This viral TikTok shows a phone hack every parent needs to know

As a mother, I have a lot of fears. Some of them are incredibly serious (if you know, you know), while others are not as serious, but still absolutely terrifying. For example, the fear of my daughter choosing to hit a button that’ll make me “go live” on Instagram while I’m doing an embarrassing song-and-dance routine for her. Or the fear of my son accidentally “liking” a post from years ago. Or the fear of—well, you get the picture. The point is that parents are used to a daily dose of panic when their kids take full control of their phones because it’s impossible to know what buttons their little fingers will press.

That’s why this TikTok hack is something every parent needs in their back pocket. Your child holding your phone hostage is sort of an inevitability, right? We all know this. But what if I told you there was a way to retain control over your phone’s screen even when it’s in your little one’s hand? That way, you don’t have to worry about those accidental likes, friend requests or posts—and you won’t even have to delete the 497 blurry selfies your kid takes between watching YouTube videos.

It’s all thanks to a hack two parents shared on TikTok. “My babe just showed me the ultimate parenting hack,” the mom, who goes by @melissajean1223 on TikTok says in the video. Her partner then takes us through a simple tutorial: You swipe down on your iPhone’s home screen and enter “guided access.” After setting this, you simply go to the video your child wants to watch and play it, then triple-click your phone’s side button to start guided access. Then you triple-click again, enter your phone’s passcode and go to “options.” Once you’re there, you set all your options to the “off” position. It might sound a little confusing, but trust us—the TikTok clip breaks it down so it’s super simple to follow.

And just like that, you kiss some of those “not-so-serious” parenting fears goodbye. Let’s face it, while most of us probably thought we’d never let our kids use our phones, the reality is this: giving little ones some screen time allows us to get a few things done. If we can do this without worrying about how they’ll use our devices, I’d say that’s a win/win.

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