PARENT HOW-TOS / SETTINGS THAT MATTER
Lock down the stuff they actually use.
17 setup guides for phones, tablets, consoles, games, apps, and home Wi-Fi, researched from current official instructions and written for normal humans.
Phones, tablets & watches
Set up the device itself first: accounts, app approval, screen time, and purchases.
Set up a child’s iPhone or iPad
Use a Child Account in Family Sharing, then set app and website approvals, allowed contacts, schedules, time allowances, and content limits from your own iPhone.
Set up Google Family Link
Create or supervise your child’s Google Account, then set app approvals, screen time, web filters, and location on their Android device or personal Chromebook.
Set up an Apple Watch for a child
Use Apple Watch For Your Kids, formerly called Family Setup, to give a child approved contacts, Schooltime, and Communication Safety without an iPhone of their own.
Set up an Amazon Fire tablet for a child
Create an Amazon Kids profile, set age filters, screen time, and web access, require approval for apps and purchases, and check activity in the Parent Dashboard.
Games & consoles
Chat, friends, spending, and play time on the platforms kids actually play.
Lock down Roblox
Link a parent account, review content and chat, set time and spending boundaries, and check what is actually being played.
Lock down Fortnite
Add the parent PIN, restrict chat and content, review AI communication, and cover the console settings Epic cannot control.
Lock down Xbox
Secure your Microsoft account, add your child to a family group, and set content, screen time, spending, and chat limits on every Xbox they sign in to.
Lock down PlayStation
Set up a PlayStation family, choose age levels, restrict chat, keep spending at zero, set playtime limits, and lock the console so the controls actually stick.
Lock down Nintendo Switch
Link the parental-controls app, set age and time limits, restrict in-game communication, and secure eShop purchases separately.
Set up Steam Families
Create a Steam Family, add your child as a Child, then choose their games, Steam features, daily playtime, and purchase approvals on PC and Steam Deck.
Set up a Meta Quest for a child
Create a parent-managed account or set up teen supervision, lock your own profile, set the boundary, and control apps, contacts, time, and spending from the Meta Horizon app.
Apps & social
Video, chat, and social apps: what supervision shows, and what it does not.
Set up YouTube for kids and teens
Pick YouTube Kids, a supervised kid account, or teen supervision, then set content levels, search, Shorts limits, reminders, and Restricted Mode on every device your child uses.
Set up Discord Family Center
Connect with a teen, review who can reach them, set safety and privacy options, and understand what Family Center does not show.
Set up Instagram supervision
Link your account to your teen’s through Family Center, review Teen Account defaults, set content and time limits, and check location and reporting tools together.
Set up TikTok Family Pairing
Link your account to your teen’s with Family Pairing, then set screen time, content filters, messaging, and privacy, and check what the controls do not cover.
Set up Snapchat Family Center
Connect your account to your teen’s through Family Center, turn on content and My AI controls, review contact and location settings, and learn what Family Center cannot show.
Home network
One layer that covers every device on your Wi-Fi.