How to Restrict Apps by Age Rating on iPhone and iPad

Every app in Apple's App Store carries an age rating. With one setting, you can tell your child's iPhone or iPad to hide any app rated above a certain age, and to block downloads of new ones. It is one of the most effective parental controls Apple offers, and it takes only a few minutes to set up.

This guide covers the current rating system, how to set the limit on different versions of iOS, and what ratings do and don't tell you.

The App Store age ratings

Apple updated its rating system with iOS 26. There are now five age ratings:

The older 12+ and 17+ ratings are gone, and Apple automatically re-rated existing apps to fit the new scale. Developers also now answer extra questions about things like in-app controls, user-generated content and messaging, which feed into the rating. Ratings can vary slightly by country.

Before you start

App rating limits work through Screen Time and are easiest to manage with Family Sharing, which lets you control your child's device from your own. You will want:

• Your child set up with their own Apple Account in your Family Sharing group
• A Screen Time passcode that your child doesn't know (separate from their device passcode)
• Both devices updated to the latest iOS

How to set an app age limit on iOS 27

With iOS 27, Apple redesigned parental controls and moved them under the Family section of Settings. These new controls work once every device in your Family Sharing group has been updated to version 27 software, and a parent has completed the one-time setup.

On your own iPhone:

1. Open Settings and tap Family.
2. Tap your child's name.
3. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. Enter your Screen Time passcode if asked.
4. Tap Content Restrictions, then choose the content type for apps.
5. Choose the maximum rating you want to allow, such as 9+ or 13+. You can set limits for other content types, like movies and TV shows, on the same screen.

Apple's current guide, Set up parental controls to manage your child's iPhone or iPad, lists the steps for the newest version.

How to set an app age limit on earlier versions

If some family devices are still on iOS 26 or earlier, use the older Screen Time menus:

1. Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
2. Under Family, tap your child's name (or, on the child's own device, skip this step).
3. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn it on.
4. Tap App Store, Media, Web & Games.
5. Tap Apps.
6. Choose the maximum age rating.

What happens after you set the limit

• Installed apps above the rating disappear from the Home Screen and App Library. They aren't deleted. If you raise the limit later, they return.
• The App Store won't let your child download apps above the limit.
• Built-in Apple apps are not affected by app ratings. Use the app allow and block lists in Screen Time to manage those, such as Safari, FaceTime or the Camera.

Add Ask to Buy for a second check

Age ratings stop inappropriate apps. Ask to Buy stops surprise downloads of any kind, including free apps, by sending each request to a parent for approval.

• iOS 27: Settings > Family > [your child] > Apps & Websites > Restrictions > Ask to Buy, then turn on Require Purchase Approval.
• Earlier versions: Settings > Family > [your child] > Ask to Buy.

Apple also added an option for parents to make one-time exceptions for a specific app above the rating limit, and to revoke that access later. That is useful when, for example, a school assigns a 13+ app to an 11-year-old.

For more on limiting purchases, see our guide to restricting in-app purchases.

What age ratings don't tell you

Ratings are a solid starting point, but they have limits.

• Ratings reflect app content, not other users. A game with cartoon graphics may be rated 9+ or 13+ and still include open chat with strangers.
• Developers answer the rating questions themselves. Apple reviews apps, but ratings aren't perfect.
• Web and social features change content. An app that can open web pages or show posts from other people can surface anything.
• Platform minimum ages are separate. Most social media services require users to be at least 13 under their own terms, whatever the App Store rating says.

Before approving a new app, it's worth reading the description, checking for chat or messaging features, and trying the app yourself. Our article on why not all apps are for kids covers what to look for.

Choosing the right limit

There's no perfect formula, but here's a common approach:

• Under 9: 4+, with Ask to Buy on.
• 9 to 12: 9+, with exceptions for specific approved apps.
• 13 to 15: 13+, with Ask to Buy for new downloads.
• 16 and up: 16+, or remove the limit as your teen shows good judgment.

Adjust based on your child, not just their age, and revisit the setting every birthday.

Checklist

• Family Sharing set up with your child's own Apple Account
• Screen Time passcode set and kept private
• App rating limit chosen under Content & Privacy Restrictions
• Ask to Buy turned on
• Built-in apps managed separately where needed
• New apps checked for chat, web access and in-app purchases before approving