Quick advice
Start out with these tips for quick safety for your grandchild.
Review parental controls
Ask your child about the settings they place on your grandchild's devices, and add the same ones at your home.
Restrict screen time
Set limits around how much time your grandchild spends on different games or apps on their devices to support good habits.
Talk about digital
Ask your grandchild about their favourite apps and games. Maybe ask them to teach you so you can spend quality time together.
How do parental controls work?
Parental controls are settings that put you in control of what content your grandchild can see. Combined with conversations, these can help you protect your grandchild from the things they shouldn’t see or experience online.
If you’re taking care of your grandchildren at their home, it’s important to work with their parents. Ask them to walk you through the parental controls already in place. This could include what games and content they can access, spending allowances they might have and screen time limits already in place.
If your grandchild stays with you, you can set your own parental controls across broadband and home devices. Some parental controls used in their home might apply to your home too. However, you’ll need to ask your grandchild’s parent or carer for guidance on that.
Types of parental controls
We offer guidance on the following categories of parental controls. If you have any of the devices or systems below, you can set up parental controls.
- Broadband and mobile: These controls come with every broadband or mobile network. For the most part, these settings focus on restricting adult content. However, some might have additional features. See step-by-step broadband and mobile network guides.
- Video games and consoles: Popular video games consoles like Nintendo Switch, Xbox and PlayStation all have their own parental controls. These can restrict content, communication, screen time and spending. Video games like Roblox and Fortnite also have parental controls in the games themselves. See step-by-step video games and consoles guides.
- Smartphones, tablet and laptops: The most popular operating systems (OS) are Android and iOS (Apple). They each have built-in parental controls tools along with options to work across devices like Google Family Link, Microsoft Family or Apple Screen Time. See step-by-step guides for devices.
- Social media platforms and apps: Popular social media apps like TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram each have supervision tools that parents can use to manage screen time and communication. Otherwise, there are various privacy settings you can use. Please note that almost all social media apps are for users aged 13 or older. See step-by-step social media guides.
- Streaming services and search engines: Streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ along with search engines like Google and apps like YouTube all have parental control options. Setting age accounts can help protect your grandchild from inappropriate content. See step-by-step guides for streaming, search and more.
Balancing screen time
Screen time refers to the time children spend on their devices. Parental controls can often set screen time limits which mean children cannot access devices, games or apps after certain times. These kind of controls support children’s wellbeing.
There are two main types of screen time:
- Active: Children use their devices to learn, create or communicate.
- Passive: Children use their devices to watch or scroll.
While you care for your grandchild, encourage more active screen time. This is something you can get involved in — learn and play together!
It’s also important to take regular breaks from screens so they can rest their eyes and so they can get moving. Too much time spent sitting still can impact their mental and physical health.
Tips for balancing screen time
- Discuss their screen time limits. Are there any family rules about how much time they can spend online? Are there screen-free zones at home? These zones usually include the dinner table during meals or their bedrooms. Sometimes these zones will only apply at certain times of day such as bedtime.
- Encourage active screen time. Help them vary their digital ‘diet’ with a mix of online and offline activities. When they are on their screens, also encourage them to try a range of digital activities. Learn how to find new apps here.
- Talk to them and get involved. Ask them to show you how to play or discuss what they like about their favourite apps. It’s a great way to show interest and connect while staying on top of their safety.
Tackling online gaming
Most children play video games, with many choosing multiplayer games like Roblox and Fortnite. For many children, video games aren’t just about playing, they’re also about socialising.
It’s important to speak to your grandchild about what online games they like to play. Check which consoles or devices they use too so you can set up parental controls.
Popular video games
Learn more about your grandchild’s video game with one of the guides below.
Tips for safe online gaming
- Check age ratings: Games, like films, come with age ratings so you can check what your grandchild is playing is age-appropriate. Simply search the name of the game here to learn about it.
- Have regular conversations about the games they like playing and ask them if you can join in! You’ll see how they work, learn something new and bond with your grandchild!
- Talk about who they game with: Many games have a social element to them. Therefore, without the correct settings, they run the risk of talking with people who could harm them. Remind your grandchild that they can come to you if anyone ever makes them feel upset or uncomfortable.
