How to Turn Off Your Child's iPhone at Night (2026 Guide)

The easiest way to turn off your child's iPhone at night is Screen Time Downtime: set a bedtime schedule, choose a few Always Allowed apps, and lock it with a Screen Time passcode. From bedtime until morning, every other app stays locked, without taking the phone away.

Here's how to set it up properly, the habits that make it work, and what to do if you need more flexibility.

Set up Downtime for bedtime (free)

If your child is in your Family Sharing group (Settings → [your name] → Family), do this from your own iPhone. Otherwise, do it on your child's phone.

1. Open your child's Screen Time

1. Go to Settings → Screen Time.
2. Tap your child's name under Family.
3. Turn Screen Time on if needed.

2. Schedule Downtime

1. Tap Downtime and turn on the schedule.
2. Pick Every Day for the same time nightly, or Customize Days for an earlier bedtime on school nights and a later one at weekends.
3. Set the start (for example 21:00) and end (for example 7:00).
4. If you see an option to block the device at Downtime, turn it on. This stops your child simply dismissing the limit.

3. Choose what stays available

1. Tap Always Allowed.
2. Keep Phone available and add Clock if your child uses alarms.
3. Remove Messages if you don't want late-night chatting, or keep it and limit contacts in the next step.

4. Limit late-night contacts

1. Tap Communication Limits.
2. Under the Downtime setting, choose Specific Contacts so only family can get through at night.

5. Lock it down

1. Tap Use Screen Time Passcode (or Lock Screen Time Settings) and choose a code your child doesn't know. Don't reuse your phone's unlock code.
2. In Content & Privacy Restrictions → App Store Purchases, set Installing Apps and Deleting Apps to Don't Allow, so a fresh download can't sneak around the rules.

When Downtime starts, your child gets a short warning, then apps lock until the end time. If they ask for more time, you'll get the request and can approve or ignore it.

Bedtime habits that make Downtime work

Settings do half the job. These habits do the rest:

• Charge the phone outside the bedroom. A kitchen charging spot removes the temptation entirely, and makes Downtime a backup rather than a battle.
• Wind down before Downtime. Start the schedule 30 to 60 minutes before lights out, so screens are off before your child is in bed, not at the last second.
• Same rule for everyone. If parents put phones away at a set time too, the rule feels fair.
• Weekends can differ, but not wildly. A small shift keeps Monday mornings manageable.
• Talk about it. Agree the time together and write it into your family phone agreement. Our first phone rules for kids guide has a template.

Common problems with Downtime at night

"It just lets them ignore it"

Without a Screen Time passcode, or with the block-at-Downtime option off, a child can dismiss the limit. Set a passcode, and keep it private.

"They change the time on the phone"

Changing the date and time is a known trick. Our guide on how kids bypass Screen Time explains the common workarounds and how to close them.

"Downtime is already used for school"

Screen Time gives you one Downtime window per day. If you've used it for school hours, a separate bedtime is awkward. See block apps during school hours for ways around this.

"Limits stopped working"

Updates, Family Sharing changes or a signed-out Apple Account can affect Screen Time. Try the fixes in Screen Time not working.

"I'm out and need to change bedtime tonight"

With Family Sharing you can adjust Downtime from your own phone, but it lives a few menus deep, and changes can take a moment to arrive. For a sleepover or a late family event, it's worth having a quick way to shift bedtime from wherever you are.

A simpler bedtime you can change from your phone: Skydo

Skydo is an iPhone parental control app built on Apple's own Screen Time technology, so blocked apps genuinely don't open; iOS enforces it, not a VPN or profile.

For nights, Skydo gives you:

• A dedicated bedtime that's separate from School Mode, so you don't have to squeeze school hours and nights into one Downtime window.
• Change bedtime from your own phone. Pair once with an 8-character code (no accounts), then move bedtime, change the daily limit or pause everything. Changes reach your child's phone in seconds.
• Pause all apps for 30 minutes, handy for dinner or the last half hour before lights out.
• A daily time limit so the evening isn't the only control.
• Prevent deleting or installing apps, protected by a parent PIN and Face ID.
• A weekly report and a count of blocked attempts, so you can see whether bedtime is holding.

What to know first: Skydo has to be installed and set up on your child's iPhone (iOS 26.5 or later), and which apps are blocked is chosen on the child's phone. It's free to download, but protection needs a Skydo Premium subscription; one subscription bought on the parent's phone also unlocks the child's phone.

If you'd like to manage more than bedtime remotely, see control your child's iPhone from your phone.

Quick checklist

1. Downtime scheduled, with earlier school nights if needed.
2. Always Allowed trimmed to Phone, Clock and essentials.
3. Communication Limits set for Downtime.
4. Screen Time passcode set and private.
5. Installing and deleting apps restricted.
6. A charging spot outside the bedroom.