How to set up parental controls on your teen's phone, tablet and laptop

If you are worried about what your children are looking at online, here's a quick guide to keeping them safe.

The new Netflix drama Adolescence has got many people talking about the dangers that are lurking online and how children are being influenced by things seen on the web and via social media apps. If this acclaimed mini-series has got you concerned about your child's digital devices and what they are viewing, there are some simple ways to lock things down and take back some control.

All of the major technology brands, including Apple, Google and Samsung, offer comprehensive parental controls which allow adults to set time limits, block apps from being installed and stop things from working at different times of the day and night.

There also a swathe of third-party applications - such as Norton Family, Net Nanny and Google Family Link - that can be downloaded from App Stores and will block inappropriate content, stop the installation of new apps and let parents set time limits for devices.

It may take a few minutes to get up and running, but it will give you some peace of mind that your children won't stumble across things they shouldn't be viewing. You'll also know they aren't watching things in bed or playing on apps in school when they should be studying.

Here's how to set up Parental Controls on Apple, Google and Microsoft devices.

APPLE DEVICES

On your Apple device, you can head to Settings and select the Screen Time option.

From this menu, you should see your child's devices and the option to "Set Up Parental Controls" . With this switched on, you can enable Content & Privacy Restrictions to manage content, apps and settings on your child’s device. You can also restrict explicit content, stop purchases and downloads, plus limit access to the privacy settings.

Apple's comprehensive settings let you set screen time limits, block apps after a certain point in the day and even install special web browsers that are designed to display kid-friendly content and nothing else.

The latest versions of iOS, iPadOS and macOS, also let you set up kids’ devices to show warnings when receiving or sending images containing nudity.

GOOGLE ANDROID

All Android phones from the likes of Samsung, Google and Motorola have their own security settings, but one app from Google will work across all devices.

It's called Family Link and is free to download, install and use. Once on a device, it offers a swathe of tools, including screen time limits, blocking access to apps when kids are at school and block inappropriate content or applications that you might not want them viewing or using.

It's also possible to stop them from contacting people without your permission, which helps ease the worry of strangers trying to chat online.

Another nice option in Family Link is getting notifications to say when your child has arrived at school safely and even check if their device has enough battery for their journey home.

WINDOWS PCs

If your child uses a Windows 11-powered PC, you might want to consider enabling Microsoft Family Safety.

Just like Apple and Google, this service offers features such as content blocking, apps and game filters, along with screen time limits and plus activity summaries which show you what has been happening on the screen.

You can add each member of the family to the PC and set limits for each person.