Some children might also live stream their games or watch others’ live streams. Learn more about this to keep children safe.
Supporting safe social media
The majority of social media platforms require users to be 13 or older. If your grandchild is under 13, they should not use apps like TikTok, Snapchat or Instagram.
If your grandchild is a teenager, they might use social media. If they were honest about their age on sign-up, they will have automatic safety features. These include private accounts, screen time limits and restrictions on who can contact them.
Popular social media platforms
Learn more about your grandchild’s favourite social media app or platforms.
Tips for safe social media use
- Check age requirements: Most social media platforms require a minimum age of 13 for its users. If your grandchild is under this age, they are at greater risk of harm.
- Talk about the platforms they use: Why do they enjoy the apps? Who do they talk to? Do they create their own content? How do they keep themselves safe? Chats are a great way to help them develop critical thinking skills.
- Set screen time limits: Whether in the app or using a timer of any description, screen time limits can reduce pass screen time. Scrolling and watching content or idealised lifestyles for extended periods can negatively impact children’s mental health and overall wellbeing.
Online safety issues to know about
Your grandchild can face many risks of harm online along with many benefits. Staying informed about the harms can help you support those benefits. The following are online safety issues to know about as a grandparent.
Without precautions, your grandchild might come across inappropriate content such as pornographic material, bad language, gambling, unmoderated chat rooms and sites that encourage terrorism or racism.
How to prevent it
- Have a conversation: Encourage your grandchild to talk to you should they come across inappropriate content and find out how they accessed it.
- Set parental controls: Use child-friendly search engines such as Google SafeSearch or Swiggle. Also, set up safety modes on websites or apps such as YouTube. You can learn how to do so.
- Learn more about inappropriate content.
Cyberbullying stretches across devices and platforms. Children who use social media or sites with communication features face greater risk.
Bullying no longer ends at the school gates and can follow children wherever there’s mobile data or an internet connection, including smartphones and gaming consoles.
How to prevent it
- Talk about appropriate behaviours: Explore what is kind behaviour versus what isn’t to help children take action against hate, trolling or bullying.
- Limit interactions: Use parental controls to restrict communication with strangers online. Also, encourage your grandchild to block anyone, including their friends or peers from school, who makes them feel upset.
- Learn more about cyberbullying.
Sexting is the sending and receiving of explicit messages or images. Children might share these images via iMessage, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat or anywhere that has open communication between users.
Many children see sexting as a normal part of modern relationships. In fact, the practise is most common among 11-13-year-olds.
Children might feel pressured to share images or might face extortion (sextortion), which is most common among boys.
How to prevent it
- Talk about healthy relationships: Explain that no one should expect nude photos from them. Nor should they ask others for nude photos. A loving relationship makes people feel comfortable, so they should ask you for help if someone is doing the opposite.
- Ask them about who they talk to: Stay on top of interactions your grandchild has with others online. If someone is asking them to take communication outside of a game, or if they’re asking too-personal questions, they should block and report them.
- Learn more about sexting.
Children can pressure to post pictures of them having fun and living up to what their peers are posting online. Girls are at greater risk of this, but boys are impacted as well.
Talking to your grandchildren about selfies they’ve seen online and their own self-image is really important as many children suffer from low self-esteem as a result of online pressure to look a certain way or post continually.
How to prevent it
- Practise critical thinking: Talk to them about how what they see online may not be a representation of real life and remind them that an image doesn’t define them.
- Encourage balanced screen time: Time away from their devices or spaces where they feel pressure can support their mental health. Engage in offline activities with them to help.
Many apps and video games now have in-game or in-app purchases. These are often called microtransactions.
The digitisation of money means that finances aren’t very tangible for children now. With the added challenge of easy payments through connected credit cards it’s more important than ever to help children develop good online money habits.
How to prevent overspending
- Get familiar with in-app purchases in the apps and platforms children use.
- Use parental controls on devices and platforms to controls spending.
- Help them follow the ground rules their parents have set on where and how they can spend money online.
- Talk about the value of money with them so they can make smarter choices on what they buy.
- Talk about online scams and how to spot them so they don’t accidentally give away their personal information.
Top 5 tips for grandparents
Review these quick tips or download and print the guide for easy access later.