How to setup Parental Controls on Gaming Consoles, smartphones, and PCs

All devices have Parental Controls that help block websites, applications, and other content while limiting the total time spent. These settings can also be applied to your WiFi router so that none of the devices connected to your home's internet can access the parts of the internet you don't want to, although the process for setting it up is different for each router. Hence, Parental Controls can be set up on individual devices with straightforward methods.

With many enticing prices on gadgets, consoles, mobile phones, and PC parts recently during Black Friday and Holiday sales, children have received new electronic gifts. Parents need to know how to block and filter out unsuitable content and protect their children from the vastness of the internet.

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Setting up Parental Controls on all devices children have access to

Gaming Consoles

On PlayStation 4 and 5, you can set up Family Management features and add up to seven members. In contrast, parents set themselves up as Family Managers and customize Parental Controls for each member.

To enable parental controls on PlayStation 4 and 5, follow the steps listed below:

• Go to settings.
• Select Family and Parental Controls.
• Select Family Management.
• You can add your child's user profile by entering their name and date of birth.
• Next, you will have to choose their level of access and allow or disallow the use of PSVR and the internet browser.

On Xbox One and Series X|S, parents can set up Family Settings to review their children's screen time, set specific limits, set age restrictions, disallow online activities, and more. To do this :

• Press the Xbox button while on the home screen.
• Select Profile & System.
• Select Settings.
• Select Account.
• Select Privacy & Online Safety.
• Select Xbox Privacy.
• Select either Child, Teen, or Adult default Settings.
• After which, you can customize it further by selecting View details & customize.

Parents can also download the Xbox Family Settings application, which is available on iOS and Android, and log in with the same account as their gaming console to have more control over their children's usage.

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Smartphones

On iOS devices, which include iPhones and iPads, parents can set up controls to limit the features of these devices, such as downloads, purchases, and restrictions on explicit content.

This can be done by following the listed steps:

• Go to the iOS device's settings.
• Select Screen Time.
• Select Turn on Screen Time.
• Choose "This is my Child's Device."
• Afterward, you can set up a passcode to prevent another family member from changing the settings.
• Select Content & Privacy Restrictions from the same menu and turn it on.
• You can now set up age-related restrictions for applications, books, and media content.

On Android devices, parental controls can be set up by downloading the Google Family Link application from the Play Store. Parents can adjust the parameters for their children's devices, restrict various content, approve or disapprove applications, and set screen times.

• After downloading the Google Family Link application on your child's Android device, sign in using their account and add your account as the parent/guardian. You can now review all the applications installed on the device and remove any of them if you want to.
• Next, you will be prompted to activate the Profile Manager, which lets you set password rules, monitor screen unlock attempts, lock the screen, set screen lock, set storage encryption, disable cameras, and more.

Now, download the Google Family Link application from the Play Store and sign in. Using the app, you can set all the parental controls available from your device to your child's.

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Windows PC

On Windows 10 and 11, you can set up parental controls to set screen time, protect your children online, keep track of online activity, and more.

Follow the steps below to set up controls on your Windows device/s:

• Open the Settings app
• Go to Accounts
• Select Family & other users
• Add a family member and input your child's account details.
• Next, download the Microsoft Family Safety application on your smartphone, which is available on iOS and Android.
• Log in using the same account as your Windows PC and set yourself up as the Parent/Guardian
• You will now be able to review all the available safety options and accordingly restrict your child's device usage.