How to Enable Parental Control and Guarantee Child Safety When Accessing the Web

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With the lockdown still in full effect, most kids are turning to devices for entertainment and education. For many parents, this could be a problem as giving a child access to devices has its pros and cons.

Children are using gadgets to study during this lockdown

With exposure to the unkind life of the internet, children can easily be exposed to toxic and inappropriate web content, connect with strangers, experience cyberbullying among other dangers. However, there is a host of options on these devices that can help you control what your kid has access to.

Here, I will be taking you through some of the key settings that will help you keep your child safe on different devices.

Note: Apart from the built-in options in the devices there are third party options like Norton that can give you more comprehensive parental control over your child’s device.

Andriod Smartphones and Tablets

Before you give your kid an Andriod device, you can limit the apps that s/he can access. Using the built-in feature on the device, you can lock the kid to a single app. First, go to “Setting” on the device, tap “Security”, then “Advanced”.

Then tap on “Screen pinning” to turn the feature on. Go to the drop-down of the list of recent apps and select the app icon you want the kid to use. The device will keep the focus on that particular app until the pin code is entered.

You can also access a more comprehensive parental control service using a Google account. There’s a Family Link app that you can install on the device that allows you to configure the apps that can be installed on the device and the times the device can be used.

iPhones and iPads

How to Enable Parental Control and Child Safety When Accessing the Web

On iPhones, the easiest way to restrict access for kids is through Guided Access. On Guided access, you can set up a passcode and limited time of access if needed. To activate it go to “Setting”s on the device, select “Accessibility”, then “Guided Access”. You can now turn it on.

You can then set up a passcode and a time limit. When you open the app you want the kid to access, you can triple-click the side button to launch the guided access. This will restrict access of the child to the app.

Windows Laptops

For Windows laptops, the best way is to set up a Microsoft account for all the family, then use the access to set up limits on the children’s devices. The accounts you created must be linked in your Microsoft Family group so that you can keep tabs on what the kids have access to.

To activate this feature, search for Microsoft Family portal online, select “Create a family group”, then follow the prompted instructions. After going to Windows, open “Settings” and select “Accounts”, “Family” & “Other Users”. Then you can add a family member to connect the account.

Activation of the Microsoft family puts restrictions on the sort of content that can be downloaded and apps that can be used on windows. it also checks how long, and which in-app purchases that can be made.

Mac Laptops

Screen time and family Sharing features can also be engaged when it comes to Mac. By selecting “Screen Time” from “System Preference” on Mac, you can either configure the screen time that is protected by a pin or link the computer to an Apple ID in your family group so that you can monitor it.

With these set in place, your child will be confined to the safe apps you have selected. However, if you chose to add it to an Apple ID in your family group, you can set-up family sharing which lets you manage the settings from your own Apple device.

So there you have it, some of the parental control features you can activate on your children’s devices to protect them from dangerous contents and experiences.


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