First a conversation, then settings
The most common mistake: secretly switch on every restriction and consider the matter closed. The child quickly finds workarounds and, more importantly, stops trusting you. So first sit down and agree.
Discuss four things with your child:
- Why rules are needed. Not "because I said so" but "so that nothing bad happens to you and there is enough time for sleep and homework".
- What you will see. If you are going to see their location or app time, say so directly.
- What is allowed and what is not. When the phone is put away (at night, at dinner, in lessons), which apps are allowed.
- What to do if something is scary. This is the most important rule: "If someone writes something strange or threatening, you can show me straight away, and I will not shout or take the phone away."
Settings cover only part of the problems. Trust covers the rest.
What settings can and cannot do
Parental controls help limit time, choose apps, filter websites and control purchases. But they have limits:
- filters will not catch everything: some unsuitable content will still slip through;
- the child can use someone else’s phone or tablet without restrictions;
- restrictions in one app do not apply in another, and Google’s settings, for example, cannot restrict third-party programs;
- older children almost always find a workaround if the restrictions feel unfair.
So rely on a combination: settings, conversation and your attention.
Step 1. Create a child account rather than "use yours"
If you give a child a phone with your Apple ID or Google account, they get access to your email, photos, payments and chats. It is better to create a separate child account.
On iPhone this is done through Family Sharing: Settings → your name → Family Sharing → Add member → Create child account. If the child account is in the family group, you manage Screen Time from your own iPhone, iPad or Mac.
On Android use the Google Family Link app. Google does not let children under 13 (or another age set in your country) sign up, so parents create a supervised account for them through Family Link. Install the app on your phone, create the child account and connect the child’s phone.
If the child is older and already has their own account, it can also be added to the family group or supervision. But then you need to explain why.
Step 2. Set up iPhone: Screen Time
This is Apple’s built-in parental control. Open Settings → Screen Time → choose the child (from your phone) and turn on what you need.
- Downtime. During this time apps and notifications are blocked and only calls and the apps you allowed are available. Set it for the night and lesson times.
- App Limits. A daily limit on categories: games, social networks, video. When time runs out the child can ask for more, and you decide.
- Communication Limits. You can choose who the child communicates with by phone, FaceTime, Messages and other supported apps. For younger children this is a good way to keep strangers out.
- Communication Safety. This feature helps protect the child from receiving and sending sensitive photos and videos. For children under 13 it is on by default, and the web filter blocks adult content.
- Content & Privacy Restrictions. Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions: age limits for websites, music, films and apps. Here you can also prevent changes to privacy settings such as Share My Location.
- Purchases. In iTunes & App Store purchases, forbid app installs and in-app purchases or allow them only with a parent’s approval.
- Screen Time passcode. This is not the code that unlocks the phone. Choose your own that the child does not know, and do not use a birth date.
Item names depend on the iOS version. If you do not find the one you need, look in a nearby section.
Step 3. Set up Android: Family Link
Open the Family Link app on your phone and choose the child. Through it you can manage screen time and app limits, approve downloads and purchases, restrict content and see the location of the supervised device.
What to set up:
- Time and Downtime. A schedule when the phone is available only for calls and allowed apps.
- Content restrictions. Age limits for apps and games in Google Play, filters in Chrome and Search, restrictions for YouTube.
- App approval. Turn it on so new apps install only after your permission.
- App list. Carefully review the apps on the supervised device and turn off those the child does not need.
Important: Family Link cannot restrict content inside products that do not belong to Google. So third-party messengers, games and social networks must be set up separately, in their own settings, or not installed at all.
If the child has an iPhone, Family Link can be installed too, but it can do less than on Android. For iPhone it is better to use Screen Time.
Step 4. Purchases and paid subscriptions
In-game purchases are a frequent cause of unexpected bills.
- Forbid purchases without your confirmation (Ask to Buy on iPhone, purchase approval in Family Link on Android).
- Do not link a bank card to the child account. If payment is needed, use gift cards or approve purchases manually.
- Review subscriptions and payments once a month. On iPhone: Settings → your name → Subscriptions. On Android: Google Play → profile → Payments & subscriptions.
- Explain to the child that "free" games often make money on in-app purchases, and agree that nothing is bought without your word.
