How to Set Up Parental Controls on Android: Complete Tutorial

To set up Android parental controls, use the Digital Wellbeing feature to apply various restrictions. You can also adjust content restrictions on the Google Play Store or use Google Family Link to manage your child’s Google account remotely.

The dedicated parental control apps also help to monitor and control your kid’s Android with the most comprehensive features. We’ll review each method further.

Why is it important to know how to set up parental controls on Android?

The internet can be a scary place for children. The Child Crime Prevention & Safety Center estimates there are 500,000 online predators active every day.

Sexual predators are among the most disturbing dangers for kids online, with cyberbullying following closely behind. With only 11% of victims talking to their parents, it’s critical for parents to stay on top of their child’s digital wellbeing.

Android parental controls are basic and available for parents who are proactive about their child’s online protection. But don’t stop with the basics. In this detailed guide, we’ll cover all the comprehensive Android parental control methods.

Manage Digital Wellbeing Settings

The Digital Wellbeing settings are a great way to monitor and limit your child’s screen time, app usage, and overall Android phone activity.

These settings can be slightly different on various Android phones. We have already reviewed how you can manage digital wellbeing settings on Samsung. Here are the main parental control capabilities of the Digital Wellbeing feature.

Screen Time

The screen time option on Android devices allows you to see how your child spends time on their phone.

1. Open the Settings App on your child’s device. Scroll down to Digital Wellbeing and parental controls.
   
2. You will see the total time spent on content categories such as video, image, and social etc. It will also show you the most used apps.
   
3. Set a Screen time goal and app timer for screen time limits. Tap Set goal.
   
   You can see how much time is remaining and the calendar with the time spent every day.
   

App Timers

App timers feature can help you track how your child uses an app and cap the overall time spent on various apps on their Android phone.

To set an app timer:

1. Go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing and parental controls > App timers.
   
2. Search or choose the app you want to set timer on. Tap Set Timer.
3. Select the number of hours or minutes for the app limit and the days to use the time, then click Done.
   
   Tap “+” to add more apps with a certain time limit for each or press on the item to delete.
   

To prevent your child from changing the screen time limits:

1. Click the three dots on the Digital wellbeing page and select Settings.
2. Slide the toggle next to [Set Pin] to the right.
   
3. Enter a 4-digit PIN, and you’re done.
   

Focus Mode (Modes and Routines)

Focus Mode is designed to minimize distractions and help your child focus on important things like studying, doing homework, or playing without pausing to scroll through social media.

You can use the standard modes and routines or add your own, according to your kid’s activities or location. This will enable you to create a distraction-free digital environment to improve your child’s concentration when using their phone to do homework or study for exams.

Go to Settings – Modes and Routines.

You can find the same settings in the Digital Wellbeing section > Focus mode.

Modes Tab

Select “Modes” and you’ll see ready-to-use templates, for example Sleep, Theatre, Driving, Exercise, Relax, Work. Tap on each to manage the settings.

You can set any mode to turn on automatically or manually any time you need it.

Add a personalized mode

Let’s try to add a customized mode: you should give it a name and choose a symbol.

Then manage the settings:

Turn on manually

Choose the duration: until you turn it off, “Ask every time” or a certain duration.

Turn on automatically

Here you can select when to start the mode. If one of the conditions is met, the mode will turn on automatically.

There are many possible conditions by categories: context, connections, connected devices, event etc. For example: app opened, time period, place, Android Auto, sleeping.

You can configure each condition separately or just turn it on.

Choose what this mode does

Stay focused

These settings help your child to stay focused on their current task and avoid distractions from apps and notifications.

Among the suggested actions, there are “Do not disturb” and “Restrict app usage” features. You can turn them on and add the exceptions: for example, to allow alarm or calls from mom and dad even during the “Do not disturb” mode.

Other actions

Here, choose what to do in this mode, for example, dark mode, power saving, play music, control SmartThings — the list goes on.

Change appearance

In this setting, you can set the screen appearance during a certain mode.

Routines Tab

Just tap on “+” to create a certain routine.

You can add what will trigger this routine and what this routine will do then.

There are many possible options, and the automatic ones — choose what you need for your child.

Bedtime Mode

Android phones also have a bedtime mode. Once set up, the bedtime mode will turn on and off at your child’s sleep and wake-up times.

During this mode, the Do Not Disturb mode is also turned on. This mode prevents calls, messages, and app notifications except for the alerts that you allow, such as calls from a parent.

To turn on Bedtime mode:

1. Open Settings > Digital Wellbeing and scroll down to Bedtime mode.
2. The Sleep page will open. Tap Start.
   
3. Enter the sleep time on the time wheel and choose all the days to apply this mode. You can also manage the alarm sound, vibration and snooze settings.
   
4. Click Next and tap [Do not disturb.] Edit conditions under Calls and messages and App notifications to add contacts and apps that can send alerts when Bedtime mode is turned on.
   
5. Here you can choose what to do in Sleep mode, including Always On Display, Grayscale, Dark mode, Eye comfort shield, Sound mode and volume, Power saving.
   
6. Click Done to save the settings.

Driving Monitor

The Driving monitor tracks how much your child uses their phone while driving. This mode is excellent for parents of teenagers since you can see the apps your child uses when driving.

However, driving mode can exclude navigation apps like Uber, and screen time used on them won’t be counted.

1. Open Settings > Digital Wellbeing > Driving monitor (Screen time while driving).
   
2. Click Start to allow the feature to collect data when your child is driving.
3. Choose excluded apps like Uber, Lyft, and Bolt.
   

