How to make Android more child friendly

Ensure kids use their Android phones safely

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Android is the most popular smartphoneoperating systemworldwide. According toStatista, it commands a 72% market share compared to 27% for iOS and the remaining 1% for a few other operating systems.

Android’s large market share transcends all demographics. Many parents buy Android devices for their kids, and it’s necessary to ensure they use them safely. This article will show you steps to make an Android device more child-friendly.

1. Use Google Family Link

Family Link is aparental control appoffered byGoogle, the maker of the Android operating system. This tool is free to use and easy to set up. You can create a Google child account for your kid and link it with your own Google account. You’ll specify which account belongs to the kid and which belongs to you so that it’ll be granted supervision rights. Once you enable Family Link, it allows you to implement several useful parental control features, such as:

Just bear in mind that Google Family Link is rudimentary at best.

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2. Enable Play Store parental controls

TheGoogle Play Storeis every Android device’s gateway to the web. It’s where they can find and download numerous types of apps, meaning parental restrictions are needed for kids.

The Play Store has built-in parental controls. For instance, you can use the safe search filter to prevent kids from downloading apps with explicit and inappropriate content. You can also block some categories of apps, e.g., gambling and instant messaging.

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After setting content and app filters on the Play Store, your child won’t be able to download apps that fall outside those settings. Note that you must configure your restrictions for each Android device your child uses. This is unlike Family Link, where the restrictions apply as long as your kid is signed into their account.

3. Use YouTube Kids

YouTubeis the most popular video-sharing site globally, owned by Google. Any child with a smartphone will likely visit YouTube regularly to watch videos.

For safety, you can replace the YouTube app on your child’s smartphone with YouTube Kids, a child-friendly version.

YouTube Kids features curated content created for kids. You can find a lot of educational content on it, which helps your kid stay productive online. The app has parental control settings that let you limit your child’s screen time and restrict them from accessing the search tool if needed.

4. Disable downloads from unknown sources

Android phones are peculiar for giving their owners much control over their devices. Hence, Google Play Store is not the only venue for kids to download apps. If they’re tech-savvy, they can sideload apps by downloading and installing the APKs directly. But you can counter this by disabling downloads from Unknown Sources in your child’s phone’s settings.

Note that if your kids are tech-savvy, they can figure out what you did and enable the downloads back. Hence, you should constantly monitor their device and ensure that downloads from Unknown Sources are disabled.

5. Restrict unauthorized purchases

Some unethical app developers try to trick children into paying for unnecessary features. This mostly occurs with games where “dark patterns” are employed. For instance, the game developer can make a level too difficult and require a paid upgrade to scale through that level.

You can prevent your child from making unauthorized purchases from the Play Store settings:

After enabling this option, you will have to provide a password each time your kid wants to make an in-app purchase, which puts you in control.

Alternatively, you can usePurchase Requestsvia Family Link. Anytime your child wants to download an app on their device, they’ll send a Purchase Request to your account, and you’ll decide whether to approve it or not. You can view these requests and respond in real time or queue them to respond later.

6. Security Lock

This is a very basic step but is nonetheless worth pointing out. Enable security lock on your child’s device. You can use a pattern lock, a password, or a PIN. You can use fingerprint or facial recognition if their device supports biometric authentication.

Security lock ensures that no one can access your child’s device without their permission. Follow these few steps to implement this feature:

Biometric authentication is the best and safest option. If the device does not support it, a pattern lock is suitable because it’s easier to remember than a password yet more complex than a short PIN.

7. Enable SafeSearch on Chrome

Chances are your child will use Google Chrome to access the web and the Google search engine to find things online. Hence, you can enable theSafeSearchfilter on Chrome.

SafeSearch hides inappropriate content from search results, such as images that display violence or pornography. It’s not 100% accurate, but it does its job well.

Conclusion

There’s nothing wrong with giving your child a smartphone. But, you must ensure that the smartphone is as child-friendly as possible to prevent them from interacting with inappropriate content. We have shown you the most important steps to make an Android smartphone more child-friendly. Follow our tips, and your child will likely enjoy safe browsing and stick to the good parts of the internet.

We’ve listed the best free parental control app

Stefan has always been a lover of tech. He graduated with an MSc in geological engineering but soon discovered he had a knack for writing instead. So he decided to combine his newfound and life-long passions to become a technology writer. As a freelance content writer, Stefan can break down complex technological topics, making them easily digestible for the lay audience.

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