🧒 A safe phone for kids

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Letting a child play or learn on a phone is fine, as long as it's done safely. Here are the essential settings, in 15 minutes.

1. The quickest option: app pinning

Lending your phone for a game? App pinning locks the child into a single app.

1. Settings → Security (or Security & privacy → More security settings) → App pinning → turn on, and enable "Ask for PIN before unpinning".
2. Open the app, go to the recent apps screen, tap the app's icon → Pin.

The menu name varies by brand: search for "pin" in Settings.

2. Full parental control: Google Family Link

Family Link (free, by Google) lets you:

• approve apps your child wants to install;
• set daily screen time and a bedtime;
• see time spent in each app;
• locate the device.

Install the Google Family Link app on your phone and follow the steps to create or link your child's Google account.

3. The Play Store: 3 must-have settings

In the Play Store → your profile picture → Settings:

1. Family → Parental controls: turn them on and choose the maximum age rating for apps and games.
2. Authentication → Require authentication for purchases: for all purchases.
3. Check for "In-app purchases" on an app's page before installing it.

4. Choosing a good app for kids

• ✅ No ads, or child-appropriate ads only.
• ✅ No purchases without parental control.
• ✅ Works offline: no accidental browsing to the internet.
• ✅ Age-appropriate: check the rating on the Play Store page.
• ✅ Real value: learning (reading, math, logic) and creating, not just scrolling.

Tip: for an offline game, turn on airplane mode. No more ads or notifications.

5. Screen time: the WHO guidelines

According to the World Health Organization's recommendations (2019):

• Under 2 years: no sedentary screen time recommended.
• 2 to 4 years: no more than 1 hour a day, and less is better.

Beyond age, what matters: play together, prefer educational apps, and no screens in the hour before sleep.

6. Talk with your child

The best parental control is trust: explain that you never share your name, address or photo in a game, and that they should come to you if something feels scary or strange.

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