How to Set Up Parental Controls on Apple TV

Apple TV is a great streaming option for your entire family. You can enjoy a variety of content on different streaming platforms. If you have an Apple TV 4K, you can watch content in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, depending on your setup. But if you have kids around, it’s a good idea to put content restrictions on your Apple TV.

The tvOS lets you implement Parental Controls. This post will serve as a complete guide to setting up and managing Parental Controls on your Apple TV or Apple TV 4K. Ensure that you are using the latest version of tvOS on your Apple TV model.

How to Enable Parental Controls on Apple TV

If you have a younger audience at home, enabling Parental Controls on your Apple TV is the best way to limit (accidental) access to inappropriate content. Here’s how you can enable it on your Apple TV or Apple TV 4K.

Step 1: On the home screen of your Apple TV, select Settings.

Step 2: Select General from the list of options.

Step 3: Go to Restrictions.

Step 4: Select Restrictions to turn on the feature.

The tvOS will ask you to put a parental lock on your Apple TV.

Step 5: Type the four-digit passcode that you want to keep for your Apple TV.

Step 6: Re-enter the passcode and select Ok to confirm.

The Parental Controls will be active on your Apple TV. You can further customize the options to restrict content. We used an Apple TV 4K for this post. Do note that there is no option to set time limits for apps on your Apple TV.

Set iTunes Store Restrictions

You can restrict your kids from making in-app purchases and buying or renting anything from the iTunes Store on your Apple TV. If they want to, they will have to enter the four-digit passcode to proceed with any of these steps.

Allowed Content Restrictions

You’ll get a bunch of elaborate options to set content restrictions for your kids on Apple TV. Here’s a quick summary of those options:

• Ratings For: select the country of your residence to display movies and TV shows since every country has different content ratings for children, pre-teens, and teens.
• Music and Podcasts: restrict songs or podcasts containing explicit language use.
• Music Videos and Music Profiles: Allow or block your kids from watching music videos and seeing music profiles on Apple Music.
• Movies and TV Shows: Select the ratings for movies and TV shows that you feel are appropriate for the age group of your kids.
• Apps: set the age limit for individual apps. But this is only applicable to Apple-branded apps on your Apple TV. You will have to block third-party apps individually.
• Siri Explicit Language: while using Siri on your Apple TV, explicit words will get obscured.

Game Center

You can also control the gameplay settings for your kids on your Apple TV or Apple TV 4K. You can set restrictions for Private Messaging, Screen Recording of gameplay, Profile Privacy Changes, and more.

Allow Changes

Lastly, you get to put restrictions on making system-level changes on your Apple TV. These include AirPlay, Location Services, Background App Refresh, changing the TV Provider, Remote App Pairing, and more.

How to Change Parental Control PIN on Apple TV

To prevent your kids from getting access to the Parental Control PIN, you can change it regularly on your Apple TV. Here’s how.

Step 1: On the home screen of your Apple TV, go to Settings.

Step 2: Select General.

Step 3: Scroll down and select Restrictions.

Step 4: You can choose to approve access using other Apple device(s) or enter your existing PIN.

Step 5: Select Change Passcode.

Step 6: Enter the existing PIN and then enter the new PIN.

How to Turn Off Parental Controls on Apple TV

Whether you want to change access or want to use the Apple TV without any restrictions, you can remove the Parental Controls settings. Here’s how you can turn off Parental Controls on your Apple TV or Apple TV 4K.

Step 1: On the home screen your Apple TV, go to Settings.

Step 2: Select General.

Step 3: Scroll down and select Restrictions.

Step 4: You can choose to approve access using other Apple devices or enter your existing PIN.

Step 5: Select Restrictions to turn it off.

Step 6: Enter the existing four-digit PIN or select Approve With Apple Device.

If you choose to Approve With Apple Device, tap the notification on your iPhone or iPad and select Approve.

How to Block YouTube App on Apple TV

YouTube is often the most used and a popular app among kids. But you can also choose to block the YouTube app on your Apple TV. This will still allow you to access YouTube by entering the four-digit PIN. Here’s how.

Step 1: On the home screen of your Apple TV, go to Settings.

Step 2: Select General.

Step 3: Scroll down and select Restrictions.

Step 4: Enter the existing four-digit PIN or select Approve With Apple Device.

Step 5: Scroll down and select Apps under Allowed Content.

Step 6: Select the appropriate age limit to block the YouTube app from specific age group of kids.

Keep An Eye

You can set up and manage Parental Controls on your Apple TV to keep an eye on what your kids are watching. If you have an Apple TV 4K, refer to our post to learn about the best Apple TV 4K settings you should know.