Does anyone actually use the Apple Screen Time feature or is it pointless?

Dec 51 min read

I've got Screen Time set up on my 13yo's iPhone but honestly I'm not sure if it's doing anything? Like I can see the time reports but she just asks me to extend her limit and I usually do because I feel bad. The downtime settings don't seem to actually force her offline either.

Is there a parental control app that actually WORKS or am I just fooling myself thinking any of this stuff matters? She's gonna find a way around it anyway right?

11 comments51 views

Comments(11)

RReggie K.New DadDec 5

The problem is if you're extending it every time she asks, she knows the limit isn't real. I had to actually enforce mine at 2 hours on school nights and my 13yo hated me for a month but now she doesn't even ask anymore

BBob M.RegularDec 6

The real issue is that you don't actually want to enforce it, not that the feature is broken. I use Screen Time with my 14yo and it DOES work but only because I said 'this is the limit' and stuck to it. First two weeks sucked, then she adapted

BByron S.RegularDec 6

The extend button is a trap. Once you hit it once, your kid knows it works and will ask every single time. I stopped extending and now she plans her usage instead of hoping I'll let her slide. Takes discipline though

HHenry M.RegularDec 6

lol I feel called out by this post. I have Screen Time set up too and I'm basically just checking if my kid went over (she did) and then... doing nothing about it. So yeah it's pointless when you use it like that

CChris P.RegularDec 6

Screen Time is basically security theater at this point lol. My 14yo figured out she could just ask me to extend and now we've had the conversation of like... what's the actual limit supposed to accomplish? We're managing it differently now

PPaul T.RegularDec 6

real talk - if you're feeling bad extending it then that's probably your gut telling you something. setting a boundary you actually stick to is harder than letting it slide but way more effective

TTony F.RegularDec 7

I had the same guilt thing until I realized my kid was testing the boundary, not actually upset. Once I stopped extending and stayed consistent, the asking stopped. Now she just works around her limit

PPaul M.RegularDec 6

What actually helped for me was making the limit a real conversation. Not 'you get 2 hours' but 'here's why we set this limit, here's what you want to do, let's figure it out together.' Screen Time is just the tool, the boundary has to come from you

EEli L.RegularDec 8

Honestly if you're extending her limit when she asks, the Screen Time feature is kinda pointless. The whole thing only works if you actually enforce it. But yeah I get it - the guilt and pushback makes you want to just give in

CCarl D.RegularDec 8

Honestly Screen Time is useful if you want DATA on what they're actually using, but as an enforcement tool it's weak without parental follow-through. The extending the limit thing kills the whole system

PPete A.RegularDec 8

We use it but I pair it with actual conversations about WHY we have limits. Just the feature alone does nothing if there's no enforcement behind it