A complete parental control guide to new tech and screen time

A phone, tablet, computer or games console all make for great Christmas gifts, yet they all present, in their own way, difficulties and hazards, once the wrapping paper has come off. Many parents wish to limit their child’s screen time, are wary of strangers messaging their sons or daughters, keen to restrict certain materials, and are aware that young users are subject to the same scams that target many adult users.

Fortunately, there’s plenty you can do to stay on top of all these, if you take advantage of certain features. In this article, we run through parental controls, gaming and social media age limits, bullying, spending and scams.

Parental Controls
Google Family Link
Parental Settings for Google Play
Apple
Prevent iTunes and App Store Purchases
Netflix
Disney+
Playstation
Xbox
Parental Controls on Windows 10
Nintendo Switch
Parental Controls Within Games
Screen Time
Age Limits and Ratings for Games
Age Limits for Social Media and Other Tech Services
Bullying
Scams
What to Watch Out For, With Text and Email Fraud

Many devices and tech platforms offer some level of parental oversight. In lots of cases you can limit screen time, filter our adult content, restrict purchases and place limits on social interaction.

So, why don’t more parents use them? A recent survey by the University of Michigan found that about one in six parents whose child uses social media apps (17%) are not using any parental controls. About a fifth (21%) of parents with children using social media say they are not able to find the information they need to set up parental controls; nearly two fifths (39%) believed it is too time-consuming to monitor their child’s use of social media apps (39%); and about a third (32%) thought children find a way to get around parental controls.

The truth is, parental controls are pretty easy to access, and, while they’re not perfect, they can help you control kids’ screen time, the material they see, as well as their spending. Here’s how.

Google’s parental control service works on Android phones and ChromeOS laptops. It allows parents to limit screen time, approve or limit Google Play downloads, filter content, review microphone, camera and contacts access, and limit Youtube.

You can download the app from the Google Play store. However, maybe take a look at the reviews when you do this. Many parents report that their kids have found a way around a few of the restrictions.

You can also limit downloads and purchases via the Google Play Store. Here’s how you do that.

To set content and privacy restrictions on an Apple device, you’ll need to do the following:

If you’re the parent or guardian on your device and want to prevent another family member from changing your settings, tap Use Screen Time Passcode to create a passcode, then re-enter the passcode to confirm. In iOS 13.4 and later, after you confirm your passcode, you’ll be asked to enter your Apple ID and password. This can be used to reset your Screen Time passcode if you forget it.

If you’re setting up Screen Time on your child’s device, follow the prompts until you get to Parent Passcode and enter a passcode. Re-enter the passcode to confirm. In iOS 13.4 and later, after you confirm your passcode, you’ll be asked to enter your Apple ID and password. This can be used to reset your Screen Time passcode if you forget it.

Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. If asked, enter your passcode, then turn on Content & Privacy.

You can also prevent your child from being able to install or delete apps, make in-app purchases and more. To prevent iTunes and App Store purchases or downloads:

You can also change your password settings for additional purchases from the iTunes & App Store or Bookstore. Follow steps 1–3, then choose Always Require or Don’t Require.

You can also implement ‘Ask to Buy’, which enables your child to request a purchase be approved. To do this:

Netflix also has good parental controls. Again these are set via viewer profiles, via the TV app or at Netflix.com. Their Netflix Kids profiles restricts direct access to accounts settings, doesn’t feature Netflix games, and plays only TV shows and movies carefully selected for kids. Here’s what you’ll need to do set such a profile.

If you can’t create a profile from your device or when using a mobile browser, visit Netflix.com on a computer and follow the steps above.

Users can set content ratings for each viewer’s profile, from children to adults. Once set, shows and films rated higher than the profile’s content rating will not be shown while browsing or searching Disney+.

To adjust a profile’s content ratings, you’ll need to do the following:

Parents can also lock their profiles on Disney+ via a PIN. To set a PIN you’ll need to do the following:

Finally, you can stop any naughty kids from creating unrestricted, new profiles by locking the profile creation option. To do this, follow the steps below:

Xbox also has a Xbox Family Settings app, which enables parents to manage children’s console gaming activities. There are settings for spending, screen time, content and interaction with other players. The app works on Android and iOS devices and is available in both Apple’s app store and via Google Play. Both parents and children need appropriate accounts.

You can protect and check on your child via Window 10’s Family options feature. To turn on parental controls for your child, go to the Windows search bar, and type ‘family options’ and click on that options under settings. Create an account for your child, and enable parental controls.

Nintendo’s handheld console also has a parental control app called Nintendo Switch Parental Controls. This enables parents to limit screen time, filter content and restrict socialising. Again, both parents and children need a Nintendo account. Purchases can’t be restricted via this app. You’ll need to set those restrictions directly in the console.

In order to restrict purchases in the Nintendo eshop you need to do the following.

Need to restrict that Minecraft screen time? Or worried about your kids’ playpals in Fortnite. Don’t worry! Many popular games, including Fortnite, Minecraft and Roblox offer some level of parental control. You can find out more about all this in our pages dedicated to these games:

A Parents’ Guide to Fortnite

A Parents’ Guide to Roblox

A Parents’ Guide to Minecraft

A Parents’ Guide to Pokemon Go

A Parents’ Guide to Among Us

You’ll also want to know a little bit about game currencies. Plenty of popular titles have their own in-game currency; Fortnite has V-Bucks, Minecraft has Minecoins, and Roblox has Robux. Find all about them in our ultimate parents’ guide to digital game currencies.

It’s very hard to know exactly how much screen time a child should have. Some studies suggest moderate screen use helps kids, while excessive time watching TV, playing games and chatting on social media is detrimental.

