An expert’s guide on setting up a smartphone for your child this Christmas

1. Set up a child account: This can be done directly with Google or on a new phone during the setup process. You’ll be asked to verify the child account using your adult account and set various preferences.
2. Set up parental controls on the device: As part of the device setup, you’ll then be asked to put parental controls in place, including removing apps, controls on Google Play, filters on Chrome (the web browser) and filters on Google search.
3. Set up YouTube controls: There’s a whole step for YouTube, which includes setting content ratings.
4. Set up screen time rules: The next section lets you set a daily usage limit and set a downtime (bedtime). This is the big step in limiting usage.
5. Location sharing: You’ll then be invited to turn on location sharing, so the phone can be tracked in the Family Link app. Note that this requires data access, so if a child runs out of data, the location will stop reporting. Equally, flight mode would also disable location sharing.
6. Install Family Link: Install the Family Link app on your own phone to give you control over those settings remotely and to use location tracking. It’s possible to set up locations, for example, home and school, with notifications for arrivals and departures.
7. Actively monitor: Don’t rely on the technology; stay involved with managing the device, including checking to see if your child is being exposed to inappropriate content and adjusting blocking or app access as needed.

Those are the steps to make a phone safer, and it’s worth exploring what Family Link offers. Beyond the initial setup, it can also be used to individually manage apps and access, so if Roblox is becoming a problem, for example, it can be limited or blocked.

Setting your iPhone or Android device up for a child is one step in protecting and managing their usage. However, it’s sometimes better to take a belt-and-braces approach when it comes to reducing access to harmful content.

I say reducing, because it’s not always possible to protect a child from everything online that is inappropriate, but putting restrictions on your own broadband connection at home and on the mobile network they use with their smartphone is a great starting point.

I’ll start with any network accounts, because you’re likely to be paying for whatever SIM they have in their phone, and it’s easy to retain control of that account. Most mobile networks have built-in parental controls that can restrict access to “adult content”.

This is normally a broad strokes approach, restricting things like gambling, alcohol and pornography sites. It’s worth switching on, because it can provide blocking for the results of explicit searches, as well as access to naughty sites they might hear about on the playground. Look in the account settings in their mobile phone network, and you’ll likely find some parental controls.

The same applies to home broadband, which will limit access through their own device while in the home. Again, head into your broadband settings and you’ll find some level of filtering. On BT, for example, this covers light, moderate, strict and custom.

The last section allows for granular filtering, including blocking social networking, games, “fashion and beauty”, file sharing and a lot more. Ultimately, finding the right balance that works for your family is important, as being unable to access the Laithwaites website, which would fall into the “alcohol and tobacco” category, might be inconvenient for you.