How to Use Parental Controls to Keep Your Children Safer Online

Talking with your children about your family’s rules and expectations is key to helping them establish good online habits. Some parents use parental controls to reinforce those good habits and create safer online spaces for their children to learn and play.

While specific settings and functions vary based on the parental controls you use, most help you do things like:

• Manage how much time your child spends online
• Restrict the type of content your child can access
• Get information about your child’s website and app activity
• Limit who your child can communicate with
• Restrict purchases

There are many free parental control tools and apps available. Choosing one to fit your needs depends on what devices your child uses and the boundaries you’ve decided to set for your family.
 

Here are some options to consider.

• For an Apple iPhone or iPad, you can set up parental controls with Apple’s Family Sharing.
• If your child has a Chromebook laptop or Android phone, or tablet, you can set up parental controls with Google’s Family Link. Family Link also lets you customize parental controls on YouTube.
• If your child uses a Windows computer or laptop or an Xbox, you can set up parental controls with Microsoft Family Safety.

To work best, parental controls need to be set up on all the devices your child uses. It can seem overwhelming, but one of the above tools might give you the options you’re looking for. You can always add other tools or settings later.

As your child grows and matures, you may want to adjust parental controls accordingly. But there’s really no substitute for talking with them about your family’s rules and expectations.

Source: FTC.gov