Using digital at primary school

1. Set up a Supervised Account

This works best if you have a Google Family Link account, which can work across apps. See how to set Family Link up here.

• Sign-in to your parent account to either add your child or select their existing account.
• Select Settings > Parental settings > choose your child
• Tick the box next to YouTube and YouTube Music, then press Next. Read the notice and press SELECT.
• Choose the content settings for your child. Read the notice and press SELECT again.
• Finally, review the parental controls features, read the Almost Finished page and select FINISH SETUP.

See the full instructions for a Supervised Account here.

2. Turn on Restricted Mode

• Sign-in to your child’s YouTube app on their device.
• Go to Settings > General > Restricted Mode and tap the toggle to turn it on.

This will help filter out mature content and can support other safety features. See the full instructions here.

3. Manage screen time

• From your parent account, go to Settings > Parental settings > Choose your child.
• Under general settings, disable Autoplay and Watch History. This will reduce content suggestions that encourage users to keep watching.

You can also turn off notifications to limit distractions. Set up Google Family Link for more control over app use and screen time.

See the full YouTube parental controls guide.

1. Create a parental PIN

Setting parental controls without a PIN means children can easily alter the settings. So, set a PIN to prevent this.

• In Roblox, login to your child’s account. From the Main Menu, select the 3 dots to open Settings.
• From Settings, select Parental Controls and tap the toggle next to Parent PIN is enabled.
• Follow the instructions to set a PIN only you will know. You will now need to enter this PIN when making changes. Once you close and reopen the settings, you will have to enter the PIN again.

See the full instructions here.

2. Set up Allowed Experiences

Allowed Experiences is an easy way to set age ratings for your child. This helps you make sure they only see content appropriate for them.

• Go to Settings > Parental Controls. Scroll down to Allowed Experiences. Select the highest age that’s right for your child.

If your child is younger than 9, set this too ‘All Ages’, or set up Account Restrictions instead.

3. Manage communication

If you turn on Account Restrictions, your child will not be able to communicate with others. However, for older children, you might want to let them communicate with friends from their offline life – whether that’s school or activities outside of school.

• Go to Settings > Privacy settings. Scroll down to Communication.
• Customise Communication settings, including filters, who can message them and who can chat with them.

Remember that video games like Roblox are a way for children to ‘hang out’ with friends. Make sure these settings reflect their needs and their age.

See more parental controls for Roblox here.

1. Create a child profile

Most streaming services let you create multiple profiles. This is an easy way to manage the content your child sees. Create a child’s profile to set age limits and content restrictions.

See how to create a kid’s profile on Disney+.

2. Set a parental PIN

Setting a PIN means your child can’t go in and change their safety settings without permission. This should be a number that only you will know and that your child can’t guess.

If your child tries to change settings or access content inappropriate for their age, the platform will ask for your PIN. This means your child will need to ask you for access.

See how to set a PIN on Netflix.

3. Customise playback settings

You can limit passive screen time by turning off autoplay and suggested content. With these features turned on, children might accidentally watch one episode after another without interruption.

See how to turn off Autoplay on Disney+.