Here’s our step-by-step guide to help you set up the right privacy controls and settings on the networks, gadgets, apps, and sites they use to give them a safer online experience.
What are parental controls?
Parental Controls are the names of a group of settings that allow you to control what content your child can see. Combined with privacy settings, they can help protect your kids from things they shouldn’t see or experience online.
How to set up parental control on phone
First of all, it is advisable to create an account for the child, in this way it will be easier to check what he does even when it is not possible to be near him; moreover, restricted access does not imply a limitation to one’s navigation. This option is not present in all Android terminals, but only on some, including the most advanced smartphones such as Google Pixel and Nexus.
To activate a new account you need to enter the phone settings, tap your profile picture, select the Add guest item and choose the Restart option. By repeating this operation it is possible to cancel the guest mode, also deleting all the data relating to the profile.
Once the functionality is configured, it is necessary to set the parental control on compatible apps, such as the Google Play Store and the Google Chrome browser.
On the Google Play Store, to enter the parental control just open the application, access the settings menu, select the Parental control item and activate it by creating a security PIN. Then you can choose what content to filter in apps, games, movies, music and even TV shows.
To set parental control on Google Chrome, however, you need to enable the SafeSearch function by entering the app and tapping the Enable SafeSearch option.
How to set up parental controls on Nintendo Switch
On the Nintendo Switch the steps are very simple to do and very clearly explained.
You will need to download the free smartphone application available both in the App Store of iOS devices and on Google Play. Once logged in with the same Nintendo access data, just follow all the steps on the page dedicated to the Family Filter.
You will also need to enter a four-digit security code which will be required to temporarily unlock content or access adult accounts. The app will receive notifications on exceeding the time of use, as well as monthly reports and the downloaded and most used software.
How to set up parental controls on PlayStation 4
On PlayStation 4 the parental control mechanics are slightly different.
The first point is to configure the various family accounts. You will need to create a main account as an adult and then create the PlayStation 4 family by combining the underage accounts. All accounts can be set up with parental control, but only the master account will have control over any changes to this system.
Everything is manageable through the console settings (toolbox icon), then go to the “Content Filter / Family Management” section and follow the steps found on the official PlayStation parental control page. Once this is done, it will be necessary to set the time limits divided by time and the content limits by age for the various minor accounts.
Also, in this case you can follow the directives present in the console menu. The last important step is to prevent underage users from creating guest accounts that can bypass the created restrictions.
PlayStation also offers a free dedicated smartphone app (available on both Android and iOS ) that allows you to manage and change these settings without having to access the console again and maybe even away from home, as long as you have the console connected to internet.
How to set up parental controls on Xbox One and PC
For the address book, perhaps not everyone knows that, first of all I discovered relatively recently the possibility of setting usage limits and parental controls not only on Xbox One, but also on PC. Also, this time everything can be easily set from the Microsoft account management panel.
Just go to the PC on the Microsoft family section site, log in or create an adult account and create or invite the one your child connects to the family, labelling it as a child account.
By following the various procedures very well explained on the site, it is finally possible to set the hours of play spent in front of the screen or even choose at what times to give opportunities to play.
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