Bring the family together.
Give your child their own Apple Account and connect it to Family Sharing. That gives Apple’s family controls the right place to start.
Set up your familyIPHONE & IPAD PARENTAL CONTROLS, WITH A LITTLE GUIDANCE.
Small boundaries.
Room to grow.
Help shape what your child can experience on an iPhone or iPad—with thoughtful settings, a little guidance, and plenty of conversation.
A Mac app for parents. Designed to keep family settings local.
Built around your familyLocal settings, in your handsGuidance alongside Apple’s tools
A THOUGHTFUL START
You don’t have to figure
it all out at once.
Safeguarding a child’s digital world takes a few layers. Begin with Apple’s family tools, choose boundaries that fit your child, and adjust them as your child’s needs and independence grow.
Make space for good habits.
Use Screen Time for routines and content limits. Review eligible downloads with Ask to Buy, and make choosing new apps a conversation.
Find your family rhythmChoose device boundaries.
Little Boundaries helps you configure supported iPhone and iPad restrictions from your Mac, with guided steps and choices you review.
Explore the appSTART HERE · THEIR OWN ACCOUNT
Their own account.
A foundation for the future.
The best start to device restrictions is the right foundation: your child’s own Apple Account and an iCloud email address. Then connect their account to your family and choose the boundaries that fit.
An Apple Account is the sign-in your child uses for iCloud and Apple services. Family Sharing connects their account to yours so you can manage supported parental controls from your own device. Each child should have their own account.
An email address they can grow into.
Choose an @icloud.com email address they can keep using as they get older. You can use their account for family settings now and introduce email when they’re ready, without having them share your inbox.
Their real birthday matters. Apple uses your child’s age to enable age-based safeguards. An incorrect birthday can leave some protections unavailable. Review the settings Apple provides and adjust them for your child.
An existing Apple Account can also use another email provider; an iCloud email address is a useful starting point, not a requirement for Family Sharing. Safeguards and available features vary by age, software, and region.
How Apple’s age-based safeguards work ↗
One-page printable PDF · Check off each step as you go.
Does your child already have an Apple Account?
If yes, keep it and skip to step 2. Only create an account if your child doesn’t have their own yet.
To create their account, on your parent iPhone or iPad, open Settings → your name → Family. Set up your family group if prompted, then choose Add Member → Create Child Account. Enter their correct birthday and follow Apple’s prompts to choose an @icloud.com address.
Apple’s child account setup guide ↗Connect their account to your family.
An account created through Family Sharing is added during setup. Check that your child appears in Settings → Family. If you’re using an existing account that isn’t listed, choose Add Member → Invite Others and follow Apple’s instructions. Sign in to your child’s account on their iPhone or iPad.
Apple’s Family Sharing guide ↗Set Screen Time limits and app approvals.
On your parent device, open Settings → Family → your child. Set up Screen Time and protect its settings with a passcode your child doesn’t know. Review Ask to Buy and turn on Require Purchase Approval where available.
Screen Time lets your child request more time. Ask to Buy handles eligible downloads and purchases. In Apple’s newer controls, find Ask to Buy under Apps & Websites → Restrictions; menus differ on earlier versions.
Apple’s Screen Time guide ↗ · Ask to Buy setup ↗Confirm requests reach you.
Keep family devices updated and make sure a parent or guardian is in your child’s contacts. Try an eligible app request and a Screen Time request for more time together. Check that you can review and respond to each on your parent device.
Supported requests can arrive in Messages. Ask to Buy has exceptions, including updates and redownloading the child’s own purchases. Review the instructions for your family’s software versions.
Apple’s guide to approving requests ↗● ● ● Little Boundaries
YOUR FAMILY. YOUR CHOICES.
A few thoughtful settings.
CameraAllow
AirDropRestrict
In-app purchasesRestrict
Review → Export → Install
↳ Created on your Mac
MEET LITTLE BOUNDARIES
A helping hand.
A little more control.
Little Boundaries is a Mac app in development that guides parents through device supervision and builds a restrictions profile—a file that tells an iPhone or iPad which supported features to allow.
- Review an age-based starting point or choose individual settings.
- Configure supported features such as camera, AirDrop, Safari, and in-app purchases.
- Export a profile or install it over USB from your Mac.
- Check for settings catalog updates manually, see changes, and approve them yourself.
Some restrictions need supervision or a particular iOS or iPadOS version. Installed profiles never change automatically when you approve catalog updates.
Explore all nine controlsWHAT YOU CAN CONFIGURE
Your child’s device.
Your family’s boundaries.
The current Mac app offers nine controls to help you choose which device features to allow. In the app, a checked setting means allowed; clear it to add that restriction to your profile.
01 / EVERYDAY FEATURES
Photos, sharing, and the screen.
- Screenshots and screen recording
- Prevent saving screenshots or recording what’s on the screen.
- Camera
- Turn off taking photos and videos, including camera use inside other apps.
- AirDrop
- Stop sending and receiving files through AirDrop with nearby Apple devices.
02 / WEB AND CONTENT
Browsing and Apple media.
- Safari
- Disable Safari and web clips. Other browsers remain available unless restricted separately.
- Safari private browsing iOS / iPadOS 26+
- Disable private tabs while leaving regular Safari browsing available when Safari is allowed.
- Explicit Apple media
- Hide media marked explicit in the iTunes Store, News, and Podcasts. This isn’t a filter for every app or website.
03 / APPS AND ACCOUNTS
Downloads, purchases, and accounts.
- App installation and updates
- Prevent installing or updating apps. This can also stop security updates, so review this choice carefully.
- In-app purchases
- Block purchases made through Apple’s in-app purchase system. This doesn’t block every payment method or website.
