{"id":116113,"date":"2019-01-08T21:44:13","date_gmt":"2019-01-08T21:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=116113"},"modified":"2025-07-01T22:32:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T05:32:08","slug":"how-to-set-up-parental-controls-on-iphone-and-android","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/how-to-set-up-parental-controls-on-iphone-and-android\/","title":{"rendered":"How to set up parental controls on iPhone and Android"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-117190\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/12\/children-kids-phone-700.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/12\/children-kids-phone-700.jpg 700w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/12\/children-kids-phone-700-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Parental controls are important to set up when you want to give your child access to a mobile device. Not only can it prevent your child from doing something harmful or inappropriate, but it can also keep them from doing basic mistakes like deleting important apps. These parental controls can also free you up because you won&#8217;t have to worry about what they can access and when. Here\u2019s an easy way to set these controls for Androids and iPhones.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>How to set up parental controls on iOS and Android<\/h2>\n<h3><b>Android instructions<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Restricting a child\u2019s Google Play access can be easy on Android devices. There are two ways to access parental controls on Google Play devices, depending on how you have set up your child\u2019s device. The first way is if your child\u2019s Google Play account is already linked to yours under Family Link. This makes things easy, as all you need to do is access your Family Link app on your device, click on your child\u2019s Google Play account, then <strong>\u201cManage Settings\u201d<\/strong> and <strong>\u201cControls on Google Play.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0This will give you access to your child\u2019s settings so you can restrict their account however you want. You actually don\u2019t even need to do this on app, since you can access <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/families.google.com\/families\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Family Link<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on a browser.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-starred-link\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-starred-link__img\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2017\/09\/Instagram-1-192.jpg\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-title\">\r\n        <p class=\"sc-card-starred-link__title\">Instagram guide for parents<\/p>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__button\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/instagram-guide-for-parents\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">Read Now \u25ba<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__link\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/instagram-guide-for-parents\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you don\u2019t have your child\u2019s account linked to yours through Family Link, then you\u2019ll have to go on their device itself, rather than being able to set it up on your phone or a browser. Once you\u2019re on their device, you can go to <strong>\u201cSettings\u201d<\/strong> under the Google Play app and press <strong>\u201cParental Controls.\u201d<\/strong> Once you switch them to <\/span><b>on<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> you\u2019ll be prompted to create a PIN. This PIN will be how you access and manage the controls, so pick something that isn\u2019t easy for your child to guess. Once it\u2019s created, you can pick and choose the settings you\u2019d like to set for the device.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-116163\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/12\/android-parental-controls.jpg\" alt=\"Android parental controls\" width=\"350\" height=\"719\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/12\/android-parental-controls.jpg 467w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/12\/android-parental-controls-146x300.jpg 146w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you wish to restrict access to features outside of Google Play on an Android, then you will find each Android has different ways to go about this, depending on which model you are using. As such, it may be easier to use a third-party app for setting up your parental controls. There are many apps out there to use, but we recommend <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mobilefence.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mobile Fence<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. This app provides makes management of your child\u2019s phone incredibly easy.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-starred-link\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-starred-link__img\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2016\/03\/xr5813_youtube-live-streaming-now-available-for-small-events@2x.jpg\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-title\">\r\n        <p class=\"sc-card-starred-link__title\">How to set up parental controls for YouTube<\/p>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__button\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/how-to-set-up-parental-controls-for-youtube\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">Read now \u25ba<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__link\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/how-to-set-up-parental-controls-for-youtube\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<h3><b>iPhone instructions<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apple has recently updated their terminology and process for setting up parental controls, so there are also two ways in which you may have to go about setting these parental controls.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For iOS 12 and newer, under <strong>Settings<\/strong>\u00a0there is a button titled <strong>\u201cScreen Time.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-116160\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/12\/iphone-screen-time.jpg\" alt=\"Parental Controls iphone\" width=\"350\" height=\"623\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/12\/iphone-screen-time.jpg 750w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/12\/iphone-screen-time-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/12\/iphone-screen-time-576x1024.jpg 576w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is essentially the parental controls for Apple devices now. You\u2019ll want to turn on Screen Time to monitor all activity on the phone and create any restrictions you want. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-116161\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/12\/screen-time-on.jpg\" alt=\"iPhone parental controls\" width=\"350\" height=\"623\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/12\/screen-time-on.jpg 750w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/12\/screen-time-on-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/12\/screen-time-on-576x1024.jpg 576w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Notable things you\u2019ll want to check out in the Screen Time menu are: <strong>\u201cDowntime,\u201d<\/strong> which lets you turn off the phone at specific times; <strong>\u201cContent &amp; Privacy restrictions,\u201d<\/strong> which let you block any specific activity or app from your child\u2019s access; and<strong> \u201cSet Up Screen Time for Family,\u201d<\/strong> which will let you access your child\u2019s Screen Time from your personal iOS device.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-116162\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/12\/screen-time.jpg\" alt=\"iPhone parental controls\" width=\"350\" height=\"623\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/12\/screen-time.jpg 750w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/12\/screen-time-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/12\/screen-time-576x1024.jpg 576w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Any iOS before 12 will have parental controls in the settings tab under <strong>\u201cGeneral\u201d &gt; \u201cRestrictions.\u201d<\/strong> Enabling restrictions will prompt you to create a passcode that you can use to disable those restrictions if you ever feel the time is right.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>With these simple steps, you&#8217;ll protect your children and provide yourself a little peace of mind, knowing your little ones aren&#8217;t accessing the <a href=\"http:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/a-beginners-guide-to-the-dark-web\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">dark web<\/a> and setting up an illegal Bitcoin gambling ring or whatever.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-starred-link\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-starred-link__img\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2017\/10\/netflix-192.jpg\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-title\">\r\n        <p class=\"sc-card-starred-link__title\">How to set up parental controls for Netflix<\/p>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__button\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/how-to-set-up-parental-controls-for-netflix\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">Read Now \u25ba<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__link\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/how-to-set-up-parental-controls-for-netflix\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<!-- Shortcode [playwire] does not match the conditions -->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Keep your kids safe with these simple steps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9154,"featured_media":117191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":1},"categories":[2441],"tags":[1082,1066,1049,1405,1509,1510],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-116113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","tag-android","tag-apple","tag-google-play-store","tag-iphone","tag-mobile","tag-parenting"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9154"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116113"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":326780,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116113\/revisions\/326780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116113"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=116113"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=116113"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=116113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}