There are several ways kids can break through screen time regulations set by parents by using/changing settings on their devices.

Changing the Time Zone

While many smartphones automatically update based on location, you can manually change the time of the phone by going into its settings. By changing the time, kids trick the phone into thinking it’s not bedtime, and they still have hours of time to surf the web or play games.

Deleting and Reinstalling Apps

Yes, some screen time apps are this easy to break. If there are time restrictions on a certain app, kids can simply delete the app and reinstall it. This breaks the code which imposes the restrictions, giving them free rein.

Reset the Device/Set Up a New Account/Use an Old Device

Because some apps base it off the account attached to the phone, tablet, etc., kids can simply set up a new account without limits. Additionally, resetting a device to its originally manufactured settings will also remove any restrictions. If your family has old tablets/phones in the house that use WiFi, kids can download and use whatever apps for however long undetected and unrestricted.

The Power Glitch

One teen figured out he could glitch out the screen time app his parents were using by simply turning off and turning on his device repeatedly. Kids…

Disable Location

If you’re tracking your child’s location, you may think you always know where they are, right? Wrong. Kids have used spoof apps to give dummy locations, turned their phones’ on battery saving mode on to disable third-party tracking, or even left their phone in a certain location to go to another undetected.

Software Downloads

Bypassing Software

While we try to teach our kids not to download anything without our permission, it’s hard to regulate all their activities (hence, the current dilemma). There are a few different types of software kids can download onto their devices that can exploit all the flaws within a certain screen time app.

Sideloading Apps

Sideloading apps means that kids are going to unofficial third-party sites to download apps. Sites like TutuApp and Aptoide offer “hacked” versions of popular apps and aren’t managed by Apple or Google, meaning they’re unaffected by any restrictions set through the devices or app stores. To do this, kids need to download software which tells their phone to accept the soon-to-be-downloaded apps.

Our next post will focus on ways kids can hack screen time by using different apps.

Read Part 1 here, where we discuss how kids learn about bypassing techniques.