CyberAwareUK
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Privacy, Devices & Parental Controls
Step-by-step settings for the devices and apps UK families actually use — free, built-in, and worth doing today.
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1. Devices
Apple iPhone/iPad: Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions. Set a Screen Time passcode your child doesn't know. Limit apps, block explicit content, disable app installs, purchases and private account changes. "App Limits" sets daily caps per app.
Android: Google Family Link app — manage apps, approve downloads, set screen time and bedtime, and see activity from your own phone. Also: Google Play → Settings → Parental controls.
Windows: Microsoft Family Safety (family.microsoft.com) — create child accounts, filter web, limit screen time, block apps and games by age rating, and view activity reports.
Home router (all UK ISPs): Sky, Virgin, BT, EE and others have free parental controls in the router app or admin panel (usually 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1). Filter adult content across every device on the WiFi.
2. Consoles
Xbox: Family settings on account.microsoft.com/family — age filters, screen time, spending limits, and who can message your child.
PlayStation: Settings → Family and Parental Controls — restrict by age rating, limit voice/text chat, control spending, set playtime limits.
Nintendo Switch: Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app — set playtime, restrict software by age, and limit communication.
PEGI ratings: Check age ratings at pegi.info — 3, 7, 12, 16, 18. They exist for a reason: content and online interaction both matter.
3. Apps & platforms
YouTube / YouTube Kids: Restricted Mode in settings; YouTube Kids with content levels and search off; "Supervised accounts" for under-13s; disable comments and autoplay.
TikTok: Set account to Private, enable "Family Pairing" from a parent account, use Restricted Mode, disable DMs ("Who can send you messages" → No one), and switch off location.
Instagram: Private account, disable DMs from strangers (Messages → Message Controls), turn off location on posts, and use "Hidden Words" to filter abusive messages.
Snapchat: Ghost Mode (only you see location), "Who Can Contact Me" → My Friends, disable Quick Add, and know that Snap Map shows live location by default.
Discord: Turn off "Allow direct messages from server members", restrict to age-appropriate servers, disable "Friend requests" from strangers, and review privacy settings in User Settings.
Roblox: Account Restrictions (locks to curated content), disable chat entirely or limit to friends, set "Who can message me" to No one, disable personal audio, and review monthly spend settings.
Fortnite / Epic: Epic parental controls — restrict voice chat to friends or off, limit purchases with spend caps and PIN, set "Cabined Accounts" for under-13s (voice/text chat off by default).
4. What a parent/carer can do
- Set controls before handing over a new device — it's much harder to add restrictions later.
- Keep the app-store password and Screen Time passcode to yourself.
- Review settings together whenever a new app is installed — make it a 2-minute habit.
- Use age ratings (PEGI for games, app store ages for apps) as a starting point.
- Controls are a safety net, not a substitute for conversation — both matter.
💙 Need more?
Internet Matters (internetmatters.org) and the UK Safer Internet Centre (saferinternet.org.uk) have setup guides for every device and app.
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