Parental Controls Made Simple: Phones, Tablets, Consoles and Broadband
How to set up parental controls on iPhone, Android, games consoles and your home broadband, plus tips for talking to children about staying safe online.
Parental controls can't replace conversations with your children, but they do help: they filter unsuitable content, limit screen time and stop surprise in-app purchases. Almost all of them are free and already built into the devices you own.
Start with your home broadband
All the major UK broadband providers offer free family-friendly filters that block adult content for every device on your home Wi-Fi. Log in to your provider's account or app and look for settings called something like "parental controls", "safeguards" or "web protection". These filters only work on your home Wi-Fi, though, not on mobile data or at a friend's house, so set up controls on the devices too.
iPhone and iPad: Screen Time
- Go to Settings > Screen Time. Ideally, set your child up with their own Apple Account as part of Family Sharing, so you can manage their device from your own iPhone.
- Use Content & Privacy Restrictions to filter websites, set age ratings for apps, films and music, and stop in-app purchases.
- Use Downtime and App Limits to set bedtimes and daily limits.
- Turn on Ask to Buy so you approve every download and purchase.
Android phones and tablets: Google Family Link
- Install the Google Family Link app on your own phone.
- Create a Google account for your child (or link their existing one) and follow the steps to supervise their device.
- From your phone you can approve apps, set daily limits and bedtimes, filter content in Chrome and Google Search, and see the device's location.
- In the Google Play Store settings, set up purchase approvals and content ratings.
Games consoles
PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch all have free parental controls and companion apps for parents. You can limit games by age rating, control who your child can chat with online, set spending limits and set playtime limits. Look for "family" or "parental controls" in the console's settings, or download the console maker's parental controls app.
YouTube, social media and messaging
- YouTube: younger children can use YouTube Kids, and older children can use a supervised account through Family Link.
- Social media: most major apps have a minimum age of 13 and offer teen accounts and parental supervision tools. Go through privacy settings together so accounts are private and contact from strangers is limited.
Talk as well as block
No filter is perfect, and children are often better with technology than their parents. Keep the conversation open:
- Agree family rules together, such as phones charging outside bedrooms overnight.
- Make sure they know they can tell you if something online upsets them, without fear of losing their phone.
- Talk about scams, sharing photos and the fact that people online aren't always who they say they are.
UK charities such as Internet Matters and the NSPCC publish detailed, age-by-age guides for parents if you'd like to go further.