What are parental controls?

Parental controls allow you to block and filter upsetting or inappropriate content. They work across your WiFi, phone network, individual apps and devices.

Parental controls can help you to:

• plan what time of day your child can go online and how long for
• create content filters to block apps that may have inappropriate content
• manage the content different family members can see.

Home broadband and WiFi

Home internet providers can offer parental controls for your family. You can:

• use a filter from your internet provider to control the content that you and your family see.  Some providers allow different settings for each user
• set up any device connected to your home broadband. How you do this depends on your provider and you'll need to access your home router. You can ask your internet provider for help setting this up.  Remember that this only affects your child accessing the internet through the WiFi – if they are using 4G or 5G etc to connect you need to check the settings on their mobile device too (see below).

Games consoles

Most games consoles have internet access, which means your child can go online and chat with other players or make in-game purchases. On many consoles there are parental controls which allow you to manage which features are available to your child. On some devices you can:

• turn off chat functions to stop your child from talking to people they don't know
• restrict games based on age
• turn off in-game purchases, or set a limit.

Check the website for the console your child has for a parents section and details of features.  Some games also allow you to change settings for that individual game.

PlayStation Family Management

On PlayStation consoles you can set up a Family Manager account which allows you to manage different accounts for different children/users. Within this you can manage a range of features, such as restricting communication with other players, restricting content, setting play time controls and set spending limits. See all the features available for PS4 and for PS5.

Mobiles, tablets and computers

All mobiles, tablets and computers have parental control settings, which can differ between devices, these include:

• allowing or disallowing in-game or in-app purchases
• settings such as location settings and what information your child is sharing
• wellbeing settings to help with limiting screen time.

You can get more advice about setting up controls on different devices from your mobile provider and the UK Safer Internet Centre.

On Apple devices such as iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV etc. there are features available for parents all tied into an account. You can set content and privacy restrictions, prevent purchases, allow or disallow apps and more. See what parental controls are available on Apple iOS devices.

Apps and online services

Many social media, apps and online services such as film and TV streaming services have features such as:

• content filters
• chat filters
• privacy settings
• in-app purchase settings.

You can find out about these features by looking in the settings on each app, or take a look at their website for more information. They might be called settings, family features, privacy or security.

Meta has a safety centre which helps explain the features available across its platforms including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

For Netflix, you need to visit the website to set up parental controls – we suggest you do this as soon as you create an account.

Microsoft Family Safety – by creating a family group you can manage many settings, such as setting screen time limits, blocking inappropriate content, receive activity reports, set app and game limits and more. To learn more about Microsoft Family Safety see the Microsoft page and Xbox Family Settings.

Search engines

Sometimes, innocent searches can lead to not so innocent results.  If you're worried:

• make sure the content your child sees online is appropriate for their age by using parental controls and filters in search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing
• make sure you have set parental controls on the home broadband and devices.

Google Family Link - a very useful app to manage a range of features such as restricting content, approving or disapproving apps, setting screen time and more. For lots of useful information see the Google FAQ page.

WiFi and being away from home

The controls you've set up on your child's device and your home broadband won't work if they use 3G, 4G or 5G, public WiFi or log onto a friend's connection instead. Remember:

• public WiFi is often available when you're out and about, but it's not always safe
• some public places and businesses offer family-friendly WiFi. When you see the family-friendly WiFi symbol it means there are filters to stop children from seeing inappropriate or upsetting content
• talk with your child and agree what they can and can't do online. If your child is visiting friends or family, remember that they might not have the same controls set up.

The limits of parental controls

Whilst parental controls are a helpful tool there are limitations. So they shouldn’t be seen as a whole solution. Even if you’ve put things in place on your home broadband and your child’s device, they won’t help if your child connects to a different WiFi with no controls in place.

Parental controls are just part of the way you can help keep your child safe online.

More top tips include:

• Talking to your child. Explain why you are setting parental controls; to keep them safe. But also let them know that they can talk to you to discuss why certain settings are in place.
• Set good, strong passwords where you are able. On some parental controls you can set a password which prevents settings and features from being changed.
• Age is a significant factor; as children get older, restrictions and controls you use will change, but only at a pace that is appropriate for your child, not pressure from your child “because everyone else is allowed”.
• Content filters are never 100% effective, it is likely at some point that your child will see inappropriate or upsetting content and it is important that you are able to talk to them about this.

Starting the Conversation

Talking regularly with your child can help keep them safe online. Making it part of daily conversation, like you would about their day at school, will help your child feel relaxed.

It also means when they do have any worries, they’re more likely to come and speak to you.

But it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the different technology, the language that children use, the huge number of games and apps which are available and the potential risks.

For advice and resources on creating the right environment and talking to your child, click on the links below:

Age-appropriate conversations

Considering your children’s age and ability will help you decide how to speak to them.

Their needs and behaviour will be changing as they get older and they may find talking to you about difficult topics embarrassing. 

They will still look to you for support, so it’s worth continuing to check in with them regularly, even if there’s nothing they want to talk about.

Tackling difficult conversations

Some conversations are going to be more difficult than others. But it's so important to have them, so you can support your child with their worries or issues.

You might be worried they have been viewing online pornography. Or perhaps you're concerned they've been sharing nudes. Maybe they have seen upsetting, inappropriate or explicit content, or perhaps they're being bullied. These more difficult conversations will heighten feelings of fear, anxiety, worry, shame and embarrassment.

As with any conversation, it helps to stay:

• calm balanced non-judgemental.
• Remind them of your family values. Some parents may think that something is okay for their children. You could explain why you don’t think it is appropriate for them.
• Children often talk of being punished. For example, if they open up to you and say that they have seen explicit content by accident, they are scared of their devices being removed from them. This is seen as a punishment and consequence for something that was out of their control. This is a judgement call that needs to be carefully handled.
• If it's something that has made you angry, fearful or concerned, don’t tackle it while you're feeling highly emotional.
• Take a little time and, if possible, talk to someone else about it. Your child’s school can be a great source of information, particularly the class teacher and the Designated Safeguarding Lead. You can always contact us for advice.
• Don’t be too forceful, otherwise there is the risk that they will close down.
• Consider a subtle approach instead of a head-on approach. For example, you could ask if the subject is discussed at school and what they learn about it, or it could be something that has been on the TV or you heard about it on the radio.
• Keep listening, try not to interrupt even if there is a period of silence. They may be thinking how they word something.
• Provide context. Allow them to understand why some things are wrong, age inappropriate or even illegal. In order to critically think and assess, they need information.

• For age- age-appropriate guidance, support, advice and resources on discussing different topics with your child, click on the links below:     

Other people children can talk to

But no matter how hard we try, there may be things that children won’t open up to, so it’s important that we give them other options. That could be:

• another adult family member, e.g. aunt, older cousin etc.
• a teacher or member of the pastoral team in school
• Childline on 0800 1111 or visiting the Childline website

How to report online harm

If your child experiences harm online or comes across harmful content you can report it in different ways.