You have finally decided to let your child use electronic devices. Specifically, devices that can interact with the internet. Your child can experience amazing things with just a few clicks and swipes, but you are a bit worried. What if my child sees something they shouldn’t? How can I make sure my child is safe on the internet?

The internet can be a daunting place, even for adults. To ensure that children are safe, many services have parental controls on their websites and apps. Parental controls are among the most valuable tools we have in our parenting toolbox! But sometimes they can be a bit hard to find.

So, what are parental tools and why are they so important?

What are parental tools?

Parental tools are a setting available on most websites and apps. When turned on, it blocks content that might be inappropriate for children and young people.

Why are they so important?

Parental tools provide an extra layer of security for your child. It also provides an extra layer of reassurance for parents!

It would be great if you could monitor your child’s interactions with the internet 24/7, but for most parents, this simply is not possible. With video-streaming sites like YouTube and Netflix, they tend to autoplay from one video to the next. If you have not made a curated playlist for your child, it is hard to tell what the next video will be. But with parental controls, you can rest assured that the content will be safe for your child to view.

A lot of parental controls can be customised to your preference and what you feel your child is comfortable seeing. So, as they get older, you might feel like they can access certain content and games that they couldn’t 1 or 2 years ago, and change the parental controls to fit that.

With parental controls, you can make sure your child is being a responsible digital citizen, and they are not spending online or accessing content inappropriate for their age.

So, how do I access parental controls for the internet?

Before you go rushing to your web browser to fix the internet, remember that there are lots of different apps and websites. Each one is owned by a different company and has different parental controls.

We are going to guide you through the major apps and websites children frequently use, and provide you with instructions for parental controls on each service.

Apple Devices: How can I access iPhone and iPad Parental Controls?

Google Play Store: How can I access Google Play parental controls?

Google Family Link: How can I access Google Family Link?

Netflix: How can I access Netflix Parental Controls?

Youtube: How can I access Parental Controls on Youtube?

Amazon Prime: How can I access Amazon Prime Parental Controls?

PlayStation: How can I access PlayStation Parental Controls?

Nintendo: How can I access Nintendo Switch Parental Controls?

Xbox: How can I access Xbox Parental Controls?

We will update these continually, so you are never left behind!

How can I enable parental controls on apps?

Regularly review and update these settings as needed.