It’s hard to find conclusive, up-to-date figures for children’s screen use in the UK. Figures vary across years, days of the week, and according to income and gender. In its 2021 report, Childwise, the specialist British research body found that generally, time spent online goes up as a child grows up.

The World Health Organisation doesn’t have strong recommendations for older children, but it does have recommended sedentary (sitting) screen limits for children under five.

Finally, don’t ignore your own screen use
Some studies suggest that mums and dads who spend too much time looking at their own screen and too little time attending to their children may damage their child’s development. Children might be our biggest focus, but sometimes it’s wise to look at the way the whole household interacts with technology.

Most popular video games will have age ratings. In the UK the PEGI ratings system is used, with minimum ages listed for games, from 3-years-old and up, to 18-years-old and over. Some of these age ratings are legally enforced. If shops sell games with 12, 16 or 18 years ratings to customers below those age limits, they will be subject to prosecution. The age limits under 12 are not legally enforced. Here are the PEGI ratings for a few popular games.

Plenty of social media platforms have their own age limits for users. In the UK the following limits are observed.

Unfortunately, some children will become the victim of bullying via social media. The good news is that most social networks claim to take action against such behaviour, so it’s worth reporting.
To avoid bullying in the first place, it might be wise to tell kids not to get into arguments online. Tone and intent is a hard thing to judge digitally, and first-time users of some services might not know when they’re causing offence.
If there is a clear case of bullying, screen-shot the offending material and send it to the service used, while also quoting any anti-bullying pledges from the terms of service. This British site allows users to report harmful content.

Kids as well as adults can be defrauded. This article takes a longer look at the kind of precautions kids might want to take to avoid scams, and we’ve also outlined a few tips below.

When shopping online, make sure you recognise the name of the website.
If you want to buy something from a website you’ve never bought anything from before, it’s also a good idea to do a search for them and see if there are any reviews or reports. Google their name, and you might find other people who’ve used them and been scammed.

Also watch for sneaky scammers who might be setting up sites that look like familiar retailers, but are actually sneaky misspellings of familiar names, such as arnazon (‘r n’) rather than amazon.

Look out for the special ‘s’ in ‘https’ and/or the padlock symbol
If a website’s address has https at the beginning, it means it’s using a special way to communicate, which is a bit more secure. If it isn’t there, think twice about making that purchase.

Regularly update your browser to ensure you always have the latest security features.
The makers of web browsers such as Chrome, Safari and Firefox regularly update their software, to make sure that it’s safe and secure. Make sure you have the latest version running on your phone or computer, before you buy stuff.

Check your statements regularly
Make sure you recognise all vendors and if you don’t recognise any, contact our help team.
Parents and children can view purchases via the Rooster app. If you think something’s a bit off, we’re always happy to help. You can contact us via the app.

Never give your PIN away anywhere
Remember, your PIN is YOUR secret code for ATMs and in shops, not for online shopping. Never give that information away online. Retailers may ask for the long number written on the card, and the CVV. A lot of card providers write that number on the card itself, but RoosterMoney adds an additional layer of security, by letting users generate one-off CVV numbers via the app. Find out more about that here.

Never respond to out one-time passcodes requests
Sometimes you’re asked to enter one-time passcodes (OTPs) to access certain services. These passcodes, which are often sent via text message, provide an extra layer of security.
Scammers may try to get around this layer of security by sneakily trying to get the passcode from you, via Instagram, Whatsapp or text message, posing as a bank or other authority figure.

Have a strong password and change it regularly
A lot of scammers crack users’ security thanks to old, or easy-to-guess passwords. You can beat them, when you’re shopping online, by using a stronger password, with different symbols, letters and numbers, and by changing your password regularly. Some tech firms such as Apple and Google mintor data breaches and let you know if one of your passwords has been published online. If one of yours has been leaked, make sure you updated it.

Always log out of sites when you’re done
Simply closing your browser isn’t the same as logging out.

Use the Rooster Money app
The Rooster Money app and the Rooster Card* come with enhanced security features. Parents can get a purchase notification to keep track of shopping, and they can freeze and unfreeze cards if they get lost or fall into the wrong hands.

Contact us If you think a bad retailer has scammed you online, and the merchant is not responding. We may be able to help, via a chargeback. You can find out more here.

*Card for ages 6-17. Parent/guardian must be 18+ and UK resident. Fees and T&Cs apply. Spend and top up limits apply.

Even when you’re not shopping fraudsters will still try to get you, sometimes via dodgy texts and emails. They might pretend to be a courier company asking for an additional delivery charge, the police warning you about a crime,a streaming service saying they’ve got a problem with your payments, or a crazy online retailer desperate to give away an iPad or loads of Robux. If you get one of these messages, remember to think before you respond.
Does it all seem a bit weird? Just think for a moment: do companies regularly give away great goodies? Do the police really contact kids via texts or email? A little bit of healthy suspicion might save you a lot of money.

Don’t click on the links
Even by visiting some dodgy websites, you can compromise your safety. Again, if it looks suspicious, don’t use it, and tell your parents. If you really think a retailer or other business might be getting in touch, you can always check for their contact details online and reach out to them yourself.

Never give your card details via a link in a text
Fraudsters will sometimes try to get your financial information via texts. They might pretend to be a courier company asking for an additional delivery charge, or a crazy online retailer

Parents should watch out too
In the UK, Fraud Action reports cases of parents being targeted with text messages that appear to be written by their children. In this instance, the fake texts said the child had been in a car accident, suffered a head injury, was contacting their parents via a borrowed mobile phone, to request a top-up code.

In the UK, if you think you’ve been approached by a scammer, you can report it by forwarding suspicious texts to the authorities on 7726, or forwarding dodgy emails to report@phishing.gov.uk.