Oliver Haslam on January 1, 2026, 7:28 pm

How To Set Up A New iPad For A Child In 2026

Here’s how to set up a new iPad for a child. This guide has been updated according to 2026 models and requirements.

Between holidays and birthdays, the iPad is a great way to introduce kids to the world of computing as a special gift. But while it isn’t a normal computer, it’s a great starter for even young kids — but you need to make sure that it’s set up to be safe for them. And we’re going to explain how to do just that.

There are a few things that you need to do to make sure things are set up the right way. Starting with creating a new Apple ID all of their own.

Create an Apple ID

If the child is under 13, Apple requires a parent to create the Apple ID. You can do that from your own iPhone or iPad, too.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and tap your name, followed by Family.

Step 2: Tap Add Member and then Create Child Account. Follow the on-screen prompts to enter your kid’s name, date of birth, and other information. The account will be automatically added to your Family Sharing group, too. If they already have an account, you can skip all of this and just invite them to your family via the Add Member option.

Set Up Screen Time and Down Time

Screen Time is vital to ensuring your child doesn’t have unfettered access to their iPad 24/7.

Step 1: Open Screen Time on the iPad and tap This is My Child’s iPad. You’ll need to create a new Screen Time passcode — make sure your child doesn’t know it or can guess it.

Step 2: Work through the Downtime and App Limits settings to configure the iPad the way you want to. Downtime blocks apps between configured times, while App Limits gives you the power to block specific apps or groups of apps after a certain amount of time per day.

Enable Content and Privacy restrictions

You can control which content your child can access, right from within the Screen Time menu.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and choose Screen Time, followed by Content & Privacy Restrictions. Toggle them on and then choose which content you want to enable or disable. You can prevent your child from installing or deleting apps and control which kind of web content they can see, too.

Step 2: Privacy controls offer the option to control whether apps will be able to access the iPad’s location, camera, and microphone, among other things.

Finally, we also suggest making sure that the iPad is updated to the latest version of iPadOS. We also suggest turning on the option for updates to be automatically installed, ensuring the iPad is always running the latest software.