Children are using devices at a younger age, so it’s important to consider setting controls on the devices they use. We’ve pulled together a number of guides to give you simple steps to set controls on a range of smartphones, mobile devices and more to manage everything from location tracking to social media use and parental controls.
Click on the guides for step-by-step instructions to set controls on popular devices.
Search here for parental controls guides for broadband, mobile, smartphones, social media, search engines and more, e.g Snapchat, Google, EE, Sky.
Pre-installed parental controls are available for most smartphones, tablets, laptops and game consoles, and are part of the system when you buy them. You can often download additional parental control apps and software to supplement these controls. But the most important thing is to set the controls on the device itself.
Device controls can cover a variety of functions, however, usually, they restrict access to specific features and functions that exist on the device. You might also be able to control whether your child can download new apps, or prevent them from purchasing something in the app store.
In general, device controls won’t filter out specific types of content through the internet. You’ll also need to set these controls separately on any entertainment site or apps they use (such as YouTube, Chrome or Netflix) and on the network, they are connected to.
See more resources and articles to help children stay safe online.