O2 offers parental controls on all its SIM cards and internet monitoring via regular monthly plans and the Family Plan. With the Family Plan, O2 automatically subscribes your account to the Qustodio premium parental control software.

Parental controls are paramount in the UK, especially for online. According to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, in 2023, there were 178,000 UK reports of child sexual abuse material online. As HeyLocate’s investigation indicated, the most dangerous thing online now is financial sextortion against minors.
Thus, parents must actively participate in what their children access on their devices and who they are talking to.
O2 uses a default adult filter and the Qustodio software, which is compatible with iOS, Android, Macs, and computers. Hence, whether your child uses a phone or tablet to connect to the internet, O2 can filter their access based on the restrictions set up by a parent.
In addition, you can use the O2 parental controls on its mobile network and broadband services for comprehensive online safety. Let’s review how this works.
How O2 Age Verification Works
OfCom, the Communication Regulator in the UK, requires that all SIM cards in the UK have age restriction turned on. O2 complies with this regulation by ensuring all its SIM cards are age-restricted. Customers must prove they are above 18 to remove the restriction.
To this end, if you have not verified your age and try to search a site classified as 18+, O2 will block the search, and you will receive a timed-out or no-response message.
O2 has three methods of age verification:
Via My O2 Account
This method is available if you are on the Pay Monthly Plan. Log in to your O2 account on a browser, click more, then go to Age verification to access O2 18+ settings. You will see a slider to toggle age restriction ON or Off. Toggle it to the Off position. O2 will send you a confirmation code before enabling the new setting.
Visit an O2 Store with your ID
This is perhaps the most straightforward method since you only need to present a photo ID or driver’s licence to O2 customer services. You will be asked to prove you have a credit card and will be charged £1.
Prove You have a Credit Card
You can use these methods to prove you have a credit card.
- call O2 on 61018 to verify your age using a Credit card;
- go to https://ageverification.o2.co.uk/;
- call O2 customer care on 202 for free.
Once you have verified your age, go to https://ageverification.o2.co.uk/ to set up parental controls for your children.
How to use O2 Parental Controls
O2 parental controls allow the account holder to block inappropriate content on the web accessed through any SIM cards in their Family Plan. It also sets up allowed sites by allowing only those classified as suitable for children under 12 years.
How to set up O2 Parental Controls
- Go to https://parentalcontrol.o2.co.uk/.
- You will be asked to prove you are above 18 by providing your credit card details.
- Enter the mobile number of the line you want to set up parental controls in a new window.
- O2 will send a 6-digit SMS code that you will enter on the browser screen.
- Create a secure PIN to restrict entry to the parent account, and O2 will activate the service.
Source: Youtube
What is O2 Family Plan
For additional parental controls, O2 has a family plan that subscribes an account holder to the Qustodio premium software for web monitoring and parental controls on all devices.
The O2 Family Plan offers subscribers discounted rates for up to 20 connections. Moreover, you get the Qustodio subscription, which filters content across mobile networks, mobile devices, and computers.
With an O2 Family Plan, you can set up these parental controls:
- use smart filters to block inappropriate sites;
- set up screen time on multiple devices;
- allow O2 safe search for children under 18 years;
- limit screen time on apps;
- block certain apps entirely;
- monitor time spent on social media platforms;
- track location and get emergency alerts.
The O2 Family Plan provides online resources about children’s online safety. You can find out the top 40 apps and games children use to help you understand your child’s online activities. Besides, O2 has a guide about where to start when seeking to provide online safety to your child.
Users’ Reviews
O2 parental controls have received many online reviews. Some parents feel the parental controls are too strict, since they can’t search for content on shopping websites and betting sites.
However, some agree that most flagged websites should not be accessible to minors. O2 emphasizes that you get help from customer services if a certain website has been blocked by mistake.
Lastly, some users feel the restrictions should be optional for parents, not ON by default.
Can a Kid Bypass O2 Parental Controls?
It’s rather challenging for a child to bypass O2 parental controls, since they have to prove they are above 18 years old. A child must have a photo ID or produce credit card details for this to happen. Since kids do not have these documents, O2 cannot lift any parental controls provided through its system.
In addition, a parent sets up a passcode when using parental controls. Children have to bypass the passcode to remove any monitoring features.
O2 Parental Controls vs Family Tracker
To understand the comprehensiveness of the parental controls by O2, let’s compare them with known family trackers, such as mSpy.
Features | O2 | mSpy |
---|---|---|
Block websites | Yes | Yes |
Adult filters | Yes | No |
Location tracker | Yes, through Qustodio | Yes |
Call logs and text messages monitoring | No | Yes |
Geofence zones setup | No | Yes |
Keylogger | No | Yes |
Social media tracker | Yes, through Qustodio | Yes |
Photos and video viewer | No | Yes |
Screen time limits | Yes | No |
Time on Apps Tracker | Yes | No |
You can find the full mSpy review on the HeyLocate blog, or choose any other family tracker from our top:
Conclusion
O2 parental controls are an effective method of safeguarding a child’s online activities. On standard plans, O2 allows you to keep children out of 18+ rated sites, while the Family Plan gives you comprehensive monitoring through the Qustodio premium software. You can manage what your children access on multiple devices thanks to O2 parental controls.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
O2 blocks all over 18 sites by default when you get your line until you prove you are above 18 by providing a photo ID or credit card details.
Log in to your online account on a browser and access the 18+ age verification section by clicking “More.” You can also visit an O2 store with your photo ID or call O2 on 61018 to verify your age.
O2 bills your family plan according to the number of connections. You can have up to 20 connections on a single account, and O2 will give you a 20% Multisave discount on the Airtime Plan for every new connection.
Leave a Comment