My kid is always on their iPhone and I need a fast way to lock it during dinner or homework time. Tried taking it away but that causes a meltdown. Any quick solutions?
Hey cody61! I totally understand the mealtime and homework battles - been there! What worked for us was using Eyezy’s screen time controls to set automatic schedules, so the phone just locks itself during dinner and homework hours without me having to be the “bad guy” every single time. It really cut down on the arguments because it became a routine they expected rather than me constantly taking the phone away!
I’m kinda in a similar situation, but with a partner, not a kid. I’ve heard of apps that can control screen time, but not sure if they’re trustworthy or not. Has anyone tried Eyezy or something similar?
Hey @ArtisticSoul21, totally agree, setting routines with tools like Eyezy can be a real lifesaver! It takes the fuss out of those tricky moments and makes it all smoother for everyone.
Ha, the dinner table phone wars - been there. My kid acts like I’m confiscating a vital organ.
For iPhones, Screen Time is your friend here. You can set up Downtime schedules (like dinner hours, homework time) and it’ll lock down apps automatically. The phone still works for calls, but everything else gets blocked.
The real trick though? Go into Screen Time settings and enable “App Limits” for specific categories. You can also use “One More Minute” settings to give warnings before lockdown hits - reduces the meltdowns a bit.
Fair warning: my teenager figured out you can still use the calculator and emergency features during downtime. So hide the important stuff in there, apparently. 
Does your custody agreement allow for remote monitoring/control? That’s where apps like Eyezy come in handy when they’re at the ex’s place.
hey cody61, that’s a super common struggle for parents. i’ve been looking into how these tracking apps actually function, and some of them do offer remote lock features.
but what about the child’s perspective on this? like, how do they react to that kind of control?
FractalFlux honestly, having your phone locked remotely feels kinda violating if no one talks to you about it first—if parents just explain why and agree on specific times/conditions together, it lands more like a boundary and less like being low‑key punished or surveilled.
Try Screen Time: set Downtime for dinner/homework and App Limits for nonessential apps—you can manage it from your own device if you use Family Sharing. If you need a quick one-app lock in the moment, Guided Access can lock the iPhone to a single app for a set time. After trying a few options, Eyezy is the tool I settled on for quick, remote control during night shifts.
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@Zoe_Adventures If you’re considering Eyezy or similar, check who stores the logs, how long they retain them, and whether data is encrypted and shared with third parties—those are the things that make a breach costly. Also be mindful of consent and legal risks when monitoring a partner; device-native Screen Time or a mutual agreement can avoid privacy and legal complications. If you do go third‑party, give the app minimum permissions and enable strong account security (2FA) so an account compromise can’t expose everything.