How to Put Parental Controls on Android Phone

In a world where smartphones are as common as toys for kids, parental controls are a must-have feature. They come built-in with most phones, like Androids and iPhones, and offer a helping hand to parents wanting to manage their child’s digital life. If you worry about your child’s safety in the vast, often tricky, online landscape, parental control apps could be your new best friend.

The internet, a resourceful yet daunting place, is at the fingertips of children today. While it’s a treasure trove of knowledge and entertainment, it also hides pitfalls like cyberbullying, internet predators, and harmful content. That’s where parental control software steps in. These apps allow you to filter out the bad stuff, set sensible screen time limits, keep an eye on social media use, and track your child’s digital footsteps. A virtual guardian angel, wouldn’t you say?

What Are the Types of Parental Controls?

You might be wondering how actually parental controls can help you out, well there are several types of controls that parents can gain through a parental control app to ensure their children’s safety.

Here are some of the most common types of parental controls:

• App Restrictions: With app restrictions feature, parents can choose which apps their children can download and use on their phones. This can help prevent children from accessing inappropriate or potentially harmful apps.
• Screen Time Limitations: Screen time limitations feature enables parents to set a time limit for how long their children can use their phones each day. This can help ensure that children aren’t spending too much time on their phones and are getting enough sleep and physical activity.
• Content Restrictions: Content restrictions allow parents to block access to specific types of content, such as violent, adult-oriented content or online gambling, on their children’s phones. This can help protect children from exposure to inappropriate material.
• Location Sharing: Location tracking enables parents to keep track of their children’s whereabouts using GPS technology. This can help parents ensure their children’s safety and prevent them from wandering off or getting lost.
• Social Media Monitoring: Social media monitoring feature allows parents to keep tabs on their children’s social media activity, including who they are communicating with and what they are sharing. This can help parents identify potential online threats and prevent cyberbullying.
• Call and SMS Tracking: Parental control also allows call and SMS tracking, with this feature parents can monitor their children’s phone calls and text messages. This can help parents identify potential risks and protect their children from harm.

How to Set up Android’s Built-in Parental Controls

In addition to Google Family Link, there are also built-in parental controls on Android phones that parents can use to protect their children. However, this method is not effective as Google Family Link and Third-party apps. Here are the steps to set up Android’s built-in Parental control features.

Enable Restricted Mode on YouTube

To enable Restricted Mode on YouTube, follow these steps:

1. Open the YouTube app
2. Tap on your profile picture
3. Tap on Settings
4. Tap on General
5. Enable Restricted Mode

Enable Play Store Parental Controls

To enable Play Store Parental Controls, follow these steps:

1. Open the Play Store app
2. Tap on the three horizontal lines in the top-left corner
3. Tap on Settings
4. Scroll down and tap on Family and then Parental Controls
5. Turn Parental Controls on
6. Set a PIN and then select the type of content you want to restrict

Set Screen Time Limits

To set screen time limits on your child’s device, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app
2. Tap on Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls
3. Tap on Parental Controls
4. Enable Parental Controls and set a PIN
5. Tap on the Daily device use option
6. Choose how much time your child can spend on the device each day.

Block specific websites or apps

To block specific websites or apps on your child’s device, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app
2. Tap on Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls
3. Tap on Parental Controls
4. Enable Parental Controls and set a PIN
5. Tap on App and game limits or Website filters
6. Add the specific apps, games, or websites you want to block.

How to Set up Google Family Link on Android

If you’re looking to set up parental controls on an Android phone, there are several ways to do it. Google Family Link is one of the first choices. Here’s the step-by-step guide on how to set up parental controls using Google Family Link:

Set up Google Family Link on Android phone:

1. Download and Install Family Link: The first step is to download and install the Family Link app from the Google Play Store on your Android phone.
2. Create a Google Account for Your Child: Now, you’ll need to download the Family Link app on your child’s android phone and create a Google account for your child.
3. Connect the Child’s Account with Your Own: After you’ve created the account, you’ll need to link your child’s family link app to your own Family Link app on your phone. This will allow you to manage your child’s account and set up parental controls.
4. Set Up Parental Controls: Once the accounts are linked, you’ll be able to set up parental controls on your child’s Android phone. You can set screen time limits, restrict access to certain apps and content, and even approve or block app downloads.

How to Set up Parental Control on Android Phone Using uMobix

As I said, there are many third-party parental control apps and uMobix is one of the best ones. uMobix provide advanced features beyond what is offered by the built-in parental control feature. uMobix is a popular parental control software that allows parents to monitor and restrict their child’s smartphone usage, including social media monitoring, call and SMS tracking, remote control, GPS tracking and more. Check the full uMobix review.

Here is how to put uMobix app on an Android Phone:

1. First, you need to visit uMobix website and purchase a subscription.
2. Once you’ve completed the purchase, uMobix will send you the login credentials in your email.
3. Then, download and install the app on your child’s Android device following the instructions uMobix gives you. (Physical access required)
4. Now, Log in to your uMobix account on your computer or another phone and start monitoring your child’s device usage.
5. From the uMobix dashboard set your children’s screen time, block certain apps, check deleted text messages, and more.

uMobix’s Features

Some of the key features include:

• Social media monitoring
• Call and SMS tracking
• Keylogger
• GPS tracking
• Screen time management
• App blocking
• Remote control settings
• Apps using Schedule
• Internet browsing history
• Deleted text messages
• Camera Snapshot

5 Parental Control Apps for Android

In addition to uMobix, there are many parental control apps available for Android devices with a range of features to help parents monitor their children’s device usage.

Here are five of the most popular parental control apps for Android:

1. Bark

Bark is a highly-rated app that uses AI to monitor your child’s online activity and alerts you to any potential issues, including cyberbullying, online predators, and inappropriate content. Read Bark parental Control Review.

2. CocoSpy

CocoSpy is another popular parental control app similar to uMobix that offers advanced features like call and SMS tracking, location tracking, and social media monitoring. It allows parents to keep a close eye on their child’s online activities and ensure their safety on the internet. Read our full CocoSpy Review.

3. Spyic

Spyic is a well-known parental control app that offers a range of features like GPS location tracking, call logs, text message tracking, and social media monitoring. It also has a keylogger feature that can record all keystrokes made on the Android device, providing parents with additional insights into their child’s online activities. Check full review of Spyic App.

4. Spyzie

Spyzie is a comprehensive parental control app with advanced features like real-time location tracking, call and SMS tracking, browser history tracking and social media monitoring. Spyzie provides parents with a detailed report of their child’s device usage, including the websites visited and apps used. Read our full review on Spyzie.

5. iKeyMonitor

iKeyMonitor is another top parental control app that offers advanced features like call and SMS tracking, social media monitoring, and keylogging. It allows parents to monitor their child’s device usage in real-time and receive alerts when their child accesses inappropriate content. Read Our full iKeyMonitor Review.

Final Thoughts

Parental controls are an essential feature for parents who want to ensure their children’s safety and protect them from online threats. With built-in parental control features and third-party apps like uMobix, Bark, and Spyic, parents can have more control over their children’s smartphone usage and keep them safe online. It’s important for parents to educate themselves about the various types of online threats so they can understand why you limit their phone usage.

Frequently Asked Questions

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