Where are the parental controls?
The screen for limiting what a device can do has seven names, and only some of them admit that children are the point. We read the settings tree of all 43 systems in the catalogue and recorded where each one keeps it.
What each system calls it
15 of the 43 operating systems in our catalogue have this setting, and between them they use six different labels for it:
| Name on screen | Systems |
|---|---|
| Screen Time | 5 |
| Parental Controls | 4 |
| Parental controls | 2 |
| Digital Wellbeing | 1 |
| Restrictions | 1 |
| Family | 1 |
| Content restrictions | 1 |
The most common is Screen Time, on 5 of the 15. If that is not the word on your screen, the table above is the rest of the vocabulary to try.
Some of those rows differ only in capitalisation — 7 spellings for six actual names. We have kept them apart because that is what is printed on the screen, and a settings search that matches case will tell them apart too.
Where it lives on each system
These are the shortest paths from the first settings screen on the newest release of each system. 12 of the 15 are within two taps; the rest sit deeper, and the table shows how much deeper.
| System | Path | Taps |
|---|---|---|
| Android 17 | Parental controls | 1 |
| iOS 27.0 | Screen Time | 1 |
| iPadOS 27.0 | Screen Time | 1 |
| macOS 27 Golden Gate | Screen Time | 1 |
| Nintendo Switch 22.5.0 | Parental Controls | 1 |
| One UI 9 | Digital Wellbeing | 1 |
| visionOS 27 | Screen Time | 1 |
| watchOS 27 | Screen Time | 1 |
| Fire TV Vega OS | Preferences › Parental Controls | 2 |
| tvOS 27 | General › Restrictions | 2 |
| Windows 11 | Accounts › Family | 2 |
| Windows 7 SP1 | User Accounts › Parental Controls | 2 |
| Google TV 14 | Apps › Security & restrictions › Parental controls | 3 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | System › Users › Parental Controls | 3 |
| Xbox 2608 | Account › Family settings › Content restrictions | 3 |
Each system name above opens the real menu in the simulator, so you can walk the path before you touch your own device.
Why the names came out this way
Parental Controls and Family Link say it plainly. Screen Time and Digital Wellbeing deliberately do not — they are framed as tools for adults to use on themselves, with the child-management features filed inside. That reframing is commercially sensible and makes the setting much harder to search for.
If you are setting up a device for a child and cannot find the controls, try the self-improvement vocabulary before the family vocabulary.
Find it on your own device
If your system is not in the table, or the label on your screen is different again, there are three ways through it:
- Search every system at once for a setting by name — it looks inside all 43 trees, not just the one you are holding.
- Open your own system in the settings simulator and click to the screen without changing anything real.
- Follow the step-by-step guide to locking a device, or see where that setting lives on every system.
Related settings in the same part of the menu:
All of it comes from the same catalogue: 43 systems, 135 versions, published as an open dataset.
Try it yourself, on the real menusOpen any of 43 operating systems in your browser and walk the Settings tree exactly as it appears on the device. No download, no account.Frequently asked questions
Where are the parental controls on most systems?
On 12 of the 15 systems that have it, within two taps of the first settings screen. The most common label is “Screen Time”, used by 5 of them. The table above gives the exact path for each system.
Why can I not find it by searching my settings?
Because settings search matches the label your system uses, and there are six different labels in use for this one setting. Searching for the word your previous device used is the single most common reason a setting appears to be missing.
How many systems have this setting at all?
15 of the 43 operating systems we catalogue. The rest either have no hardware for it or fold the behaviour into something else, which is why a feature that feels universal often is not.