How to turn off parental controls on your device

Different operating systems, such as Android or iOS, offer parental controls to help parents and guardians monitor and manage the online activities of a child. Typically, parental controls include features like time restrictions on a specific app or device, content filtering and monitoring, and location tracking.

There could be several reasons why you want to turn parental controls on your device, such as providing more independence to the child as they grow older or giving them access to certain content. You may want to disable it if it is causing unintended restrictions for the child or affecting the device’s functionality. Here is a look at how to disable parental controls on Android and iOS.

Disabling parental controls on an Android device

Here’s how to disable parental controls on an Android phone or tablet:

1. Open the Google Play Store app.

2. Tap on the profile image, navigate to Settings > Family > Parental Controls.

3. Tap a category like Movies, TV, Apps & Games, and enter your PIN.

4. Tap Allow All > Save and tap the toggle button to disable parental controls.

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In case you do not know the PIN for the Play Store, you can navigate to Settings > Apps or Apps & notifications > Google Play Store > Storage > Clear Data > Ok. Alternatively, you can disable parental controls using the Family Link app.

1. Open the Google Play Sore app.

2. Tap on the child’s account and input the PIN.

3. Navigate to Manage Settings > Account Info > Stop supervision > Stop supervision to reconfirm.

Disabling parental controls on an iOS device

Here’s a look at the steps to turn off parental controls on an iPhone or iPad:

1. Open Settings > Screen Time > enter passcode if prompted.

2. Tap Downtime, then turn it off using the toggle.

3. Return to the Screen Time menu, select App Limits, and disable it using the toggle.

4. Return to the Screen Time menu and select Content & Privacy Restrictions.

5. Disable Content & Privacy Restrictions using the toggle.

If you want to selectively disable content retraction, you can carry out the following steps:

1. Open Settings > Screen Time > enter passcode if prompted.

2. Tap App Limits and select an app on which a limit has been placed.

3. Tap Delete Limit > Delete.

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4. Go back to the Screen Time menu > Content & Privacy Restrictions.

5. To allow each app, tap Allowed Apps and select the toggle for each app.

6. Tap Content Restrictions and select a content type, such as Movies, Music, Books, Podcast, and set it to Explicit or Allow All.

7. Tap Web Content > and select Unrestricted.

If you are a child, the decision to disable parental controls should ultimately be made by your parent or guardian. However, if you have a valid reason to request disabling them, you can approach the person who implemented the parental controls and discuss your concerns.

It is important for parents to understand that while parental control settings provide a level of security, they’re not foolproof. There is always a possibility of finding workarounds to access restricted content. Hence, it’s crucial for parents to supplement these controls with active supervision and awareness of their child’s online activities.