Parental controls setup guide: iPhone, iPad, Android and Chromebook

iPhone and iPad

• Settings → Screen Time → turn it on for the child's device or through Family Sharing.
• Content & Privacy Restrictions → Content Restrictions: set Web Content to Limit Adult Websites, and set App Store age ratings.
• Downtime and App Limits: set Downtime overnight, and add limits by category rather than per app.
• Communication Limits: control who can contact them during Downtime.
• Set a Screen Time passcode that is not your unlock code, and not their birthday.

The gap: web content filtering does not stop an AI chatbot reached through a browser, and app age ratings do not stop a chatbot embedded inside an app your child already has.

Android and Chromebook

• Install Google Family Link and link it to the child's Google account (supervised accounts are required under 13).
• Family Link → Controls: app approvals, daily limits, bedtime, and Google Search SafeSearch.
• Chrome → block or allow specific sites; supervised accounts can be limited to approved sites only.
• On a school-issued Chromebook, the district's admin console usually wins. Family Link settings may be ignored entirely — ask the school what is enabled, including whether AI features are on.

The full Google-specific picture, including what teen Gemini access does and doesn't restrict, is in is Gemini safe for kids.

The AI layer most guides miss

Assistants are now part of the operating system, the browser and the search page. That means three things standard parental controls don't cover:

• AI answers appear above search results, whether or not a chatbot app is installed.
• Assistants can often be reached from a lock screen or a browser tab, bypassing app limits.
• Chatbots inside social apps live behind that app's rating, not their own.

So set the platform controls and then set the AI ones separately. Our ChatGPT parental controls walkthrough covers the toggles worth changing, and AI age limits, app by app tells you which accounts your child is even old enough to hold.

Imagine you have set device limits but discover an assistant inside a service the child already uses. Identify the feature and account before assuming the existing limits cover it. Review the current service information yourself, including age eligibility and what material a request would share. A familiar app name doesn't remove the need to understand a new feature.

Suppose the family uses a personal phone and a school-issued computer. Write down who manages each account and ask the school about the one you cannot configure. Don't treat a successful test on the phone as proof about the computer. The household agreement can apply across devices even when the technical controls differ.

For a harmless check, imagine you test whether the agreed bedtime restriction behaves as expected on the actual device. Use an ordinary activity, not dangerous content. If the result differs from the plan, consult the current instructions and note the uncertainty. Testing a boundary should not involve exposing a child to material you were trying to avoid.

Suppose your child wants to upload a worksheet photograph. Review what is visible before any upload: names, school details, other children's work, or background information. Ask which details are necessary for the task. Removing identifying material is a practical decision, but it doesn't replace checking whether the service is appropriate or whether the teacher permits its use.

Settings are the floor, not the plan

Every control on this page can be worked around by a motivated 13-year-old with a friend's phone. What survives is the agreement underneath: our family AI agreement template and one-page rulebook are the part that keeps working when the device changes.

And when the homework comes back and you genuinely can't tell what happened, the AI homework checker reads it in about two minutes and tells you what to ask — or explain my kid's homework if the real problem is that they're stuck. Both are free to try; plans add profiles for 4 or 6 kids.

Imagine your child encounters a blocked feature on a friend's device. Talk about what they were trying to do and why the family boundary still applies outside the home. You can't configure every device they might see. A clear rule and a way to ask for help need to travel with them, without pretending those conversations guarantee perfect compliance.

Suppose the child reports a worrying response from a service you thought was well controlled. Thank them for telling you and address the interaction. Review the reporting options yourself and get appropriate human help for a serious concern. A filter being enabled shouldn't become a reason to dismiss what the child actually experienced.

For a routine check-in, imagine you each describe one useful digital activity and one confusing one from the week. Keep the questions concrete: what were you trying to do, what happened, and what did you check? The child can discuss an experience without sharing every private message. Explain beforehand what you will review and why, rather than turning a casual snack into a surprise inspection.

Suppose a rule is repeatedly broken during late homework. Ask whether the assignment schedule or the permitted-help boundary is unclear. Keep the genuine attempt, identify the missing step, and contact the teacher if needed. Supplying generated answers to finish the sheet doesn't solve either problem. The control settings and the homework plan need different kinds of attention.

Imagine the next review happens after a new device or account is added. Recheck the arrangement rather than assuming the old plan carried over unchanged. Note which settings you have verified, which questions belong to the school, and which family rules remain the same. A brief written list makes it easier to revisit the plan without relying on anyone's memory of a toggle changed months ago.