If you have kids, you know the struggle: „Five more minutes!“ quickly turns into an hour of mindless YouTube or Netflix scrolling. While Apple TV has some built-in parental controls, it lacks a „hard stop“ timer that can kick a user out of an app once their time is up.
There is a possibility to set timer (hold the main button and then set timer) to turn off Apple TV after 60 minutes, but problem with that is, that kids can change that – there is no protection once they know how to do it. Also to turn off the Apple TV is pretty hard stop for kids and usually means big eruption of anger as opposed what I observed with iOS times up message on iPad.
However, I’ve discovered a clever workaround using iOS Shortcuts and tvOS App Restrictions that acts as a perfect automated parental gatekeeper. Here is how to set up the ultimate 60-minute „Kill Switch.“
The Prerequisite: Set the Lock
The „secret sauce“ to this method is having App Restrictions enabled on your Apple TV. I have mine set up so that opening restricted apps (like YouTube or Netflix) requires authentication via my Apple Watch or iPhone. This ensures that once an app is closed, it stays closed until I say otherwise.
The Strategy: The „Settings“ Redirect
Since Apple doesn’t let you „minimize“ an app via automation, we do the next best thing: we force the Apple TV to open a different, unrestricted app. By jumping into the Settings menu at the end of a timer, we effectively move the focus away from the cartoon binge. Because of the App Restrictions mentioned above, the kids can’t switch back to their show without my biometric approval.
How to Build the „60-Minute Parental Gatekeeper“ Shortcut
You can build this on your iPhone or iPad in the Shortcuts app:
The Long Wait (The Timer)
- Action: Wait
- Duration: Set this to 3300 seconds (55 minutes).
- Why: This runs in the background while the kids are watching.
The Early Warning System
- Action: Show Notification
- Text: „Apple TV will lock in 5 minutes!“
- Why: This sends a notification to your iPhone or Apple Watch, letting you know it’s time to start the „winding down“ talk.
The Final Countdown
- Action: Wait
- Duration: 300 seconds (the final 5 minutes).
The „Kill Switch“ (Open Settings)
- Action: Open App on Apple TV
- App: Select Settings.
- Device: Select your Apple TV.
Why This Works So Well
When the timer hits zero, your Apple TV will suddenly jump from whatever movie is playing straight to the Settings menu.
Because the previous app (YouTube/Netflix) is now in the background and protected by your system-wide restrictions, the kids are „locked out.“ They can’t jump back into the video because the Apple TV will immediately ask for your iPhone/Watch authentication to reopen the restricted app.
It’s firm, it’s automated, and it saves you from being the „bad guy“ who has to go and snatch the remote away.
The Result
No more endless loops of „just one more.“ Your Apple TV now has a digital curfew. Next stage would be to show the timer on the screen. I have an idea to try to use Picture in Picture capability of the Apple TV.
Pro Tip: You can trigger this shortcut via Siri by naming it something like „Start Kids‘ TV Time.“ Just say the phrase, and the invisible clock starts ticking!