How to lock the screen for children on iPhone and Android

by James · November 8, 2022

Today, children will only stay in bed after getting their hands on a smartphone. But you also don’t want them messing with your important settings or locking onto what they’re currently doing.

If your children are watching YouTube videos, they may accidentally close the video or turn off the device. To stop your kids from accidentally tapping, you can use a built-in smartphone feature.

Through the lock screen feature, you can temporarily lock your device’s screen while the app is still open and stop your kids from randomly browsing your phone.

Table of Contents

How to lock screen for children on iPhone?

You can easily lock the iPhone screen from touches while the content is playing. Apple has provided a built-in feature called Guided Access. It’s a life-saving feature, especially if you’re a parent with children.

With this feature, you can limit the apps, prevent accidental in-app purchases and many more.

Step 1: Set up the guided access

You need to set up a few things before you can use this feature. It doesn’t take long and can be done in just a few steps. So let’s see how to do it.

Launch the iPhone settings.
Go to availability.
Scroll down and tap Guided access.
Turn on Guided access.
Then press on Password settings. Then click on Enter password for guided access. Then set one up Six digits password.
And most importantly, be sure to turn on Accessibility Shortcut.

Step 2: Restricting the screen

Once you’ve set it up, you can now use it on the apps you want. As a reference, we have chosen the YouTube app. Follow the steps below to lock the app when the screen is on.

Open YouTube (or the apps of your choice).
Open the desired video in full screen.
Now you have to press three times On button (also known as Side button).
When pressed, the guided access menu appears. Then you have to press Alternatives.
Turn off these options: Motion, Keyboardand Touch. Press Finished.
Then press on Start. You must enter the password for guided access. (Now the screen will be locked)

To unlock the locked screen, you need to press the power button three times and enter the password for guided access.

How to lock screen for kids on Android?

Similar to iPhone’s Guided Access feature, Android has an option called Pin Screen. However, it is less advanced than the iPhone, but will get the job done. The main purpose of this Pin feature is to provide access to only one desired app.

For example when you pin on YouTube. Now you can only access that app, which means you can’t close it or make changes. However, you have full control over that app and can only respond to finger touches within that app.

Step 1: Setting up the Pin Screen Feature

Here you need to set up the settings called pin windows to lock your phone’s screen. Follow the steps below to configure it.

Open your device’s settings.
Go to Biometrics and security.
Scroll down and tap Other security settings.
Press Attach windows and turn it on. You can also switch on Ask for PIN code/pattern before unlocking.

Step 2: Restrict screen with pin screen

After you set it up, you can easily use it to lock the screen of a specific app. Here’s how to do it.

Open recent apps. (Make sure YouTube is running in the background)
Navigate to YouTube and tap the YouTube icon at the top.
Then press on Pin this app. (Now the YouTube app is locked)

To unlock the screen on Android, you need to press the last and back keys at the same time. (If using gesture navigation, swipe up and hold). You may then be prompted to enter your pin only if you have turned on ask for pin before unlocking.

Using third-party apps

The built-in lock screen features work well most of the time. However, if you want more features, you may want to install third-party apps for this specific purpose. You can try apps like Touch Lock, Lock my touch, touch protector etc. You can also find tons of alternatives to these apps.

However, since these are third-party apps, they may not be secure and may damage your device. Likewise, you may be bombarded with advertisements. So we strongly recommend using your device’s built-in tools instead of relying on other third-party apps.