Step 5. Content, search and video
- Turn on safe search and content restrictions appropriate to the child’s age.
- For YouTube choose a mode suited to the age: Google has special modes for children and teenagers. Review the levels available in the app.
- Turn off autoplay if the child gets stuck on an endless feed.
- Agree that unknown links and "gifts" in messages are not opened.
Step 6. Location: only openly
Knowing where your child is gives peace of mind, especially when they walk home alone from school or practice. But it must be done openly.
- On iPhone use Find My and location sharing in Family Sharing. The child’s location is shown in Find My on your iPhone.
- On Android Family Link shows the location. It is available only when the device is online and location is allowed. If the phone is off or offline, you will see nothing.
- Tell the child you can see their location and explain why: so you know they got there and can help if they get lost.
- Agree separately with teenagers: secret tracking destroys trust far more than it helps safety.
Step 7. Privacy in games and social networks
A phone is only as safe as the apps on it.
- A private profile. If the child uses Instagram, TikTok or another social network (check the minimum age in that service’s terms), make the profile private and review who follows it.
- Strangers. Explain a simple rule: a person from the internet remains a stranger even after a month of "friendship". Never give an address, school, phone number or photos from home.
- Game chats. Many games have a public chat and private messages from strangers. Turn them off or limit them to friends.
- Geotags. Turn off location in photos and social networks.
- Username and avatar. No full name, school, class or year of birth.
Step 8. Protect your own account
Parental controls work only while your account is safe. If a parent’s account is hacked, the whole Family Link setup is hacked too. The same goes for an Apple ID.
- Create a long unique password for your account.
- Turn on two-factor authentication.
- Do not tell the Screen Time passcode or your password to the child or their friends.
- Check the list of connected devices every few months.
Step 9. Home, night and phones at the table
Not every restriction needs an app.
- Night. Leave the phone charging outside the bedroom. It is the most effective rule for sleep and school and works better than any limit.
- Home Wi-Fi. Many routers support schedules and filters for individual devices. This adds protection to the phone settings but does not replace them.
- A no-phone rule. For example at dinner and before bed, for the whole family. If parents never put their own phones down, the child will find the rule hard to keep.
How the approach changes with age
There are no universal recipes, but the general logic is:
- Primary school. Firm limits: a restricted list of apps, approval for every install, filters, communication only with known contacts.
- Middle school. More independence: time limits instead of bans, discussing social networks, agreements on privacy.
- Teenagers. Less control and more trust: transparent location by agreement, conversations about risks, the right to personal space.
Review the settings together with your child every six months: what can be relaxed and what should stay.
If your child is bullied, frightened or blackmailed
- Stay calm. If the child told you, they were scared. Support them and do not scold.
- Save the evidence: screenshots of the chat, profiles and links. Do not delete anything until it is saved.
- Block the person and report them in the app itself.
- Do not pay a blackmailer and do not continue the conversation.
- If safety is threatened, call 112. It is the single emergency number in Georgia.
- For advice on child safety there is a children’s helpline: the line 116 111 is run in Georgia. Check its hours and that the number is current before calling.
I wrote more about blackmail and fraud in the article on online safety.
Common mistakes
- Turning on all restrictions secretly.
- Giving the child your own Apple ID or Google account.
- Linking a bank card to the child account.
- Using an obvious Screen Time passcode.
- Hoping Family Link will cover third-party apps.
- Banning everything at once and provoking workarounds.
- Scolding the child for telling you about a problem.
- Never reviewing the settings as the child grows up.
A short checklist
- you talked with the child and agreed on rules;
- a child account is created (Family Sharing or Family Link);
- downtime at night and app limits are set;
- content and communication are restricted by age;
- purchases only with your approval, no card linked;
- location is shared openly;
- game and social profiles are private;
- your account is protected with two-factor authentication;
- the phone charges outside the bedroom at night;
- you review the settings together every six months.
When to call a technician
You will do the main part yourself in an evening. But sometimes it is easier to leave it to me: if the phone needs setting up from scratch, if you got lost in Family Sharing or Family Link, if filters need setting up on the router, or you simply have no time.
I provide home-visit IT help in Batumi: I come to your home, help create the child account, set up the restrictions and the protection of your own account, and explain how everything works so you can manage it without me.
Author: Tariel, Batumi. Updated: October 2026
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