Kids have spent a lot of time on their devices this year, and with Christmas around the corner and tech gifts high on their lists, they may be spending even more time online.
As a parent it’s important that you know what your child is up to online, and how to restrict access to sites or apps they shouldn’t be on yet.
But as our friends at Perimeter Guardian say, each device your child uses (phone, tablet, laptop, PC or gaming console etc) needs to be set up with the right Parental Controls for your own personal and family circumstances. Unfortunately Parental Controls are not always easy to find or self-explanatory.
Perimeter Guardian have put together a list of options where you can make changes to your child’s devices quickly and easily.
Be sure also to check out their advice on how to keep tech gifts safe here! To find more helpful parenting tips and ways to stay safe using technology, head to the Perimeter Guardian website.
iPAD or iPHONE:
▶ Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
▶ Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. If asked, enter your passcode.
▶ Under Allow Changes, select the features or settings you want to allow changes to and choose Allow or Don’t Allow.
▶ Here, you will also be able to change the restrictions of any family members who are part of your Family Sharing network.
SAMSUNG PHONE:
▶ Open Settings, and then tap Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls.
▶ Tap Parental Controls, and then tap Get Started.
▶ Select Child or Teen, or Parent, depending on the device’s user. In this case, tap Parent.
▶ Next, tap Get Family Link and install Google Family Link for Parents.
▶ Tap Open, review the information, and then tap Get Started.
▶ Tap Parent, and then tap NEXT to link to your child’s device.
▶ Tap I’m Ready, and then tap YES to select your child’s account. Tap NEXT to set up your child’s device.
▶ Using your child’s device, download Google Family Link for children & teens, and then enter the provided Family Link setup code
▶ From there, use the on-screen instructions on both phones to finish connecting the two devices.
▶ Once it’s all set up, you can use the Family Link app to keep an eye on everything. Tap Need Help? in the bottom right for additional instructions on how to use the supervision features on Android or ChromeOS devices.
CHROMEBOOK:
▶ First, create a Google Family Link account (download the Family Link app)
▶ When you use Family Link to manage your child’s Google account, you can let them sign in to some Google services on their Chromebook. You can also use the Family Link app to choose what websites your child can access using Chrome, supervise your child’s app usage, and more.
▶ On the bottom, click Add Person.
▶ Enter the Google Account email address and password, then click Next.
▶ Follow the steps that appear.
▶ Use the Family Link app to manage your child’s screen time, what websites they can access and more.
APPLE MAC COMPUTER:
▶ Click the Apple () symbol in the top left corner of your Mac’s screen and select System Preferences.
▶ Select the Parental Controls preferences pane.
▶ Click the lock in the lower left corner of the window.
▶ Enter your admin password if prompted and click Unlock.
▶ Select the user account that you want to set restrictions for from the column on the left.
▶ Following the above steps brings you to several restriction options that you can manage by clicking the associated tab.
PC USING WINDOWS 10:
▶ First, set up an account with Microsoft and set up a family group. You can do this at www.microsoft.com
▶ From your PC, select Start and choose Settings to launch the Windows Settings app.
▶ Select Accounts.
▶ In the left pane, select Family & Other Users.
▶ Select Add a Family Member if your child does not have a separate account on your device. This step launches a Microsoft Account Wizard.
▶ Select Add a Child then either enter your child’s email address or select The Person I Want To Add Doesn’t Have An Email Address.
PLAYSTATION:
▶ First, set yourself up as a user on the PS4 system or on the internet (www.playstation. com) and create an account as the Family Manager.
▶ Then access the parental controls via your PS4 console’s settings menu, from the web on PC or smartphone or via the PlayStation App.
▶ Sign-in with your account for PSN, go to the Family Management Dashboard and you can review what children in your family have permission to access and adjust your settings on-the-go.
XBOX:
▶ First, set up an account with X-box live at login.live.com or download the app Xbox Family Settings (Preview) and set up your account, adding children as required.
▶ Follow the prompts to restrict screen time, movie ratings, friend management and privacy tools
NINTENDO SWITCH:
▶ Select System Settings on the HOME Menu.
▶ Scroll down to highlight Parental Controls then select Parental Controls Settings.
▶ You can also download the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app.
HOME WIFI:
Search for your internet provider on the internet. You should be able to find Parental Controls or Settings or Restricted Content on the home page.
If not, call your internet provider directly and ask them to help set you up.
If you do not know who your internet provider is, click on the icon (usually on the top of your computer) and the checked name will appear (eg Telstra, iiNet, MyRepublic, Aussie Broadband, Dodo etc). This is your provider.
Related Links