Setting Up Parental Controls on a Kid's First Smartphone the 8 essential all 25 Handing your kid their first phone is a big moment — exciting for them, a little nerve-wracking for you. The good news is both Apple and Google have built real parental control systems into their phones for free, and setting them up properly before the phone ever reaches your kid's hands makes everything easier later. This walks you through getting it set up right, in order.
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Before You Hand Over the Phone Decide on an Apple ID or Google account for your child Family controls only work if your kid's phone is linked to a supervised account. On Android, if your child has a Google account, you connect it; if not, Family Link walks you through creating one — it's not possible to use a child's existing account with Family Link if they already set one up independently. Set up Family Sharing (iPhone) or the Family Link app (Android) on your own phone first Download the Family Link app, sign in with your own Google account, and create a new account for your child from within the app. For Apple, the family organizer manages things from their own device, not the child's. Have both phones nearby during setup Make sure your and your child's phone are nearby during the setup process, since you'll be pairing the two accounts together. Pick a Screen Time or Family Link passcode only you know Be sure to set up a parent-only passcode, since kids can otherwise change restrictions on their own. Don't reuse your phone unlock code. Decide your family's actual rules before you open settings What hours, what apps, what contacts. Going in with a plan makes the next steps faster and keeps you from flipping settings back and forth.
Link the Device On iPhone: open Settings, tap Family, then your child's name, then Screen Time Once Family Sharing is set up and the child's account is connected, open the Settings app, tap Family, tap your child's name, tap Screen Time, and follow the onscreen instructions. On Android: go to Settings > Google > All services > Parental controls on the child's device On the child's device, scroll to Google, then All services, then Parental controls; tap Let's do this, then add or create the child's account and tap Supervise account. Confirm the account shows up as supervised, not a regular adult account Double-check this before moving on; it's the foundation everything else sits on.
Lock Down Content Turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions and set age ratings for apps, movies, shows, books, and music Under Content Restrictions you choose a setting like Don't Allow, Unrated, Allow All, or a specific age rating for each content type. Turn on web content filtering Content filters can be set to prevent kids from visiting explicit or adult websites, and you can build a "never allow" list of specific sites and block private browsing. Require approval for app downloads and in-app purchases Some apps, games, music, and in-app purchases cost real money, so look for settings that let you disable downloading or purchasing unless you give permission first. Note that these filters aren't perfect Screen Time can limit inappropriate content and manage app usage, but the controls can be inconsistent and have glitches, so don't treat them as a substitute for checking in occasionally.
Set Time, Contact, and Privacy Limits
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