Key Takeaways
- With the passcode, it’s three taps. Settings → Screen Time → Turn Off Screen Time. That’s the whole process when you remember your Screen Time passcode.
- Forgot the passcode? Reset it with your Apple ID. Tap Forgot Passcode? on the Screen Time entry screen and verify with the Apple ID originally used to set up Screen Time. Factory reset is the last resort.
- A child’s iPhone gets unlocked from yours, not theirs. If you used Family Sharing to set up the controls, open Screen Time on your own iPhone, tap your child’s name, and disable from there.
- Supervised iPhones are a different category. If Settings shows “This iPhone is supervised,” controls were installed by a school, employer, or carrier. Screen Time alone won’t remove them.
Maybe you set up Screen Time three years ago and your teenager has long since outgrown it. Maybe you bought a used iPhone and the previous owner’s restrictions are still active. Or maybe you set up the Screen Time passcode yourself and now genuinely cannot remember it.
This article shows how to turn off parental controls on iPhone in five practical ways, covering the easy path when you have the passcode, the path when you’ve forgotten it, and the cases where someone else set up the controls. Each method uses built-in iOS tools only. If you originally set the iPhone parental controls up yourself, the same Settings menu handles the reverse.
Note: this article assumes you legitimately own or manage the device. If parental controls were set up by a parent or guardian on your account, talk to them first.
Who Should Turn Off Parental Controls on iPhone?
Legitimate reasons to turn off parental controls on iPhone include: your child has outgrown them, you bought or inherited a used iPhone with old settings, you forgot your own Screen Time passcode, or you want to start over with a fresh configuration.
Your child has outgrown the controls. The most common parent scenario. A 14-year-old needs different protections than an 8-year-old, and at some point the App Limits and content filters create more friction than value.
You inherited or bought a used iPhone. Screen Time settings can persist after an iPhone changes hands if the previous owner didn’t fully reset. The result: a phone that blocks websites or apps for no apparent reason.
You forgot your own Screen Time passcode. Most people set the passcode once during initial setup and never enter it again. Years later, when they want to disable a restriction, they have no idea what it was. Method 3 below covers this case.
You want to reset and reconfigure. Sometimes the cleanest fix for a misconfigured Screen Time setup is to turn it off and start over. A fresh start is faster than tracking down a stray toggle.
5 Ways to Turn Off Parental Controls on iPhone
Five reliable ways to turn off parental controls on iPhone, depending on whether you have the Screen Time passcode and what kind of controls are active. Jump to the method that matches your situation.
Method 1: Turn Off Screen Time Entirely (You Have the Passcode)
If you have the Screen Time passcode, turning off all parental controls at once takes three taps in Settings. This removes every Content & Privacy Restriction, App Limit, and Downtime schedule in a single move.
The simplest case. If you set up Screen Time yourself and remember the passcode, this is your method.
1. Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
2. Scroll to the bottom and tap Turn Off Screen Time.
3. Enter your Screen Time passcode.
4. Confirm by tapping Turn Off Screen Time again.
This removes every parental control at once. If you want to keep some controls in place and remove others, use Method 2 instead.
Method 2: Turn Off Specific Restrictions Without Disabling Screen Time
Screen Time has four layers: Downtime, App Limits, Communication Limits, and Content & Privacy Restrictions. You can disable any one without turning off the others. Useful if you want to keep time limits but remove content blocks.
The granular method. Right choice if you want partial control rather than all-or-nothing.
- Content & Privacy Restrictions: Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → toggle off.
- Downtime: Settings → Screen Time → Downtime → toggle off.
- App Limits: Settings → Screen Time → App Limits → tap each limit → Delete Limit.
- Communication Limits: Settings → Screen Time → Communication Limits → set both options (During Screen Time, During Downtime) to Everyone.
For App Store restrictions specifically, head to Content & Privacy Restrictions → iTunes & App Store Purchases and set Installing Apps, Deleting Apps, and In-app Purchases to Allow.
Even after turning off parental controls, you can keep specific protections in place. The Face ID lock on individual apps is independent of Screen Time, see how to lock specific apps on iPhone. Or if you only want website blocking without the rest, our block websites on iPhone post covers that as a standalone setup.
Method 3: How to Turn Off Parental Controls on iPhone Without the Password
If you forgot the Screen Time passcode, iOS lets you reset it through your Apple ID. The Forgot Passcode? option on the Screen Time passcode entry screen sends a verification request. If you don’t have access to the original Apple ID either, a factory reset is the last resort.
This method is for the legitimate device owner who forgot their own Screen Time passcode. If parental controls were set up by someone else (a parent on your account, a school, or an employer), this method may not work and is not the right path. Talk to the person who set the controls up first.
Reset the Screen Time passcode with your Apple ID
This works if the Screen Time passcode was originally set up with an Apple ID linked for recovery. Most users who configured Screen Time on their own iPhone will have this option.
1. Open Settings → Screen Time → Change Screen Time Passcode, then tap Change Screen Time Passcode again.
2. On the passcode entry screen, tap Forgot Passcode?
3. Enter the Apple ID and password originally used to set up Screen Time.
4. Create a new Screen Time passcode.
Once you have a working passcode, use Method 1 or Method 2 to actually turn off the controls.
Last resort: factory reset
A factory reset wipes the entire iPhone. Photos, messages, app data, saved logins, everything. This is rarely the right move unless the device is being prepared for transfer to a new owner anyway.
1. Back up the iPhone first: Settings → [your name] → iCloud → iCloud Backup → Back Up Now.
2. Erase the iPhone: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings.
3. Set the iPhone up as new during the welcome flow. Do not restore from the Screen-Time-enabled backup, or the restrictions return.
