Unable to Delete Child Account from Family Sharing — No Clear Option Provided

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Unable to Delete Child Account from Family Sharing — No Clear Option Provided

Hello Apple Community,

I’m facing an issue that seems unnecessarily complicated. I created a child account under my Family Sharing for my young child, and now I simply want to delete or remove that account from my family group. However, there is no visible option to delete or remove the child’s account anywhere in Settings, even though I’m signed in as the Family Organizer.

I’ve tried all recommended steps — checked under Settings → Family → Child’s Name, verified there are no active subscriptions or Apple Cash, and even used multiple devices — yet the option to delete is missing.

Frankly, this process feels far more complex than it should be. For something as simple as removing or deleting a child’s Apple ID, users shouldn’t have to go through layers of unclear menus or be forced to contact support for manual deletion.

Could someone from Apple or the community please clarify:

Why this option is hidden or unavailable in many cases?
What’s the exact, step-by-step way to permanently delete a child account from Family Sharing?
Is there an easier solution Apple is planning for this issue in future updates?

Any help or official clarification would be greatly appreciated. I believe many parents face the same problem and would benefit from a straightforward explanation.

Thank you,

AD OMAR

iPhone 13 Pro Max, iOS 18

Posted on Nov 2, 2025 3:47 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Limnos

Level 10

424,955 points

Nov 2, 2025 4:47 AM in response to AD_OMAR

One way to do this would be to log into the unwanted "child" account and request deletion of the Apple ID. You should have the ID and password from when you first set up the account.

Another way would be for the child to make the request.

From: How to delete your Apple ID account - How to delete your Apple Account - Apple Support

Section: Can I delete my child’s account?

"Your child can also request deletion of their Apple ID, which requires your approval.

The approval request will be sent via email to the primary Apple ID email address of your family organizer account. When approving the request from this email, you will go through the process of deleting the child account."

If the child's account password is unknown, see the section in this document about using a family Organizer's device to reset the password --> Change your Apple Account password - Apple Support

If you have problems doing that then contact Apple about this request: Click here --> Choose your country or region - Official Apple Support Select your country, then a product and work your way down the menu to the desired issue. If you don't see one then try a different product until you reach a telephone or chat help request and ask to be redirected.

"I spoke to Apple support and it can take up to 30 days to delete the child account from the backend." - Unable to remove Family Sharing - Apple Community

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Answer 2

Nov 2, 2025 5:13 AM in response to AD_OMAR

A bit of additional background:

A “child” can NOT exist as an orphan within Apple’s ecosystem. They must always be a member of a family.

So, one option is to transfer the child to another already-existing family. That process is described here:

How to transfer a child to another Family Sharing group - Apple Support

However, as no mention was made of any desire or intent to do so …

The only other option is to entirely delete the child’s Apple Account as has already been well-detailed.

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