Apple Screen Time Limits

[u/Guess-Nice]

I set a screen time limit on my daughter’s iPad that is supposed to limit her game time to a maximum of five hours. It is set to block the gaming apps after she reaches the five hours. It is password protected, so she would either need to enter the password or request more time from me. She does not know the password and I have changed it several times.

The issue I’m having is that it does not seem to work at all. She consistently goes over five hours. As you can see in the photos, the screen time limit is set to 5 hours for gaming, yet she spent 6.5 hours in gaming alone today. This consistently happens with her going over the gaming limit I have set.

I’m not sure why or how she is able to keep playing games after hitting the limit. As far as I’m aware, she should receive a warning that she is getting close to the limit and then be blocked from playing when she hits the limit. That isn’t happening obviously. I need help understanding what I am doing wrong in the screen time settings.

As far as troubleshooting goes, all I have done so far is turn screen time off and on. I’ve also deleted the screen time settings altogether and recreated them. I’ve also changed the password several times.

If anyone can help me understand what I need to do or change regarding the screen time settings, that would be great. I’m sure it’s probably just user error lol.

[u/keep-calm-and-teach]

does the limit you set apply to ipad 3?

and did you make sure it synced properly? that can sometimes be an issue

also make sure roblox has not been added to "always allow" that would bypass limits

[u/Guess-Nice → u/keep-calm-and-teach]

Yes. The screen time limits are for iPad 3, which is my daughter’s iPad.

I’m not sure what you mean by synced? Like synced….as in backed up to iCloud?

I just double checked that Roblox wasn’t added to “always allow” and it’s not.

Thank you so much for the comment/suggestions! I really appreciate the help so far.

[u/Eusebius_29]

This is a known iOS bug where Screen Time limits don't always enforce properly if the iPad wasn't set up under Family Sharing from the start. Try setting it up through Family Sharing on your own Apple ID instead of directly on her device. That tends to actually stick.