*Collaborative post
Statista reports that Android, with a commanding 72% market share, outshines other smartphone operating systems worldwide, including iOS’s 27% share and the remaining 1% for lesser-known systems. Android appeals to various demographics, with parents often purchasing Android devices for their children’s safe usage. The desire to create a kid-friendly device is quite understandable and we will help you with this. Here is the necessary set up device to make it more suitable and safe for children of different ages.
#1 Prepare an Account for Your Child
Making a significant decision involves two options: (a) setting up a child on a device using your account or (b) creating a separate account for them.
Google accounts, like Facebook accounts, typically require the user to be at least 13 years old. If registering an account for a child, they must meet this age requirement, or you can make a minor adjustment regarding their age. Keep in mind that even a 13-year-old with a Google account has unrestricted access to services such as YouTube. Fortunately, Google’s Family Link service allows you to create a supervised Google account for younger users.
Many individuals might choose option (b) of creating a new Google account to initiate the child’s online independence. This is our recommended option, particularly because Google provides tools to manage child accounts. To get started, simply set up the account in a web browser and establish a family group on families.google.com to connect everyone.
#2 Use Google Family Link
Google offers Family Link, a parental control app, as part of its Android operating system. This convenient tool is free to use and easy to set up. You can create a Google child account for your kid and link it to your own Google account to grant supervision rights. With Family Link, you gain access to various essential parental control features, including:
- You can set screen time limits for your child’s smartphone, restricting daily usage hours. Once the assigned time is up, the device automatically locks.
- You have control over the apps your child can download on their device. No app can be downloaded without explicit consent from your device.
- You can filter the web content your child can access, blocking specific URLs to prevent them from accessing harmful sites.
- Family Link allows you to remotely lock your child’s device whenever necessary.
- You can track your child’s location and ensure they always remain within a certain vicinity.
#3 Use a VPN
It is better to set up a VPN and activate it by default on your child’s device. This way, he will be more secure on the Internet, since a VPN protects against several threats, including cyberstalking, phishing, data interception, etc. You can also check out the advantages of using a decentralized VPN, which are even more impressive. With a VPN or dVPN, a child will be able to pay safely with a card and will not become a victim of hackers. Although this tool is not all-powerful, it greatly improves device security and works in the background.
#4 Set Up a Screen Lock
Together with your child, discover the most effective method for them to secure their phone’s screen and quickly access it when necessary. This can include using a PIN, pattern, or password.
Choosing to unlock the phone with a swipe only can help your child reach the home screen faster and prevent accidental calls or texts while the phone is in their pocket. However, it will not provide sufficient protection against someone intentionally trying to access their phone, especially if it is done without your child’s knowledge.
#5 Disable Downloads From Unknown Sources
Android phones provide their owners with extensive control over their devices, making them unique. Consequently, the Google Play Store is not the sole platform for kids to download apps. If they possess technical prowess, they can directly sideload apps by downloading and installing the APKs. However, you can counteract this by disabling downloads from Unknown Sources in your child’s phone settings.
Please note that if your kids are adept in technology, they can discern your actions and re-enable the downloads. Therefore, it is crucial to continuously monitor their devices and ensure that downloads from Unknown Sources remain disabled.
#6 Turn On Play Store Parental Controls
The Google Play Store serves as the gateway to the web for every Android device. It allows users to discover and download various types of applications, which necessitates the implementation of parental controls for children.
The Play Store offers built-in parental controls that enable users to prevent kids from downloading apps containing explicit and inappropriate content by utilizing the safe search filter. Additionally, users have the option to block specific categories of apps such as gambling and instant messaging.
By configuring content and app filters on the Play Store, parents can restrict their children from downloading apps that do not align with these settings. It is important to note that these restrictions must be configured individually for each Android device used by the child.
Conclusion
The listed control tools on Android and iPhone help protect your child from dangerous things on the Internet. They also improve protection and help you know what your child is doing now. You will also be able to control costs, prevent older people from installing apps, and generally create an ideal environment for your child. He’ll be able to stay in touch, but you won’t have to deal with the potential risks.