One important caveat: a factory reset doesn’t bypass Activation Lock. If the iPhone is signed in to someone else’s Apple ID, activation after the reset requires that Apple ID’s password. iOS will not let you skip this.
Method 4: How to Turn Off Parental Controls on a Child’s iPhone (Family Sharing)
If you set up parental controls on your child’s iPhone through Family Sharing, you remove them from your own iPhone, not the child’s. Open Screen Time on your device, tap the child’s name, and turn off the controls remotely.
The parent-removing-controls-from-child scenario. The right path when your child has outgrown the restrictions or you’re giving them more independence.
1. On your iPhone: Settings → Screen Time, then tap your child’s name under Family.
2. Tap Turn Off Screen Time, or work through the specific restrictions to remove them granularly.
3. Enter your Screen Time passcode (the parent passcode, not the child’s device unlock).
4. Confirm. Changes sync to the child’s device within a minute.
If your child is now 18 or older (the threshold varies by region), they can be removed from Family Sharing entirely. Apple Support covers that flow under Family Sharing settings.
For parents going the opposite direction (setting controls up rather than removing them), our kid-proof an iPhone for a child post is the inverse companion piece.
Method 5: Remove Carrier or School-Issued Parental Controls (MDM)
Some iPhones come with parental controls or device management profiles installed by a carrier, school, or employer. These show up in Settings → General → VPN & Device Management. Removing them requires authorization from whoever installed the profile, not just your Apple ID.
The niche case. Most personal iPhones don’t have an MDM profile, but if yours does, Screen Time methods alone won’t remove it.
1. Settings → General → VPN & Device Management.
2. If no profile is listed, this method doesn’t apply.
3. If a profile is listed, tap it. Tap Remove Management or Remove Profile.
4. Enter the profile’s removal password if prompted.
Many MDM profiles are supervised, which means they can’t be removed without contacting the original installer (the IT department, school, or carrier). If Settings shows “This iPhone is supervised,” that’s the signal.
What Gets Disabled When You Turn Off Parental Controls
Turning off Screen Time entirely (Method 1) removes every restriction in one move. Specifically, you lose Web Content filters including adult content blocks and allowed-list mode, App Limits and Downtime schedules, App Store install and purchase restrictions, Communication Limits controlling who the device can contact, and Content & Privacy Restrictions including explicit content filters in Music, TV, and Books.
If you only wanted to remove one or two of these, Method 2 lets you keep the rest in place.
Common Pitfalls When Turning Off Parental Controls
Three things commonly trip up users in this process.
- Restoring from an old backup brings the controls back. After a factory reset, set the iPhone up as new rather than restoring from an iCloud or computer backup that already has Screen Time enabled.
- Family Sharing controls can’t be removed from the child’s device, only from the parent’s. If you’re on the child’s iPhone trying to turn off restrictions and the option seems locked, use Method 4 from the parent’s device instead.
- Supervised MDM profiles look like normal parental controls but aren’t removable through Screen Time. Check Settings → General → VPN & Device Management first. If a profile is listed, contact the installer.
For Parents: When Turning Controls Off Isn’t the Real Answer
Some parents end up here because their child has outgrown Screen Time. That’s healthy. Remove the controls and move on. Others end up here because the controls weren’t working anymore. The child found the passcode, downloaded a different browser, or otherwise made the restrictions pointless. If that’s you, this section is for you.
Our 12 ways kids bypass Screen Time post covers the workarounds children actually use. Most have fixes that don’t require giving up on parental controls entirely.
For younger children specifically, some parents skip the per-app restrictions and use a closed environment instead. A space where every piece of content has been reviewed for safety before the child sees it, so there’s no list to manage.
That’s what Jellies does. A video app for kids where every video is hand-reviewed by our team for safety, with no ads, no autoplay, and no comments. For parents with young kids, browsing what’s safe by design at jelliesapp.com is worth a look. It works alongside any Screen Time configuration you set up later, or instead of one.
Wrapping Up
Five methods, depending on your situation. Turn Off Screen Time entirely if you have the passcode. Disable specific restrictions with the granular method if you only want partial removal. Use Forgot Passcode? with your Apple ID if you’ve lost the passcode. Manage a child’s iPhone through Family Sharing from your own device. And check VPN & Device Management if the controls were installed by a carrier or school.
Fastest action right now: open Settings → Screen Time. If a Turn Off Screen Time button sits at the bottom, the whole process takes about 30 seconds. If you want to build a fresh configuration from scratch later, our set up parental controls on iPhone post covers the build.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I turn off parental controls on iPhone without the password?
Use Forgot Passcode? on the Screen Time passcode entry screen and verify with the Apple ID originally used to set up Screen Time. A factory reset is the last resort.
Can I turn off parental controls on my child’s iPhone from my phone?
Yes, through Family Sharing. Open Screen Time on your iPhone, tap your child’s name under Family, and turn off the controls. Changes sync to the child’s device within a minute.
Does turning off Screen Time delete my app data?
No. Turning off Screen Time removes the restrictions only. Apps, photos, and accounts are untouched. A factory reset, in contrast, erases everything on the iPhone.
What if my iPhone shows “This iPhone is supervised”?
The iPhone is enrolled in a Mobile Device Management profile installed by an organization. Contact whoever set it up. Screen Time methods alone won’t remove supervised restrictions.
Can I turn off parental controls on iPhone without losing my photos?
Yes. Methods 1, 2, 3, and 4 don’t touch your photos or app data. Only a factory reset, the last-resort step in Method 3, deletes content.