By Jill Murphy, Common Sense Media
Edition #22 | July 24, 2026
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There's Another Place to Open Blocked Apps |
I missed this one for years. I'd block TikTok, feel very accomplished, and then find my daughter scrolling TikTok anyway, through Safari (or Chrome for the Android fans). Apparently, blocking an app and blocking its website are two completely different settings, and you need both for it to work effectively. I remain amazed by how many of us didn't know this, though I suppose we were all busy feeling pleased about blocking the app.
Here's the fix for Safari:
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To block the app, go to Settings → Screen Time → App Limits. Add the app, set a limit, and make sure Block at End of Limit is turned on. That last part is easy to miss.
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Then block the website. Go to Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → Content Restrictions → Web Content. Add the site under Never Allow. You can also use Allowed Websites Only if you're feeling ambitious.
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There are similar instructions for Chrome, and for links that open inside other apps.
Worth knowing: There's one more wrinkle. When your kid uses TikTok through the TikTok app, Screen Time lists it as TikTok. When they use TikTok through a browser, it appears as Safari or Chrome. Same app, same scrolling, completely different line in the report. So even parents who check usage regularly can miss it, because it's filed somewhere you're not looking.
This is not bulletproof. The occasional in-app browser may still sneak through. But this closes a loophole most of us didn't realize was open.
Tonight's to-do: Open one "blocked" app through your kid's browser. If the website loads, congratulations. You have found tonight's tiny administrative task.
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One Summer Plan That Doesn't Require Sunscreen
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One More Thing: Screens After Dark |
My youngest child knows that half of her antics are fodder for this newsletter, so perhaps she's been upping the ante in an effort to get more space here. And … it's working. Last night, she came to me with a full screen-time proposal: how much time she should get and which apps should be included. She also shared that a trusted adult in her life suggested, "What if you had no limits and had to self-regulate? What would that look like?" She was very mature about the whole thing. "Isn't that the goal, mom? What if we tried that?"
Do not, for one second, think that this story is about telling you how surprised I was at how well this worked and that she's great at self-regulation after all. It isn't. She's not.
While she implored me and dropped "trust me" and "give me a chance," it was only hours later when I saw her belly-crawl into our bedroom, thinking we were asleep—and tried to get her phone. The only joy I had from this experience was the look of shock she had on her face when I sat up and turned the light on. Even when I'm sleeping, I know what she's up to.
Depending on the child, you have to go with your gut. Needless to say, her parental controls are staying on.
– Jill
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