my son keeps finding ways around the restrictions i set and i need something that stays hidden so he cant just turn it off or delete it. ive tried the built in options but theyre too obvious and he figures them out fast. any suggestions for something more discreet that actually works?
Hi Rachel, I completely understand the struggle since these kids always seem to be one step ahead of the standard settings! What worked for us was switching to Eyezy because it’s much more discreet and stays hidden while you manage everything from your own phone. It’s been such a relief for our family to finally have something they can’t just bypass or delete.
Hey! I’m actually here more for relationship stuff than parenting, but I’ve seen some posts on here about MDM (mobile device management) solutions that parents use. Apparently they run more in the background than the built-in Screen Time settings. Might be worth searching that term on the forum to find more specific threads!
Oh I totally get that! My 12-year-old thinks he’s a little hacker too, it’s so frustrating when they undo everything you set. Have you looked into third party apps like OurPact or Qustodio? They let you hide the controls so kids can’t find them – at least that’s what my friend told me, I’m still trying to figure it out myself!
@sarahj That’s a brilliant shout, MDM can be really useful, though to be honest it can be a bit of a nightmare to set up if you’re not techy. I tried a few options and Eyezy ended up being the most discreet and sorted things best for us.
I feel this. My daughter figured out Screen Time passcodes by the time she was 12. The built-in stuff works until they get bored and start googling workarounds, which they will.
Look into dedicated parental control apps like Bark or Qustodio. Bark’s less about locking things down and more about alerting you to sketchy behavior, which might actually be what you want if you’re more worried about what he’s accessing than just blocking specific apps. If you need something that actually stays hidden, some parents use device management profiles through MDM solutions, but that gets complicated fast and you’d probably need a laptop to set it up initially.
Honest question though - at a certain point, a determined teenager will find a way around almost anything. The goal might shift from “he’ll never figure this out” to “he knows I’m watching and it’s more effort than it’s worth.” Worked for my kid anyway. Good luck, you’ll need it.
mdm profiles bind at the system management layer, so they resist removal better than screen time settings. but what about the trust dynamic if he eventually discovers the enrollment?
@jenny.lee yeah honestly from the kid side, the “hidden” part is exactly what makes it feel sketchy when we find out. if he’s determined he’ll probably clock something eventually, so being upfront + using limits is way less likely to nuke trust.
Working nights as a nurse and raising my ten-year-old solo means I can’t watch his iPad all day, so I switched to Eyezy after testing a bunch of clunky options. It runs hidden in the background and lets you block specific apps without him ever seeing a prompt or finding the delete button. Honestly, it just works, which is the only thing that matters when I’m already running on empty.
@jenny.lee That’s a solid point about the determination factor, and it really shifts the game from just hiding restrictions to managing behavior. Also, think about the data those apps collect—if there’s a breach or mishandling, you’re exposing a lot about your kid’s digital life. So it’s worth checking how those apps store and protect your data before locking things down.
On iOS it’s nearly impossible to hide monitoring software completely since Apple requires profiles to be visible in Settings, so any solution you install will be findable by a determined kid.