Setting Up Device Safeguards at Home

Start With a Child Account and Built-In Controls

Whether your child uses a computer, tablet or phone, a few simple safeguards can make their online world safer and give you peace of mind. Menus and option names change often, so if a step below no longer matches what you see, check the platform’s current help pages.

On a Windows or Mac computer, begin by creating a child account. Restrictions then apply only to your child’s account, while your own account stays unrestricted.

• Windows: Settings → Accounts → Family & other users → Add a child
• Mac: System Settings → Users & Groups → add a child account with Screen Time enabled

Next, turn on parental controls. Both systems let you filter websites, block adult content and set time limits.

• Windows: install and set up Microsoft Family Safety
• Mac: System Settings → Screen Time → Content Restrictions

Supervise Chrome With Google Family Link

Google Family Link lets you supervise your child’s Chrome browsing. To set it up:

1. Go to families.google.com, or install the Google Family Link app on iOS or Android.
2. Add a child account (under 13, or up to 18 depending on your region).
3. Sign your child into Chrome with their supervised Google account. Family Link then applies restrictions automatically.

To manage Chrome from Family Link, open the app, select your child, and go to Controls → Google Chrome → Content settings. You can then choose one of three levels:

• Allow all sites
• Try to block mature sites
• Only allow approved sites

You can also add sites to an Always Allow or Always Block list. Your child can request access to a blocked site, and you approve or deny the request.

Turn On SafeSearch

SafeSearch hides explicit images, videos and websites from Google Search results. Family Link turns it on automatically when you set up supervision for a child account. If creating a separate child account is not possible, you can turn it on yourself in Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox and other browsers.

On a computer:

1. Go to google.com/preferences, or click Settings → Search settings at the top right of Google.
2. Under SafeSearch filters, check Turn on SafeSearch.
3. Scroll down and click Save.

On a phone (Google app or browser):

1. Open the Google app, or go to google.com in a browser.
2. Tap your profile picture → Settings.
3. Select SafeSearch and toggle the filter on.

To keep SafeSearch from being switched off:

• On a shared device, sign in to your child’s Google account and enable it there.
• In Family Link, SafeSearch is locked automatically.
• On shared devices, you can also lock it at the network level with family-safe DNS, such as OpenDNS or CleanBrowsing (see the whole-home section below).

Set Up Tablets and Phones

iPads and iPhones use Screen Time, and Android devices use Family Link. Both can block adult content and limit apps.

iPad or iPhone:

1. Go to Settings → Screen Time and turn on Screen Time.
2. Turn on Privacy Restrictions (Content & Privacy Restrictions) and select Limit Adult Websites. On an iPhone this is under Content Restrictions → Web Content.
3. Under iTunes & App Store Purchases, require a password for new apps.
4. To limit apps such as social media and games, go to Screen Time → App Limits → Add Limit.
5. Turn on Ask to Buy in Family Sharing for purchases.

Android tablet or phone:

1. Install the Google Family Link app on your own phone and set it up on your child’s device too.
2. Add your child’s Google account under supervision.
3. Set content filters: Manage → Controls → Content restrictions. To block explicit sites in Chrome, go to Controls → Google Chrome → Block explicit sites.
4. Restrict apps by age rating and require your approval for any new download.
5. Set daily screen time limits.

On an Android tablet you might also consider a browser built just for children, such as SPIN Safe Browser.

Two extra habits help on phones. First, review your child’s apps now and then, because some apps hide a browser inside, which makes restrictions easy to bypass. Second, consider a parental control app such as Bark, Qustodio or Net Nanny, which adds filters and reports across multiple apps.

Lock Down YouTube

YouTube has several layers of protection, and you can combine them.

Restricted Mode. On the web (Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox):

1. Open youtube.com.
2. Click your profile picture → Restricted Mode.
3. Toggle Restricted Mode on.
4. Scroll down and choose Lock Restricted Mode, which requires signing in to your Google account.

In the YouTube mobile app (iOS or Android), open the app, tap your profile picture → Settings → General, and toggle Restricted Mode on.

YouTube Kids. This separate app is designed for children and works best for ages 12 and under. You can choose a content level (Preschool, Younger or Older), approve only specific videos or channels, and set screen time limits.

Family Link. If your child uses a supervised Google account, open Family Link, select your child, and go to Controls → YouTube. You can choose a supervised experience with limited content filtering, or block YouTube completely and allow only YouTube Kids.

Search and watch history. You have three options, and you can manage history for supervised accounts through Family Link, including whether it is saved at all. History settings sync across devices.

• Keep history on if you want visibility. You can see searches and watched videos in Google My Activity and spot trends or unsafe content early.
• Pause history to stop YouTube recording searches and views. This is useful if you do not want personalized recommendations, but it is not ideal if you want visibility.
• Clear history to remove individual searches or videos, or to reset recommendations if content gets off track. It works best paired with filters or YouTube Kids.

If you keep history on, checking it weekly gives you a quick safety snapshot. It can also start a conversation about why certain videos show up in your child’s recommendations. For stronger protection, pair history with Restricted Mode or YouTube Kids.

Protect the Whole Home

Want one change that protects every device? Set your Wi-Fi router to use family-safe DNS such as OpenDNS Family Shield or CleanBrowsing. Many routers also let you pause Wi-Fi on certain devices at bedtime. Changing the DNS settings on an individual computer to one of these services works the same way and automatically blocks adult sites on that device.

1. Log in to your router (the login details are usually on the sticker on the bottom).
2. Find the DNS settings, usually under Network or Internet.
3. Replace them with one of these pairs:
   • OpenDNS Family Shield: 208.67.222.123 and 208.67.220.123
   • CleanBrowsing Family Filter: 185.228.168.168 and 185.228.169.168
4. Save and restart the router.

With family-safe DNS you can also block or allow YouTube on specific devices. Some parents choose to block youtube.com at the router during certain hours, such as homework time or bedtime.

Always set a passcode so your child cannot turn off the restrictions, and talk with them about why filters exist, not just what the rules are. Review the settings as they grow, because what works at age 7 may not work at 12.