Parental Controls via Family Link

The Family Link Android parental control app allows you to supervise your child’s Google account. Both you and your child must have a Google account. Using Family Link, you can set screen time limits, block apps, and restrict the content your child can access on the internet.

1. To access parental controls on Family Link, you need to add your child’s Google account on their phone.
   
2. It will ask you to allow Family Link to install on the parent device and also ask you to review various apps and settings.
   
3. The Family Link app will install automatically on the parent device.
   
4. Open the Google Family Link app on the parent’s device to apply content restrictions, set daily limits, and downtime to lock the device for the night.

Daily Limit

This setting sets the amount of time your child spends on their device daily.

1. Open the Family Link app on the parent device.
2. Tap Controls on the bottom panel.
3. Tap [Set up] under Daily Limit.
   
4. Select the number of hours you want your child to spend on their device on weekdays and weekends. Tap Done to save the daily limits.
5. If your child reaches their capped limit, you can give them bonus time, like 30 minutes, to give them more time on their device.
   

Downtime

This feature locks the device during sleeping time.

1. Open the Family Link app and tap Controls > Downtime > Set up.
   
2. Set a downtime routing by entering the time when the device locks and unlocks.
3. Tap Done to save the downtime settings.
   

App Limits

The App limits feature allows you to block apps or set limits when your child can access a particular app.

All you need to do is tap App Limits, click on an app, and choose Block or Set Limit. Then, select the time to allow the app and tap done.

Content Restrictions

The Google Family Link app can also restrict access to various Google apps such as YouTube, Google Play, and Google Chrome.

Under the Content Restrictions page, you can choose which app to restrict. For example, on Google Chrome, you can add a filter that hides sexually explicit content or add approved and blocked sites.

Use Parental Control App

Parental control apps are another way of applying limits on a child’s device. You can use them to restrict apps, block adult content, and monitor activities on your child’s Android phone. Based on our research, mSpy is one of the best Android parental control tools.

mSpy offers comprehensive parental monitoring on Android, allowing you to track calls, text messages, location, social media apps, and internet usage.

To use mSpy:

1. Visit mspy.com to create an account. Then scan the QR code to download the app on your child’s device.
   
2. Configure the app and access the online dashboard. mSpy will operate in stealth mode in all supported Android versions.
3. Open the online control panel to view activities like call logs, phone books, and text messages. mSpy will take screenshots of messages sent on WhatsApp, Messenger, Snapchat, and other social media apps. Besides, you can use the keylogger feature to view your child’s Google account password.
   

mSpy offers a complete parental control system that gives you peace of mind. You can block URLs, Wi-Fi access, and gaming apps remotely without touching their phone.

Try mSpy

Set Up Google Play Store

Google Play Store parental controls restrict the content your child can download and purchase through Google Play’s billing system. You can apply Google Play parental control settings directly on your child’s Android device or using the Family Link app.

To set up parental controls from the Google Play Store app:

1. Open the Google Play app.
2. Tap the profile icon on the top right corner.
3. Tap Settings > Family > Parental controls.
   
4. Push the toggle beside parental controls to turn it on. Create a PIN to protect Google Play parental control settings.
   
5. Tap Apps & Games and enter the PIN. Select an age rating for the apps that your child can download on their phone.
   
6. Click Save to enable the settings.

If you are using Family Link, go to Content Restrictions > Google Play > and under content restrictions, tap Apps & Games.

Tap the age rating from 3+ to Allow all, and you’re done. It’s simpler to apply Google Play parental controls on Family Link than directly on your child’s device.

Try Screen Pinning

Screen pinning is a feature that prevents someone from moving away from the screen currently open on your phone. This feature can come in handy when your child is watching YouTube Kids to prevent them from opening other apps like Snapchat and Facebook.

To use the Pin Screen feature:

1. Open your child’s phone settings.
2. Tap Security and Privacy > More Security Settings.
   
3. Scroll down to the Pin app and tap it.
4. Toggle the button on the right to turn it on. Also, turn on the [Ask for PIN button before unpinning].
   

To use the Pin app:

1. Open the app you want to pin.
2. Go to recent apps using the button on the bottom-left part of the screen.
3. Tap on the icon above the app and choose [pin this app].
   
4. To unpin the app, touch and hold the Recents and Back buttons at the same time.
   

Block Installing Unknown Apps

It is recommended that apps be downloaded from the Google Play Store since such apps are checked for malware. If your child tends to download apps directly from browsers, their phone could be in danger of data breaches. Hence, it’s ideal to block their phone from installing unknown apps.

To do this:

1. Open Settings > Apps and tap on the three-dot icon in the top-right corner.
   
2. Tap Special Access > Install Unknown Apps.
   
3. You will see a list of sources where your child can get their apps. If a source is allowed, you will see a blue toggle button next to it. If it’s not allowed, the toggle will be gray and in the off position.
4. To block installation from any listed source, tap the [Deny all] button.
   

Comparison Table of Android Parental Control Tools

Let’s sum up all basic available tools for Android parental controls in the table below.

Conclusion

In summary, Android parental controls are useful for protecting your child as they interact on their phone. Start with the Digital wellbeing feature for basic parental controls, then move on to the Family Link to use Google parental controls.

Alternatively, you can employ third-party apps like mSpy, which comprehensively monitor a kid’s phone.

Remember, as we outline in our family and relationship blog, you can seek out parental control features for various phone carriers and social networks.