Technology has spread worldwide, and kids have become tech-savvy than ever before. Right now, almost every kid below 13 years has access to an Android phone. As a parent, you might be concerned with the information your child accesses online.
It's at this juncture that we recommend to you the use of parental controls on Android to control your kid's online activity. Parental control apps help you limit what your kid checks online and the time spent on their phones.
They help you set aside time for rest and sleep for your child. In this article, we will show you ways to put parental controls on your child's phone.
Part 1. How to Set Parental Controls on Android? - 3 Ways
You can set parental control on Android in the following three ways.
Way 1. Set up Parental Controls on Google Play
Google parental controls help to limit your children from accessing unauthorized sites. These controls can work for various play store features, including apps, books, games, TV, etc. You can apply the following steps to set up parental controls on Google play.
Step 1. Open "Google play store" on your kid's Android phone.
Step 2. Go to the "Settings" menu. Scroll down and tap on "Parental Controls."
Step 3. Navigate to "Parental controls are off" and toggle it on.
Step 4. Input a PIN code that your kid doesn't know. Enter the PIN again to confirm it. Step 5. Check if the text menu has changed to "Parental controls are on."
After you've turned on parental controls on Google play store, you need to make the necessary configurations to block access to unauthorized content. You can achieve this in the following steps:
Step 1. Click on "Apps & Games" in the parental control menu.
Step 2. Tap on the maximum rating for app access. For our case, we will pick "Teen" because we want to restrict access by kids.
Step 3. Click on "Save" after making the selection.
Step 4. Repeat the above steps for "TV," "Movies," "Music," and "Books."
Way 2. Put Parental Controls on Android via Third-Party Tool
A third-party tool helps you monitor all activities on your kid's phone. This ranges from social media activity, call logs, browser history, etc. One of the best third-party tools that we recommend is FoneWatcher for Android.
Setup Parental Controls on Android with FoneWatcher for Android
This third-party spy tool is 100% efficient in helping you monitor your child's phone activities. This app requires no rooting or jailbreak before the installation of parental control on Android phone. It also takes 3-5 minutes to download and install.
The good thing with FoneWatcher for Android is that it allows you to monitor all data types from your kid's Android device. It has a screen recording feature that gives you real-time information about your child's Android phone activities. This, therefore, enables you to act swiftly if your kid is viewing content they shouldn't.
How to Fulfill Parental Controls on Android with FoneWatcher
You can apply the following steps to get started with parental control on FoneWatcher.
Step 1. Register an account on FoneWatcher
You'll need a valid email ID and password to sign up for a FoneWatcher account. Next, pick your preferred subscription plan from the three options provided.
Step 2. Download FoneWatcher on the target Android device
Navigate to the "My Products" page and click on "Setup Guide" to read the download instructions. Next, download and install FoneWatcher for Android on your kid's Android device. Follow the necessary procedures to install the app correctly.
Step 3. Start parental controls on kid's Android
On your device, visit FoneWatcher's online web dashboard to start monitoring your kid's Android phone. You'll access all the controls on the left side of the web panel. With the provided web dashboard, you can access "Phone Files," "Location Tracking," "Social Apps," "Remote Control," and "Data Export."
What Features of FoneWatcher Can Help Put Parental Controls on Android?
With FoneWatcher for Android, you can exercise different forms of parental control. These include the following.
1. Set geofencing and get alerts
FoneWatcher enables you to set up a marked region that you think is safe for your kid. If the kid exits or enters this region, you receive real-time alerts.
2. Monitor social media apps
FoneWatcher for Android allows you to monitor chats and shared media on social apps like WhatsApp, Viber, Kik, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
Kids are always curious and want to check almost everything on the internet. FoneWatcher for Android also enables you to access your kid's browser and check the URLs they've visited. The web dashboard also shows you the time, date, and frequency they visited a given website.
4. View apps usage time and frequency
Under "Phone Files," you can click on "App Activities" to view the usage time and frequency for all installed apps on your kid's phone. FoneWatcher for Android will show you the names of installed apps, the day of installation, and their total size. Concerning usage, this third-party tool will show you the screen time that your kid spent on each app.
Way 3. Family Link to Help Set Up Parental Controls on Android
Family Link gives an overall screen time limit for your child. It allows you to set bedtime hours to restrict your child's use of the phone at specific times. Family Link also allows you to set the time limit for all installed apps—you can block or allow a given app whether or not the daily screen time has elapsed.
This app can also track your child's current location based on a provided map. To set up the Family Link app, you must have your phone and that of your kid. You can then apply the following steps to set up.
Step 1. Go to "Google play store" on your phone and search for "Google Family Link."
Step 2. Follow the guidelines to sign in to your Google account.
Step 3. Setup "Google Family" and make yourself one of the "Family Managers".
Step 4. Choose or create a child account you want to manage.
Step 5. Install "Google Family Link" on your child's device.
Step 6. Follow the provided instructions to link your child's phone to yours.
Step 7. On the list of apps provided, choose those that you want to allow or block on your child's phone.
Part 2. How to Delete Parental Controls on Android
#To delete parental controls on Google Play:
Open Google Play Store.
Tap on the "Menu" icon.
Go to "Settings."
Scroll down and tap on "Parental Controls."
Toggle off "Parental controls are on."
Enter PIN and tap "OK".
#To delete parental controls on Family Link:
Open the Family Link app.
Select the account you want to manage.
Tap on “Manage Settings.”
To manage parental controls, tap on “Controls on Google Play.”
Tap “Account Info.”
Tap on “Stop Supervision” and follow the on-screen steps to complete the process.
Part 3. Why Parental Controls for Kids Are Important
Parental controls are important because of the following reasons.
Filter/block specific website content. Not all the content available on the web is safe for kids. Installing parental controls help in restricting access to pornography or violent websites that can affect your children negatively.
Set time limits for online access. If unregulated, kids might spend a large part of their online. Parental controls help you limit the amount of time your kid spends on their phone per day.
Fight cyberbullying. Parental controls help you identify sites known for cyberbullying and restrict your kids from accessing them.
Conclusion
Setting parental control on your kid's Android device plays a significant role in filtering the content they access. Google has provided two apps (Play Store and Family Link) to help you with parental control. You can also use a third-party tool like FoneWatcher for Android for parental control.
Of these three, we highly recommend FoneWatcher for Android since it allows you to monitor all phone data on your kid's phone. Also, you can remotely control the type of content they can access on their phone.
FoneWatcher also allows you to set geofences and track your kid's location. To get started with FoneWatcher for Android today, you can sign up here.
