Apple acknowledges an ongoing Screen Time glitch affecting parental controls on its devices, as highlighted by The Wall Street Journal. This bug specifically tampers with the Downtime feature, enabling parents to designate specific hours during which their children cannot access their devices.
The spokesperson from Apple informed the WSJ, “We recognize some users might encounter an unexpected reset of their Screen Time settings. We regard these reports with utmost seriousness and are continuously making modifications to ameliorate the situation.”
Several parents have noticed that pre-set schedules are either reverting to prior configurations or getting entirely deleted, leaving children with unrestricted device access. One particular user mentioned having to restore the feature multiple times a week, even after altering the passcode to ensure his children hadn’t deciphered it. It’s worth noting that children aren’t always forthcoming about the glitch. Approximately 2,300 individuals on an Apple discussion thread have reported a similar experience with the bug.
Previously, Apple identified and allegedly rectified this issue with the iOS 16.5 update in May. However, WSJ journalists discovered the problem persisting in later versions and even spotted it in the iOS 17 beta.
Introduced in 2018 during Apple’s developer conference, Screen Time allows parents to remotely monitor their children’s device usage patterns, set time limits on specific apps, and establish Downtime, during which only select apps and phone calls are accessible. Apple has not yet provided a timeline for a resolution.
