How to keep your child safe on their smartphone this summer

Summer is just around the corner, which probably means your kids are going to have a lot of free time on their hands. And that might mean a lot more time spent on their phone. Read on to get clued-up on keeping your child safe on their smartphone and discover our top tips for monitoring their mobile usage.

Before trying anything else, simply set some expectations when it comes to mobile phone use at home:

• Let them know their limits. For example, discuss how many hours they can spend on social media, make sure their phones are turned off at night, and establish ‘no phone zones’ – like at the dinner table.
• Plan things to do. Sign them up for some fun summer activities, or plan some trips to the museum, park, or zoo. If all else fails, encourage them to hang out with their friends.
• Be a good role model. Since you’re asking your child to spend less time in front of a screen, try to do the same thing.
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 Ok, we get it, asking your child to give up their phone completely is a little unrealistic. But here are some things you can do to help keep them out of harm’s way while online:

Prevent your kid from looking at adult content

Thanks to iD Mobile’s content restrictions, you can protect your child from viewing anything inappropriate online. Simply log in to the iD app or my account and select 'services', then toggle adult content filtering 'on’.

Just so you know, our content restriction doesn’t apply if Wi-Fi is being used, as your Wi-Fi provider has their own content rules. Find out more about keeping your kids safe when connected to Wi-Fi.

Stop your kids from spending thousands on in-app purchases 

These days, most apps and mobile games encourage you to purchase add-ons to enhance your experience. Unfortunately, one slip of your child’s finger could end up costing you hundreds on in-app purchases. Here’s how to prevent that from happening:

For iPhones:

1. Go to Settings > General

2. Tap on ‘Restrictions’

3. Click ‘Enable Restrictions’ where you’ll be asked to set a four-digit passcode

4. You’ll then see a list of features that you can either allow or disallow

5. Toggle ‘iTunes Store’, ‘Installing Apps’, ‘Deleting Apps’ and ‘In-App Purchases’ to off

6. This removes the iTunes and App Store icons from the homepage and prevents kids from making in-app purchases

For Android phones:

1. Open the Play Store, then click on the three lines in the top left-hand corner

2. Scroll down and click ‘Settings’

3. Tap ‘Require authentication for purchases’

4. Make sure you select ‘For all purchases through Google Play on this device’

5. Now if your child goes to make a purchase, your Google password or fingerprint is required

Set up two-factor authentication

This adds extra security as it requires your child to enter a unique one-off code before they can sign in or make purchases. You can use it to restrict their use of certain apps and services by entering your mobile phone number as the contact method. This way, they can’t sign into apps or make purchases without your say so.

 Androids and iPhones come equipped with ways to monitor the activity on your child's phone. Here’s how to access them:

How to monitor your kids’ phone usage on iPhones using Screen Time

Screen Time allows you to see real-time reports on your (and your kid’s) mobile activity. To turn this feature on, simply:

1. Go to Settings > Screen Time
2. Tap ‘Turn On Screen Time’
3. Tap ‘Continue’
4. Select ‘This is My iPhone’, or ‘This is My Child's iPhone’

You can also set up a unique passcode to lock the settings – meaning your child can’t extend their screen time or make any changes. Plus, use Family Sharing to see reports and adjust settings from your own phone.

How to monitor your kids’ usage on Android phones using Digital Wellbeing

Android’s Digital Wellbeing feature can track your kid’s daily screen time and notifications. Here’s how to get it working: 

1. Go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls 
2. Tap the three lines on the top-right and select ‘Manage your data’
3. Toggle on ‘Daily device usage’
4. Your child’s phone will now record app usage, notifications, and device unlocks

You'll also need to link their phone to your email before you can manage their screen time and other settings:

1. On your child’s phone, go to Settings > Digital wellbeing & parental controls
2. Click on ‘Set up parental controls’
3. Tap ‘Get started’ and choose between ‘Child’ or ‘Teen’
4. From there, follow the on-screen prompts
5.  

Take a look at our favourite third-party parental control apps for limiting your child’s phone usage and monitoring what sites and apps they use:

1. Norton Family

Location-tracking, time-scheduling, web-filtering… you can do it all with Norton Family. The best part? It has extremely strong content filters and can monitor your child’s YouTube viewing and keep them focused when it’s time to do homework

2.Google Family Link

If you’re looking for something that offers individual permissions for each app, Google Family Link is for you. It also lets you decide what apps – if any at all – your child can download from the Google Play store. And, it’s absolutely free!

3. Qustodio

Qustodio is one of few apps that can record your child’s texts and calls, and can even let you block certain numbers. It also can limit your kid’s time spent on individual apps and devices. You’ll even get alerts every time something suspicious is happening.

What’s your favourite tip for monitoring your kid’s phone usage? Let us know in the comments…