Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

How is My Child Bypassing My 1 Hour Daily Limit with TikTok? (He’s Currently at 3 Hours)

HappyDude20

HappyDude20

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jul 13, 2008
3,688
1,479
Los Angeles, Ca
ScreenTime settings are on for my kids iPhone. He gets an hour of Snapchat a day, an hour of TikTok a day and an hour of YouTube a day. But with TikTok he’s already at 3 hours and 30 minutes today. There’s no way he knows what my Parental safety pin is. These kids are smart.

Actually as I’m typing this I also noticed he’s at 1 hour and 4 minutes with YouTube. I’m guessing here he is tapping on the 1 more minute feature.
 
Does that bug still exist where you can just turn back the iPhone's system time to work around ScreenTime parental controls?
 
DeltaMac said:
What does your kid say when you ask him how he gets the extra time?
Click to expand...
I haven’t brought it up to him. He’s cunning. And this is like a chess game. I heard somewhere that kids can just keep tapping the ‘1 more minute’ option But am not really sure.
ManuCH said:
Does that bug still exist where you can just turn back the iPhone's system time to work around ScreenTime parental controls?
Click to expand...
This is something I didn’t even know about. Apple really dropped the ball in introducing this feature if kids know of numerous ways to get around it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DeepIn2U
HappyDude20 said:
This is something I didn’t even know about. Apple really dropped the ball in introducing this feature if kids know of numerous ways to get around it.
Click to expand...

I've researched a bit and found the following hints on other sites about how to work around ScreenTime:

"Changing Time Zones

Downtime is a useful tool that prevents children from using certain apps for a while. If the ‘Block at Downtime’ toggle is on, the child will have to request their parents for an extended time. However, right before Downtime begins, it is possible to change the phone’s time zone in order to evade it! Choose ‘Don’t Allow Changes’ on the Location Services screen to keep the time zone constant."

and also:

"Overriding Screen Time limits

If you’ve set screen time limits and your child can still use those apps, follow these steps. On your kid’s iPhone, Screen Time> App Limits> Add Limit>Select the category or individual app>Tap on “Next”>Set your time limit>Toggle on “Block at End of Limit” "
 
  • Like
Reactions: DeepIn2U
teeshot44 said:
Sorry if I'm offering parenting advice, but "I've been there done that". You said "I had him update" and you know he actually did it how? Maybe you need to do the updating and controlling of the phone and as someone else suggested and see what's on there.
Click to expand...

Been there done that too. Took phone from 15 yr old a year ago. The 7 yr old won’t see one. You can’t limit them on addiction. Didn’t work for me. Just an Apple Watch for her now.

But dad I need a phone for research in class. Use your chrome book. Lol.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DeepIn2U, ouimetnick, Slix and 3 others
teeshot44 said:
Sorry if I'm offering parenting advice, but "I've been there done that". You said "I had him update" and you know he actually did it how? Maybe you need to do the updating and controlling of the phone and as someone else suggested and see what's on there.
Click to expand...
Yeah I was there next to him when he updated.
 
cardfan said:
Been there done that too. Took phone from 15 yr old a year ago. The 7 yr old won’t see one. You can’t limit them on addiction. Didn’t work for me. Just an Apple Watch for her now.

But dad I need a phone for research in class. Use your chrome book. Lol.
Click to expand...
Yeah this is more likely the route I’ll be taking with child number two
 
  • Like
Reactions: DeepIn2U
Not trying to be obnoxious, but an Android phone will work a lot better in terms of controlling what your kids can do on their phones. Apple’s implementation has been pathetically bad since its inception.
 
  • Angry
Reactions: HappyDude20 and DblHelix
HappyDude20 said:
Yeah this is more likely the route I’ll be taking with child number two
Click to expand...

Well, why not with this child? You can tell him that if he doesn't heed by the rules (and tries to circumvent them), then the phone gets taken away. At least you're able to see his screen time, so he hasn't figured out a way to hack that too, lol!
 
