Can I Lock My Child’s iPhone Remotely? Find Out How!

Ever wished you could lock your kid’s iPhone remotely? I’ve been there so many times. Phones are super addictive, and sometimes they’re why kids stay up late under the covers—just like my son used to.

I don’t lock his phone during the day, but we agreed I’d lock it when bedtime comes around. It was tough at first, but I explained to him what sleep deprivation was doing to his body, and that helped him understand the need for discipline.

So, here’s how you can remotely lock your child’s iPhone. I’ve tried all the methods, and these worked best for me.

Is It Possible to Lock My Child’s Phone Remotely?

The short answer is yes, but I think there are a few better options. If your kid’s excessive phone use doesn’t affect their sleep, like in my case, completely locking their phone might do more harm than good.

Imagine you lock their phone right when a teacher sends an important task to their group chat for a school project. Or they’re far from home and need to text you quickly but can’t.

That’s why I think it’s better to lock specific apps or the browser or set up a screen time routine where the phone gets locked at certain times of the day. Sure, you can block it completely at night like I do, but for everything else, my suggestions are more flexible.

3 Best Ways to Lock Your Сhild’s iPhone Remotely

When I was testing methods for remotely locking my son’s iPhone, these were the ones that worked best for me. Take a look and see if they can help you, too!

Way 1 – Using the Parental Control App

Parentaler popped up on my search results when I was looking for a parental control app, so I gave it a shot. They promised to lock my son’s iPhone remotely, and well, they did. 

Parentaler is an app that offers a variety of parental control features for iOS and Android devices. You can:

• Block and restrict specific apps or websites

It takes one tap to add an app or website to your kid’s blocked list. There are no complex settings or long instructions—just a simple interface that lets you lock any app or website. Unlocking it is just as easy.

• Monitor screen time

You can view the total screen time, number of unlocks, and most used apps for your kid’s phone. You can also set limits on daily or weekly usage.

• Instant alerts and notifications

Parentaler sends you notifications when your kid types something inappropriate, tries to install an app, or visits blocked websites. That’s how I found out my son was trying to watch horror movies on his phone.

• Block Wi-Fi remotely

If your kid is using Wi-Fi, you can block their access to the internet completely. Kids use phones mainly for social media, and their phone becomes useless without an active internet connection.

Since Parentaler is designed for monitoring pre-teens and teens, it also offers some other useful features, such as:

• Social media monitoring: You can see what your kid posts or comments on social media, and you’ll be notified when they receive inappropriate messages.
• GPS tracking & Geofencing: You can add Family Places to the app, such as school or home locations. That way, you’ll get notified when your kid enters or leaves those places. 
• Call & Text monitoring: You can view your kid’s call logs and text messages, so you’ll always know who they’re talking to.
• Browsing history: You can see the websites your kid visited and block them if needed.

I found it really easy to use and tweak to fit my needs. When you sign up, you just fill in some basic info like your kid’s name and age. Then, you can choose features to turn on, like app blockers or social media monitoring. After that, you get a download link and install the app on your kid’s iPhone. It was really simple, and I still use it to this day.

Way 2 – iCloud Family Sharing

If you and your family have Apple devices, you probably already use iCloud. It’s a cloud storage service that lets you share photos, files, and other data between devices. But what I didn’t know is that it also has some parental control features built-in.

• Screen Time: You can set up screen time limits for your kid’s iPhone from your own device. So if they go over the limit, their phone gets locked until the next day or a certain time.
• App Limits: This feature lets you set specific time limits for certain apps. For example, you can allow your kid to use social media apps for 2 hours but games only for 1 hour.
• Downtime: You can schedule a period when all of your kid’s phone activities are limited except those that you choose.

iCloud is free and installed on Apple devices, so it’s worth trying out if you’re an iPhone user. It has fewer features than Parentaler, but it gets the job done. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Go to Settings on your iPhone, tap on [your name], then Family Sharing.
2. Tap Screen Time, then Add Child.
3. Enter your kid’s Apple ID or create a new one for them.
4. Configure the screen time settings and tap Turn On Screen Time.

You can remotely monitor your child’s phone usage and lock their device if needed. You can also enable Ask to Buy, which lets parents approve any purchases their kids make from the App Store.

In my opinion, Family Sharing is great for managing younger kids’ screen time and app usage. But as they get older, you’ll need something stronger like Parentaler. Unlike Family Sharing, it’s tough for kids to bypass or disable.

Way 3 – Using Screen Time Passcode

This one is pretty simple, but I’ll include it anyway, just in case. 

Screen Time Passcode is a 4-digit code that you set up when configuring your kid’s screen time settings on their iPhone. It serves as an extra security layer for when they need to use certain features or apps.

So, if you want to lock your kid’s phone remotely using the Screen Time Passcode:

1. Go to Settings on your kid’s iPhone and tap Screen Time.
2. Tap Use Screen Time Passcode and enter a passcode.
3. Now, when you try to access certain apps or change settings on your kid’s device, it will ask for this passcode.

To remotely lock their iPhone, you just need to change the Screen Time Passcode from your device. Here’s how:

1. Go to Settings on your own device and tap screen time.
2. Tap Change Screen Time Passcode.
3. Enter the old passcode if asked and set a new one.

Now when your kid’s phone locks, they won’t be able to use it without this new passcode that only you have access to.

Conclusion: Which Method is the Best?

Here are the 3 best ways I found for keeping an eye on and managing my kid’s phone usage from a distance. Personally, I think Parentaler is the top pick because it has a ton of features and is made specifically for parental control. It’s super flexible, so you can use more of its features as your kids grow up.

If your kids are preschoolers, you can start by focusing on app usage. Then, as they get older, you can move on to more advanced options like website tracking and location tracking to see where they are on their way from home to school.

If your kids are already teenagers, you can use all of Parentaler’s features to keep them safe, especially on social media. I haven’t listed all of the app’s features here, so I encourage you to check it out and see if it works for your family. I’ll leave a link right here: Parentaler.

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