As a fellow parent in 2023, you don‘t need me to tell you how vital yet scary it feels to put an internet-connected supercomputer in your child‘s pocket.
But with some reasonable safeguards in place, you truly can let your kids access all the social, educational, and creative potential of technology…without losing a wink of sleep.
In this exhaustive guide, I‘ll equip you with everything you need to know to set up child safety on an Android phone.
Why Your Kid‘s Safety Matters
Before we get technical, let‘s briefly get on the same page about threats lurking on phones:
Inappropriate Content – 1 in 3 kids are exposed to sexually explicit websites, often through ads or by accident. Explicit content fuels early sexualization, impacts emotional development, and shapes worldviews.
Online Predators – 1 in 7 minors encounter unwanted sexual solication online. Meanwhile, 1 in 25 youth receive an online sexual solicitation where the solicitor tried to make offline contact.
Excessive Use – Teens who spend 7+ hours per day on screens are >65% more likely to have been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, or other health issues.
As a cybersecurity professional and parent myself, I advise every client to take reasonable precautions to protect their children online.
The good news is Google makes this achievable for Android users through an app called Family Link. It puts expansive parental controls at your fingertips, as I‘ll demonstrate below.
Of course, no app replaces open conversations around online safety and healthy tech habits. But used wisely, Family Link can empower kids to safely access to all the enrichment phones provide.
Shall we dive in?
Step 1: Create a Supervised Account
Our journey begins by creating a Google account just for your child that you can monitor:
When setting up an Android phone, you‘ll be prompted to add a Google account. If configuring an existing phone, head to Settings > Accounts > Add Account.
Select "Create account" then "For my child" to enable parental supervision.
Enter your kid‘s name, birthday, and other basic info. Sign in with your own account to authorize creation of your child‘s account.
Pro Tip: If adding multiple kids, create distinctive account names like johnny_smith or katie_smith to avoid confusion.
Once created, Google will instruct you to download two companion apps:
- Family Link – Install on parent‘s device to manage controls
- Family Link for Children – Install on child‘s device
These two free apps from Google power all the capabilities I‘ll explore next…
Step 2: Dial In Family Link Restrictions
With your child‘s supervised account created, open Family Link on your device to customize restrictions to your comfort level:
Limit Downloads Based on Age Ratings
Tap your kid‘s profile > Manage Settings > Google Play > Apps & Games. Choose an age rating between 3+ and 18+ to control app store downloads.
You can also toggle "Require approval" for purchases and in-app purchases.
Manage YouTube Access
From the Google Play section, tap YouTube. Here you can:
- Disable YouTube entirely
- Restrict to just YouTube Kids (tighter filters)
- Allow main YouTube app with age restriction
You can also pause watch history and search history tracking for more privacy.
Filter Web Content
To block inappropriate websites, tap your child‘s profile > Manage Settings > Google Chrome > Try to block explicit sites. Enable as desired.
For total lockdown, switch to "Only allow approved sites" and whitelist sites you deem appropriate.
Control Individual Apps
For installed apps, tap your child‘s profile > App Activity > Manage next to each app. Fully block access, set time limits, or exclude usage from counting toward the overall time limits.
Pro Tip: Be sure to lock down any apps that provide unfiltered web access like social media apps!
Step 3: Define Daily Screen Time Limits
To prevent distraction or late night use, set daily time limits:
Tap your child‘s profile > Edit Limits to define time ranges and caps for each weekday. Once limits are hit, further phone use is blocked.
Enable a Bedtime lockout for school nights too. And you can grant time extensions whenever you deem appropriate!
Compare YouTube Approaches
| YouTube Kids | Main YouTube App | |
| Content Filters | Strong, child-focused | More content, but can enable restrictions |
| Ads | Limited | Yes |
| Education Content | Limited | Extensive |
Impact of Excessive Daily Screen Time
| Screen Time | Potential Impact |
| > 2 hr/day | Increased BMI and weight gain |
| > 5 hr/day | 60% increased depression risk |
| > 7 hr/day | >65% higher anxiety, depression & suicidal risk |
Step 4: Keep Tabs on Activity
Even with restrictions activated, monitoring usage has value:
App Usage: Check your kid‘s profile > App Activity to see recent apps and total duration.
New App Alerts: See newly downloaded apps under "App Installs".
Location Tracking: View real-time location under Location when needed.
As children demonstrate responsibility, you can reassess restrictions. But the visibility Family Link provides is invaluable for peace of mind.
Lock Down These 5 High-Risk Apps
Beyond filtering content and purchases, be sure to lock down these notoriously risky apps:
1. Snapchat – The disappearing message concept makes monitoring conversations impossible. Explicit content and bullying run rampant.
2. Instagram – Despite having a kid-focused spinoff called Instagram Kids, predators still infiltrate the main app.
3. Facebook – Despite their age policy, 45% of kids under 13 use Facebook, often exposed to age-inappropriate content.
4. WhatsApp – WhatsApp lacks adequate predator detection and reporting capabilities compared to other messengers.
5. BIGO LIVE – This live streaming app is a hub for sexual material and solicitation with limited safety measures.
I advise fully locking these down until your child develops discipline and judgment to responsibly handle such apps. Social acceptance can wait – safety first!
Additional Child Safety Best Practices
To round out protection:
- Pin your contact info or set up emergency contacts on the lock screen
- Discuss online safety guidelines and model healthy habits
- Start strict with rules, then loosen as kids prove trustworthy
- Utilize screen time management apps like Google‘s Digital Wellbeing for added visibility
As the saying goes, "It takes a village to raise a child." Rely on other positive influences like family, school counselors, pediatricians, and parenting communities to reinforce safe technology use.
And have empathy – growing up is hard enough without parents vilifying the technology we hand them!
Welcome to Managing Tech as a Parent!
No doubt the smartphone era compounds parenting challenges exponentially. It‘s natural to feel intimidated or overwhelmed at times.
But take comfort from a fellow parent and security professional – with reasonable safeguards like the ones outlined here, you can absolutely empower your kiddos to safely realize the social, creative, and educational wonders that technology makes possible!
The key is open communication, leading by example, and not being afraid to set limits around devices. As kids earn trust, you can gradually relax restrictions and teach responsible use.
Still have questions? Don‘t hesitate to reach out below with additional thoughts or scenarios from your parenting journey! Tech moves fast, but together we can ensure kids remain kids.