  • Like
Reactions: MacCheetah3
usagora said:
Well, why not with this child? You can tell him that if he doesn't heed by the rules (and tries to circumvent them), then the phone gets taken away. At least you're able to see his screen time, so he hasn't figured out a way to hack that too, lol!
Click to expand...
The interesting thing is I asked half a dozen of his friends both boys and girls what App they use the most and they said Snapchat. What I had no idea about is that their teacher sends home work updates on snap chat.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Wow
Reactions: DeepIn2U
iPhones aren’t even healthy for adults to use and we know how addicting they are. Kids are oblivious to what addiction is and they’ll use them until their brains ooze out.
Yeah, every kid and his sister and brother has a Smartphone, but I’m not convinced that that’s a good thing.
 
HappyDude20 said:
ScreenTime settings are on for my kids iPhone. He gets an hour of Snapchat a day, an hour of TikTok a day and an hour of YouTube a day. But with TikTok he’s already at 3 hours and 30 minutes today. There’s no way he knows what my Parental safety pin is. These kids are smart.

Actually as I’m typing this I also noticed he’s at 1 hour and 4 minutes with YouTube. I’m guessing here he is tapping on the 1 more minute feature.
Click to expand...

Could it be you forgot to enable the "block at end of limit" option?
 
HappyDude20 said:
The interesting thing is I asked half a dozen of his friends both boys and girls what App they use the most and they said Snapchat. What I had no idea about is that their teacher sends home work updates on snap chat.
Click to expand...

I would think official .edu email would be the way to go, unless they set up a "portal page" for the class, like every college-level course I have taken in the last decade uses...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: ouimetnick and DblHelix
As for the manner in which the teacher communicates with students, it’s a private school and only 28 students In The entirety of 7th grade. It’s weird cause all 28 students and the teacher share their location with each other, even though that’s not a requirement. But homework is given out through Snapchat and it’s insane how much time they all
Spend on it.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: Boil
HappyDude20 said:
As for the manner in which the teacher communicates with students, it’s a private school and only 28 students In The entirety of 7th grade. It’s weird cause all 28 students and the teacher share their location with each other, even though that’s not a requirement. But homework is given out through Snapchat and it’s insane how much time they all
Spend on it.
Click to expand...
That just sounds weird, all of it!
 
  • Like
Reactions: ignatius345, ouimetnick, Samdh90 and 6 others
Ansath said:
That just sounds weird, all of it!
Click to expand...
Totally. As someone who went to public school it’s foreign to me. But am so impressed by how tight knit and mission driven this private school is; they have a 92% rate of graduating high school seniors bein accepted into university and like a 55% acceptance rate at being by accepted into an Ivy League school.

As someone who use to attend public school and ditch to smoke weed and drink beer I’m glad my kid doesn’t have to go through the woes of the American public school system.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Knowlege Bomb
HappyDude20 said:
ScreenTime settings are on for my kids iPhone. He gets an hour of Snapchat a day, an hour of TikTok a day and an hour of YouTube a day. But with TikTok he’s already at 3 hours and 30 minutes today. There’s no way he knows what my Parental safety pin is. These kids are smart.

Actually as I’m typing this I also noticed he’s at 1 hour and 4 minutes with YouTube. I’m guessing here he is tapping on the 1 more minute feature.
Click to expand...

Did you also block TikTok on Safari?
 
There are some things you might consider, so that you don’t have to keep playing cat and mouse with your son.

1) Get him a dumb phone to use until he learns that having a smart phone is not a right, especially when he continues to disobey.

2) Set up his current phone so that he can only access the school portion of the program and no other apps or Safari browsing.

3) Let him know that you will inspect both phones daily for type and amount of usage. If he persists on his current path, talk with his teacher and have all school business communicated to you and your wife, ex, or girlfriend directly via communication of choice. That way, you know what is going on at all times. I have a feeling if you lock him down this way, he will get the message.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Knowlege Bomb
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back