- Account changes
- Prevent adding, removing, or changing Apple Accounts and accounts used for Mail, Contacts, and Calendar.
Know what your device supports. These controls are offered for iOS or iPadOS 16 and later in the current app. All except screenshots and screen recording require supervision in Little Boundaries. Safari private browsing requires version 26 or later. The app checks the selected device setup before creating a profile.
Want to keep new apps available? You can allow app installation and use Apple’s Ask to Buy for eligible download requests. Time limits and family approvals are configured through Apple’s family settings. See how app approvals work →
The app is in development; physical-device validation is pending. Apple’s available restrictions can change with software updates. Apple’s restrictions reference ↗
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
A calm start begins
with a little preparation.
Apple’s family tools are a useful first step on their own. If you choose the extra device restrictions, plan time to prepare your Mac and your child’s device.
Get Apple Configurator from Apple ↗- A Mac with macOS 15 or later, plus a version supported by Apple Configurator.
- Apple Configurator, available free from the Mac App Store.
- Your child’s iPhone or iPad, a USB cable, and the relevant device and Apple Account credentials.
- A current backup, a recovery plan, and a secure place to keep your family’s supervision identity.
Supervision setup erases the device.
Putting an unsupervised iPhone or iPad into supervision through this workflow requires erasing its content and settings. Little Boundaries requires explicit confirmation first. Back up important data, and don’t assume restoring an old backup will preserve supervision.
THE PART NO APP CAN DO FOR YOU
Good boundaries grow
with good conversations.
Explore new apps together.
Review who can contact your child, what an app shares, its purchases, and its content. Ask to Buy covers eligible requests; it isn’t an approval prompt for every installation.
Make room for offline life.
Agree on times and places for screens. Build a routine around sleep, school, play, and time together—and model the habits you want to see.
Keep the door open.
Tell your child they can come to you when something feels uncomfortable. Revisit settings together as their interests and independence grow.
Settings can help reduce risk. No app or parental control can guarantee safety or replace a parent’s attention.
FAMILY MATTERS STAY WITH YOUR FAMILY
More boundaries.
Less data sharing.
The app creates profiles on your Mac. It has no developer account system, analytics, or developer backend. Family supervision identities and saved unlock tokens stay in your local Mac Keychain.
Optional settings checks contact GitHub directly. Apple Configurator may contact Apple. You decide when to check for a catalog update and whether to approve it.
Read the privacy policyPRACTICAL GUIDES FOR YOUR FAMILY
Clear answers.
A more confident start.
Understand Apple’s built-in tools and where device restrictions fit before choosing the settings for your child.
Set up parental controls on an iPhone or iPad
A family setup sequence, a comparison of the tools, and a checklist to test together.
Understand Ask to Buy and app restrictions
When approval requests appear, why some downloads don’t ask, and what happens when a profile blocks a feature.
A FEW THINGS YOU MAY BE WONDERING
Let’s make
this feel clearer.
Why did we build Little Boundaries?
Apple Configurator is a powerful tool for setting up and managing devices. But navigating a tool built around IT administration can feel cumbersome when you’re a parent trying to decide what’s right for your child.
We built Little Boundaries to put a parent-friendly layer around the tools Apple already provides. It brings relevant device restrictions into one guided experience, explains the choices in everyday language, and helps you understand which controls you can add and what they do.
Apple Configurator still performs the underlying device work. Our goal is to make those capabilities easier to understand and use, so parents can make informed choices for their family, whatever their level of technical experience.
Do I need Little Boundaries to use Screen Time?
No. Screen Time is built into Apple devices. Little Boundaries gives parents a simpler, guided way to set up additional device restrictions using Apple Configurator, a technical tool often used by IT professionals. You choose supported settings through a parent-friendly interface on your Mac, with guidance through preparation and installation. Those restrictions work alongside the Screen Time settings you manage through Apple.
Why would I supervise my child’s device?
Supervision enables an extra layer of Apple device restrictions, giving you more choices for the boundaries you want to put in place. Little Boundaries guides you through that setup so you can choose supported controls that fit your child’s age, needs, and your family’s situation.
As your child grows, you can review those choices, relax individual restrictions, and install an updated profile to allow more freedom. You decide which controls to use and when to change them. Family Sharing and Screen Time work without supervision; supervision is for the additional device controls.
Preparing an unsupervised device for supervision erases it. Little Boundaries requires explicit confirmation before that step.
Will this monitor messages or browsing?
Little Boundaries does not provide remote monitoring, read messages, or send browsing activity to us. Apple’s own Screen Time features provide the activity information and family controls available for your setup.
Can my child still download new apps?
If you allow app installation, Apple’s Ask to Buy can require approval for eligible downloads and purchases. There are exceptions, including certain redownloads and updates. If a restrictions profile blocks a feature or app, an Ask to Buy approval does not override that restriction.
Do I have to erase the device for every change?
No. Initial supervision of an unsupervised device in this workflow requires erasure. Later restriction changes require reviewing and installing an updated profile, not repeating that initial setup. Replacing a profile may require manually removing the old one first.
Can I download the app or review its code?
The app is still in development. A public, signed and notarized Mac download is not available yet. We plan to publish the code for parents and researchers to inspect; the repository is currently private.
Does a profile make the device tamper-proof?
No. Available restrictions and removal protections depend on the device, software, and installation method. Supervision and a profile-removal password are not a guarantee against all changes or a device erase. Keep backups and test the actual settings on your child’s device.
ONE STEP AT A TIME
A little intention today.
Healthier habits for tomorrow.
Start with your Apple family Little Boundaries for Mac · In development · Public download coming later