How VPNs work with Screen Time; and what parents should focus on instead
Possible loopholes that a VPN app introduces on a child's iPhone and whether it can be used to bypass Screen Time restrictions on a child's iOS device.
If you've noticed that your child downloaded a VPN app on their iPhone or iPad, you might have wondered if it could be used to bypass Screen Time to get around restrictions like website blocking. In this post, we'll discuss the possible loopholes that a VPN app introduces and whether or not it can be used to bypass Screen Time restrictions on a child's iOS device.
How do VPNs work on Apple devices while Screen Time is active?
When a VPN is active, Screen Time still works just about the same, so long as you’re using Safari. Similar to how switching to a different Wi-Fi network won’t bypass Screen Time, a VPN doesn’t actually interfere with any of the settings Screen Time enforces on an iPhone.
This is usually the case while using most of the common web browsers, like Safari, Chrome, or Firefox. However, not all web browsers work well with Screen Time; Apple is making it harder for these kinds of web browsers to be available on the App Store, but they still exist. Some social media apps, like the TikTok or Threads app, also have their own version of a web browser that Screen Time doesn’t work well in.
Embedded browsers are such a problem that we’ve actually created a separate guide for blocking In-app web browsers on iPhones . There are some cases where you might want to completely block these kinds of apps instead.
When are VPNs a concern?
Parents might still want to block VPNs due to privacy concerns for their child, which is important, but not nearly as dire as Screen Time suddenly not working. Adults (or accountability partners working with adults) might also consider blocking new VPNs if they use a content filter on the iPhone.
For example, Tech Lockdown’s Content Policy uses a VPN profile on iPhones. This VPN profile is used to block websites and disable the internet connection of certain apps, so adult or other kinds of sensitive content are directly blocked. Because iPhones can only use one VPN at a time, it’s very important to block VPNs other than the filtered one so websites continue to be blocked. There are two main strategies that we recommend:
- After installing the filtered VPN, completely remove the ability to add new VPN profiles at all.
- Directly block VPN apps using Supervised Mode (we recommend Supervised Mode as a better alternative to Screen Time for adults)
With this kind of setup, it’s actually not possible to add any new kind of VPN profile at all on the iPhone, even manually. This is the most effective approach we recommend for iPhones; however, check out our dedicated guide for enforcing VPNs on iPhones for more options.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I tell if a web browser will work with Screen Time?
Most of the common web browsers, like Safari, Chrome, and Firefox, do support Screen Time. If at all possible, we strongly recommend using these kinds of browsers and avoiding other browsers unless you're able to confirm if they work on your own device via Screen Time.
How to block alternative browsers that don’t work with Screen time
Parents can use Apple Family Sharing to restrict new apps from being downloaded from the App Store or use Ask To Buy so their child needs to get permission before an app can be downloaded. Adults can have some success if they disable the App Store, although it’s more effective to use alternatives to Screen Time instead.
Can VPNs be blocked with Screen Time?
Screen Time can be used to disable the App Store or block specific apps that you know about, but it cannot block VPN apps exclusively. See our dedicated guide for blocking VPNs on iPhones for more options.
