Kids might sometimes do something that they should not. However, fortunately, there are countless tools that give parents peace of mind when handing children a smartphone.
All Android devices come with parental controls or other kinds of content filtering. From Android 5.0 version, Google gives users better controls and especially a guest mode for kids. So, it’s undoubtedly essential for parents to set restrictions on an Android device. We’ll get started with the content filtering, then continue with setting a password. It offers the best experience that’s both safe and secure.
Parental Controls and Content Filtering
All you need is following the steps below in order to filter content. To do so:
- Launch the Google Play Store app from home screen or app drawer
- Tap on the 3 lines button at the top left corner of the screen
- Tap on Settings
- Scroll down to and choose Parental Controls
- From there, you will be able to control everything from when apps update, enable passwords for purchases, and content filtering.
Now, simply toggle the switch next to Parental Controls to. You’ll need to add a pin, confirm it, and then configure parental controls manually for several categories.
Although this not the most advanced tool and cannot stop everything from slipping through the cracks, it’s the first step that you should take. By default, everything will be shown, but you can slide the bar to change the options. But you should note that anything already on the Android device will still be there and you need to manually do that later. You should also note that if something is inappropriate, you can flag it for review.
Also read: How to enable night mode on Android
Add Passwords for Purchases
The second thing parents should do is to add a password to the Google Play Store to get rid of the unauthorized purchases. This will stop your kids from purchasing hundreds of apps without your control or prevent them from downloading apps that you don’t like getting their eyes on. To do so
- Launch Google Play Store app on the device
- From there, tap on three-dot buttons at the top right corner or the dedicated menu button.
- Once you tap on it, you will see the “Settings” option of the Play Store app. Simply tap on it and check the check the Password box from the menu
- Now, enter the password, which is your regular password for signing in the Gmail account used on the device.
Moreover, you can also require authentication for every purchase. We recommend you to enable this feature to ask a password when making every purchase. With once every 30 minutes option, your kid will spend a lot in 30 minutes once you enter the password once.
There are thousands of great apps, games for kids on the Play Store. Google even provides a YouTube Kids app for children. So, you should only make sure your beloved kids don’t see the contents they shouldn’t, purchase anything, and are protected. Thankfully, all are fairly easy to setup and customize.