Research has suggested that our phones and tablets can in fact contribute positively to our children’s growth when used right given the interactive ways of these devices, which is completely opposite of what is being said for television. In such a condition, it is extremely important that we give our kids these devices only once we have ensured they would be consuming only appropriate content there, and stay restricted as per their age limits. You can also take care of your credit card bill by limiting your kids while using your Android so it is ensured that no unwanted and unnecessary Google Play purchases are made. Thus childproofing your Android becomes a mandatory step while giving out your Android to your kids to restrict their actions on it. You can do it thus –
Using Screen Lock
You can use a PIN or a password or a pattern to keep your device safe and secure. It also helps in keeping your kids at the bay when it comes to using your Android, which is the first step in childproofing. Also you need to make sure that your password should not be easy or guessable. You can go through the following steps to do it –
Go to the Settings on your device and click on Security.
Tap on Screen Lock.
Decide if you want to got with a PIN or a password or a pattern. Usually PINs and Passwords are better and safer options. Confirm your security lock and set it up,
Once it is done, every time your device gets locked in, you would be asked to enter the PIN/password to open it up. It would also be needed every time you are to do a significant change on the device.
New Users
One of the better steps to childproof the Android device is by making sure it is child friendly. You can thus set up a user account just for your kids. You can even choose to have different user accounts for your kids if they fall in different age group. To do so, please –
Head to the Settings, scroll down and tap on Users.
Select Add User or Profile.
From the window that popped up, select Restricted Profile to ensure limited access to your Android. Doing so will lead you to another screen where you would be able to provide selective access to apps present on your Android. Thus you can pickup such apps which you want to have accessed by kids. You can even censure the content some of these apps are offering by setting age restrictions.
You may want to note however that these settings are editable. You can go to the Settings on your device any time and tap on Users. Clicking on the gear next to the user profile you created, you would be able to edit it as per your need.
Google Play Restrictions
One of the better ways to childproof your Android is to limit the downloads your device is doing from Google Play Store. This will make sure your a little older children are not able to get away with everything they want. You can restrict downloads of movies, music, apps and books in Google Play. You would have to follow these steps –
Go to Google Play and run the app store.
You will find the menu for Google Play on the left hand side of the screen with three horizontal bars on the upper left corner. This will lead you to a full fledged Google Play menu.
Scroll down in the menu and click on Settings.
From the options opened, click Parental Controls.
Now, turn these controls on. It will need setting up a 4 digit password. You can put it same as the PIN you have to unlock your Android device.
Once you switch parental controls on, you can visit different sections like books or music or apps for setting restrictions. You can choose and restrict all the adult content in Music and Books. You may also choose to opt for standard age restrictions in sections like Apps, Movies, Games and TV. Please remember these restrictions only work for content available on Play Store. If you have made the download or done the purchase, these settings will do nothing to restrict its consumption.
Apps for Childproofing Your Android
Adding a new user usually does the work when it comes to childproofing. But you still can choose and try some apps while you are at it. These apps can limit the time your children spend on specific apps and can block websites as well. Following are some of the best childproofing apps available on Android –
Applock – You can use this to lock your device’s functions. It includes the basics like locking specific apps, Gallery or Google Play and can help you lock phone calls as well.
Kids Place Parental Control – An app like Applock is good if your kids are older, but in case your child is a toddler or pre K, you should opt for Kids Place. This app will help you restrict your screen to the apps they are supposed to use only.
Screen Time Parental Control – This app is the best to control the time your kid spends on the Android.
McAfee’s Safe Family – This is one of the better apps out there which feature so many good things together along with better functions like restricting websites.
Let us know how you found all these options to keep your kid out of your Android, while keeping the phone friendly for them, in the comments below.
