": "Digital minimalism"}, {"id": 788143265, "item_id": 49258954, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49258954", "by": "oolie", "date": "2026-08-11", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "Google's implementation of parental controls is way superior to Apple's", "excerpt": "I have used both Google's FamilyLink and later iPhone's ScreenTime parental controls. Google's implementation of parental controls is way superior to Apple's. FamilyLink tracks multiple devices, has easy settings for daily screen time limits, has school time downtime schedules, and has per-app time limits that cannot be bypassed, unlike Apple's implementation which can be bypassed with the tap of a button. I really l", "context": "", "use_case": "Parental controls", "switched_from": "", "story": "The UK's War on Anonymity Has Come to America"}, {"id": 744498832, "item_id": 46531177, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46531177", "by": "marconey", "date": "2026-01-07", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The screentime controls as part of an Apple family are great", "excerpt": "The screentime controls as part of an Apple family are great - downtime - time limits per app - approval needed to install apps - communications controls Highly recommended", "context": "parent", "use_case": "parental controls for children", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What kind of setup do you run for your children?"}, {"id": 743543680, "item_id": 46471480, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46471480", "by": "jesenpaul", "date": "2026-01-02", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Look into using Screen Time", "excerpt": "Look into using Screen Time https://support.apple.com/en-us/108806", "context": "", "use_case": "locking apps on iPhone", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: Is there any way to lock apps on iPhone?"}, {"id": 740096320, "item_id": 46256020, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46256020", "by": "mabedan", "date": "2025-12-13", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "", "excerpt": "Can you be more specific? I\u2019m curious. My son is too young to use a phone but I plan to use screentime when he\u2019s ready for a phone. I use screen time for myself, with a 1minute limit for weekdays and 1 hour limit for weekends, for all social media, news and media consumption apps, and my wife has the password (because I have zero self control)", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "YouTube's CEO limits his kids' social media use \u2013 other tech bosses do the same"}, {"id": 739927792, "item_id": 46245487, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46245487", "by": "hellojesus", "date": "2025-12-12", "version": null, "stance": "compare", "quote": "", "excerpt": "I don't have an iPhone so haven't tried any of this, but can you not treat your kids devices like you would a business's? It looks like normal user device enrollment with device management is optional, hence why I think business probably makes sense. https://support.apple.com/en-sg/guide/apple-business-manager/axm6a88f692e/1/web/1 The you can force all traffic through a proxy. https://support.apple.com/en-sg/guide/de", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Why isn't online age verification just like showing your ID in person?"}]}