Parental controls setup guide: iPhone, iPad, Android and Chromebook
Set Screen Time on Apple devices, Family Link on Android, and check the school's admin policy on a Chromebook — you often can't override it. Then handle the part most guides skip: the AI assistant baked into the OS and browser, which is not covered by app limits and needs its own settings pass.
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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
How do I set up parental controls on an iPad?
Open Settings → Screen Time, turn it on, then set Content & Privacy Restrictions (web content, app age ratings), Downtime for overnight, and App Limits by category. Use a Screen Time passcode that isn't your device unlock code.
How do I set parental controls on an Android phone?
Use Google Family Link with a supervised child account. It gives you app approvals, daily time limits, bedtime, SafeSearch and site controls in Chrome. Accounts for children under 13 must be supervised.
Can I control a school Chromebook?
Usually only partially. School-issued Chromebooks are managed by the district's admin console, which typically overrides Family Link. Ask the school which extensions, sites and AI features are enabled — many districts turned on AI tools without notifying parents.
Do parental controls block AI chatbots?
Not reliably. Assistants are built into operating systems, browsers, search results and other apps, so app-level limits and content filters often miss them. Set the platform controls, then handle AI access separately with the chatbot's own account settings.
Have a specific piece of homework in mind?
Paste it — or a screenshot of it — into the Homework Check on our homepage and ask your question. You'll get a plain-language read on whether the thinking looks like your kid's, what stood out, and the questions worth asking them. First check is free.