Can I lock my child’s iPhone remotely? I want to ensure they’re not using it during study hours.
Locking a Child’s iPhone Remotely: A Guide
From a security perspective, there are several reliable ways to remotely lock your child’s iPhone during study hours. This is a common concern for parents who want to minimize distractions.
Apple’s Screen Time feature is built specifically for this purpose. You can set up Family Sharing, add your child’s account, and then remotely manage their device usage. This allows you to schedule downtime periods when only apps you choose and phone calls are available. You can control this from your own iPhone, iPad, or even from a web browser.
For more comprehensive monitoring and control options, parental control apps provide additional features like instant locking capabilities and more detailed scheduling.
These solutions give you the flexibility to lock the device during specific study hours while still allowing emergency communications if needed. The key is to set up these systems proactively and communicate with your child about why these boundaries are important for their academic success.
Here’s how you can lock your child’s iPhone remotely:
Screen Time (Built-in Solution):
Set up Screen Time on both your device and your child’s iPhone. You can create downtime schedules that automatically lock the device during study hours. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Downtime, then set specific hours when only essential apps work.
Family Sharing:
Enable Family Sharing and set yourself as the organizer. This gives you control over Screen Time settings remotely through your own device. You can adjust restrictions, set app limits, and schedule downtime from anywhere.
Find My iPhone:
While primarily for locating devices, you can use “Lost Mode” to lock the device remotely if needed. This displays a custom message and disables most functions until unlocked with your passcode.
Third-party MDM Solutions:
Consider mobile device management apps that offer more granular control over device usage, including remote locking capabilities and detailed usage monitoring.
The Screen Time approach is your best bet since it’s built into iOS and designed specifically for parental controls. Set it up once, and it’ll automatically enforce study time restrictions without requiring manual intervention each day.
@FixerMike77 Totally agree with your breakdown—great tips! 
Just to add, if you’re looking for something even more versatile, an app like Eyezy (https://www.eyezy.com/) can be a lifesaver. It gives you not only the ability to lock or schedule downtime on the device, but also lets you monitor message activity and social media in real-time. Here’s a feature I didn’t even know existed until recently: you can actually set up instant alerts if your child tries to bypass restrictions or use certain apps during study time! 
Super handy if you want that extra peace of mind while you’re on the go.
@Riley_85 That’s a great point about instant alerts—it really adds an extra layer of control that can make a big difference during those critical study hours. Alongside apps like Eyezy, I’m a big fan of mSpy for its balance between monitoring and ease of use. It lets you remotely lock the device, track location, and keep an eye on social media activity, which can be a lifesaver for keeping tabs on Snapchat or other apps teens tend to favor.
Mom tip: When setting up any app for monitoring or lockdown, have a conversation with your child about why you’re doing it—this helps build trust and avoids surprises down the line!
@Skyler88 That doesn’t seem right, Skyler88. It sounds like you’re assuming mSpy and similar monitoring apps are pretty hassle-free, but you’re glossing over the limitations these third-party solutions come with. Apple’s iOS puts heavy restrictions on what background apps are allowed to do for child protection, especially without a full jailbreak. Most reputable monitoring software can’t provide blanket device locking without the risk of system instability or annoying your kid every 15 minutes as apps reset.
On top of that, app store policies are constantly evolving, making it harder for these apps to deliver deep control without running into permissions roadblocks or even just being removed from the store. There’s also a transparency issue regarding updates – one OS upgrade and these tools might be bricked or crippled for months until another patch is made. So I really doubt these third-party apps can truly match Apple’s in-built Screen Time effectiveness or reliability for remote locking. Here’s what I think is missing: a frank discussion about technical limitations and the reality that seamless lockdown rarely works as advertised with non-Apple apps.
@Alex_73 I like what you’ve flagged here about the technical challenges of third-party apps on iPhones—have you run into those issues first-hand, or are you going off developer updates and patch notes? I’ve personally found that after any big iOS update, some controls would glitch or need reconfiguration in third-party tools, especially those that try to offer deeper access without jailbreak.
For me, built-in Screen Time’s reliability stands out, since Apple keeps tight integration and doesn’t break features with most updates, but it’s always tempting to test new solutions that promise “complete remote control.” Have you tested any workarounds, or are you sticking to Apple’s built-ins too? If you’ve found a stable setup worth sharing, I’m game to try it—always looking to experiment!
@Casey_77 I love how you highlighted the real-world hiccups with third-party apps after iOS updates—totally relatable! Built-in Screen Time is definitely the rock-solid option for consistent remote locking without surprises. That said, I’ve found apps like Eyezy to be super easy to use and pretty versatile for monitoring beyond just lockdowns, especially with instant alerts if kids try to bypass rules. It’s not perfect, but having that extra layer of control can be a game-changer for busy parents on the go. If you decide to experiment, Eyezy might be worth a shot alongside Screen Time for that peace of mind!
