Part II, Parental Controls: Free Mobile Device Monitoring

For your first foray into parental control of mobile devices, you may want to keep it simple. There are several free options to monitor your children’s online presence and device use. It is advisable to have a conversation with your children so they understand you will be monitoring their device usage and online presence as they learn how to use their devices appropriately. You will want to teach your children about basic online etiquette like how to keep personal information private and what a scam is and how to avoid them. Check up on your children regularly, without sneaking around. Be open to expanding internet and device usage agreements with your children as they grown, learn, and earn your trust. The monitoring level a child under 13 requires is much higher than a 16-year-old.

That being said, please review this list of free parental control options that you can set up on your child’s device(s) and apps. This list is not exhaustive and is just a sample of the free parental controls available.   

In-App Parental Controls
You can find parental controls within the settings of an app itself. For example, the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store both have settings that allow you to filter the content your child sees and require a password for certain apps to be downloaded. This is a great first step toward securing your child’s device so they can use it safely.

Device Parental Controls
Android Devices: The Android operating system allows you to set up multiple user accounts on a smartphone. You can create a child’s profile within the smartphone to limit the content and apps your child has access to. To turn on this feature, go to Settings > System > Multiple Users > and turn on the “Multiple Users” option. To switch to a child’s profile, swipe down from the top of your phone and click the blue “User” icon.

​Apple Devices: Apple has built-in parental controls for any iPhone or iPad running iOS 12 and higher. To monitor each child’s device, add your child to your family group in the device Settings > Screen Time. It will link to your child’s iCloud account, or you will need to create one for their device. Then, you can limit the apps, limit online access, set screentime limits your child has in their own iCloud account.

Parental Control Apps
Google Family Link app: Google has a free app parents can download to help manage Android devices. This app requires you to link your child’s Google account or create one. From your phone, you can put restrictions in place on your child’s account, like which apps may be installed, set screentime limits, set a device bedtime, remotely lockdown the device when it is not time to be on it, etc.

YouTube Kids Monitoring within the Google Family Link app: You can change settings on YouTube Kids (which is a separate app from YouTube with limited functionality) from within the Google Family Link app. YouTube Kids has content levels for three different age groups: Preschoolers, Younger Kids (age 8 and under), and Older Kids (ages 8-12).  

Microsoft Family Safety app: Microsoft offers a free version of this app which allows you to apply screen time limits to devices, apps, and games, provides activity summaries, limit apps and games the device can download, limit web and search filters, and provides location sharing, among other features. This app allows you to set the limits across many different devices, including Window-based computers, Android phones, and Xboxes. There is also a paid version of the app, which offers more extensive features and capabilities.   

While free parental control options may be all you need, stay tuned for next week’s post about paid parental control apps and subscriptions! 

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