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Parenting and child development

Parental controls

Settings and tools that let a parent limit what a child can see, download, buy and who they can contact on a device or app, and for how long.

What It Means

Parental controls are settings, built into devices and apps or added as separate tools, that let a parent shape how a child uses technology. The FTC says they can restrict the content a child reaches, show a parent their website and app activity, limit who they talk to, and manage spending. Apple, Google and Microsoft each build free controls into their own devices, and many apps and game platforms add their own.

Try It: Find the Built-In Controls for Each Device

Tap the kind of device your child uses to see the free built-in tool the FTC points to and what the maker's own help pages say it can do.

Tool

Family Sharing and Screen Time

What it covers

Content & Privacy Restrictions with age ratings, downloads and purchases, who they can contact, and Communication Safety for nudity in photos and videos.

The AAP suggests setting controls on every device your child uses, so repeat this for each one.

How Parents Say It

  • "The tablet locks at eight, that's the parental controls."
  • "I have to approve any app she downloads."
  • "Ask me before you buy anything in the game."

The Breakdown

By age: one way a family might adjust controls (Buhata's own example)

StageControls in this example
Young child with a shared tabletContent limited by age rating, no purchases, time limits
TweenTweenA child in the years just before becoming a teenager, roughly the late elementary and middle school years. Another word for preteen. See more with a first phoneApp approval, contacts, daily limits, screens off before bed
TeenFewer limits, agreed together, with regular check-ins

The AAP's Family Media PlanFamily media planA written set of family rules about screens and media, such as screen-free times and places, that each household makes to fit its own routines and values. See more asks each family to choose and personalize its own rules, so treat the table as a starting point.

How to set them up

  1. List every device your child uses: phone, tablet, computer, game console, and school devices. The AAP suggests setting controls on all of them, and on the home Wi-Fi router too.
  2. On Apple devices, set up Family Sharing, add your child's Apple Account, then turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions in Screen TimeScreen timeThe time a child spends using screens such as TVs, tablets, phones, computers and game consoles, counted across a day or a week. See more.
  3. For Android or a Chromebook, set up your child's account in Google Family Link, then set time limits and app approvals.
  4. Use Microsoft Family Safety on a Windows computer or an Xbox.
  5. Check the settings inside the apps and games your child uses.
  6. Talk through the rules with your child. The FTC calls that conversation key to good habits.

Good to Know

The FTC points out that the big three tools are free. Apple's Communication Safety adds on-device guidance when a child is about to share or receive photos and videos detected as containing nudity, and Google says the Family Link parent app can be downloaded from the App Store for an iPhone as well as from Google Play. Apps and games often carry controls of their own, so check inside the ones your child uses.

FAQ

How do I put parental controls on my child's iPhone?

Apple Support says to set up Family Sharing, add your child's Apple Account to the family group, and then turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions in Screen Time, where you can choose age ratings and limit purchases and contacts.

What is Google Family Link?

Google's free parental control tool for Android devices and Chromebooks. It lets a parent set screen time and app limits, approve new apps, and set controls on Chrome, Google Play, YouTube and Search.

Are parental controls enough to keep kids safe online?

The FTC treats them as a way to back up family rulesFamily rulesA short list of clear, specific statements about the behavior a family expects, agreed on by the adults and applied the same way every time. See more, and says talking with your kids about those rules is key. The AAP suggests setting them on every device your child uses.

Do It in Buhata

Household Notes

List each device your child uses and the controls set on it in Household Notes in Buhata, so every adult at home knows the rules and where to change them.

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Related Terms and Categories

  • Family media plan

    A written set of family rules about screens and media, such as screen-free times and places, that each household makes to fit its own routines and values.

  • Phone contract for kids

    A written agreement between a parent and child that sets the rules for the child's phone: when, where and how it's used, and what happens if a rule is broken.

  • Screen time

    The time a child spends using screens such as TVs, tablets, phones, computers and game consoles, counted across a day or a week.

  • Online safety for kids

    The habits, rules and tools that help children use the internet, apps and games while avoiding harm such as scams, cruelty, and adults who try to exploit them.

  • Co-viewing

    Watching TV, videos or apps together with your child and talking about what you see, rather than handing over a screen to watch alone.

Parenting and child development

Sources

Federal Trade Commission, "How To Use Parental Controls To Keep Your Kid Safer Online"; Apple Support, "Use parental controls to manage your child's iPhone or iPad"; Apple Support, "Use Screen Time to manage your child's iPhone or iPad"; Google For Families Help, "Manage your child's screen time"; Google For Families Help, "Get started with Family Link"; Google Family Link, "Family Link from Google"; AAP Center of Excellence, "Getting Your First Phone"; HealthyChildren.org (AAP), "How to Make a Family Media Plan"

Last updated .