You already have everything you need on your phone. We show you step by step how to set it up on iPhone, Android and in the apps your child uses.
and 5 months. That is when the average Polish child gets their first phone with internet access.
Source: NASK study “Teenagers 3.0”That is what the parental controls built into iPhone, Android and apps cost.
That is how long basic protection on a child’s phone usually takes to set up.
Start with the phone’s system, then the apps, and finally the conversation. In that order.
System controls work across all apps at once: time, installs, websites, purchases, location.
In the apps your child uses, you link your account with theirs. That is how you see who they are in contact with.
Settings are half the protection. The other half is a child who will come to you when something worries them.
Each guide honestly explains what you will see, what you won’t, and how to set it up step by step.
You will see who your child is in contact with, how much time they spend in an app and what they can install. You will only learn what the conversations say if your child shows you. That is why talking matters as much as settings.
| App | Minimum age | Parent tool | See who they message? | Message content? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone | — | Family Sharing | You approve contacts | No |
| Android | own account from 16 (Poland) | Google Family Link | Contacts and SMS | No |
| YouTube | 13+ | Supervised account | Comments, uploaded videos | No |
| TikTok | 13+ | Family Pairing | Followers, blocked accounts | No |
| 13+ | Supervision | Following and followers | No | |
| Snapchat | 13+ | Family Center | Friends, recent contacts | No |
| 13+ (9–12 with a parent) | Parent-managed account | Alert about a new contact | No | |
| Discord | 13+ | Family Center | Weekly summary | No |
| Roblox | chat after age check | Parental Controls | You set who can message | No |
How to tell that a stranger is gaining your child’s trust or that something is wrong.
Conversation starters, a family agreement and how to talk about school attacks.
Free helplines, reporting harmful content and the emergency number.
Fixes for common problems and the ways children get around protections.
We will set up your child’s phone on a video call. You tap, I guide you step by step. I also run meetings for parents in schools.
Parental controls are built into the system. Since iOS 26 and 27 they are much simpler: when you set up a new device, the system asks whether it is for a child and walks you through all the settings.
How much time your child spends on the phone and in each app, including a list of visited websites.
E.g. 1 hour a day for games and social media.
The phone “sleeps” at chosen hours. Only calls and always-allowed apps work.
You decide who your child texts and talks to. A new number waits for your approval.
Every new app and purchase needs your approval on your phone.
Blocks adult websites in Safari and films and apps above your child’s age.
In Messages, FaceTime and AirDrop. Apple turns it on by default for everyone under 18.
Where your child’s phone is, in the Find My app.
On your child’s phone, turn on sharing across devices: Settings › Screen Time › Share Across Devices.
Both phones should run the latest iOS, and your child must be signed in to their own Apple Account from Family Sharing. Restart your child’s phone. Data can take up to a few hours to come through.
For every app limit, turn on Block at End of Limit. Without it, the limit is only a reminder.
With blocking on, requests for more time come to your phone and you decide.
Block app deletion: Screen Time › Content & Privacy Restrictions › iTunes & App Store Purchases › Deleting Apps → “Don’t Allow”.
With Ask to Buy on, reinstalling still needs your approval.
This feature needs iCloud Contacts on your child’s phone: Settings › [child’s name] › iCloud › Contacts must be on.
Then manage your child’s contacts from your phone in Screen Time settings.
Check that you are the organiser or a parent/guardian in Family Sharing, that notifications are on, and that Ask to Buy is on for your child.
It is on by default for children under 13. For teens you have to turn it on manually.
Change it from your phone: Settings › Family Sharing › [child] › Screen Time › Change Screen Time Passcode. Enter it where your child can’t see.
If you forget the passcode, you can reset it with your Apple Account password.
On your child’s phone, check Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services and, in the Find My app, “Share My Location”.
In Low Power Mode, location updates less often.
Problem still there? or .
Sources: Apple: Families · Internet Matters: iPhone guide. Menu names may differ slightly depending on the system version.
A free Google app. You install it on your phone, Android or iPhone, and manage your child’s Google account on their Android.
How much time your child can use the phone each day, set separately for each day of the week.
The phone locks in the evening and unlocks in the morning.
Limits distractions during lessons.
You approve downloads from Google Play, block installed apps and see time spent in each.
Blocks purchases and in-app payments in Google Play.
Blocks adult websites or allows only approved sites. SafeSearch in Google search.
Your child calls and texts only the people you add.
Where your child’s phone is. Plus remote phone lock.
Your child’s phone needs internet. Update Google Play services and Google apps in the Play Store, and set date and time to automatic.
Restart your child’s phone. Setting changes can take a few minutes to arrive.
Use the parent access code: in Family Link choose your child and open “Parent access code”. The code works offline and unlocks the phone for a while.
Your child’s account stays supervised, and signing back in on the phone needs your approval.
If your child creates a new account, Family Link won’t cover it. Check in Family Link that your child’s phone is still on the device list.
The website filter only works in Chrome. In Family Link, block other browsers (Firefox, Opera, Samsung Internet) and turn on approval for new apps.
Incognito mode in Chrome is turned off on a supervised account.
Check that your child’s phone has automatic date, time and time zone.
The daily limit doesn’t cover apps set as always allowed. Review that list in Family Link.
Check Settings › Accounts. Apps used on an account other than the supervised one are not covered by your settings.
Remove the unknown account and talk to your child about the rules.
Problem still there? or .
Sources: Google: account age requirements · Google: account for a child · Internet Matters: Family Link. Menus differ by phone maker.
Three paths depending on age. The most common mistake: your child watches YouTube without signing in or on a parent’s account. Then no child protection works.
A separate app with selected videos for children.
Regular YouTube with one of three content levels. Requires a supervised Google account for your child.
You see the number of uploaded videos, subscriptions and comments. You get an email when your teen uploads a video or starts a livestream.
YouTube’s filters aren’t perfect. In YouTube Kids you can block a specific video or channel (three dots next to the video, then “Block”) and report it.
For the youngest, the safest option is one where your child only watches content you have approved.
Sign in to your child’s account or a YouTube Kids profile on the TV. You can also remove the YouTube app from the TV or block it with the TV’s parental controls.
Sign your child in to their Google account in the browser. On a shared computer, turn on Restricted Mode in YouTube (profile picture, then “Restricted Mode”) in every browser.
The most reliable block is a limit on the YouTube app on the phone: in Screen Time or in Family Link.
A school account (Google Workspace for Education) can’t be supervised. You both need an up-to-date YouTube app.
You send the invitation from Family Center, and your teen accepts it on their phone.
Problem still there? or .
Sources: YouTube: supervised experience · YouTube Kids Help Center
Accounts from age 13. A younger child with an account gave a false date of birth and has no protections for their age. The parent links their account with the teen’s using Family Pairing.
How many minutes a day your teen can spend in the app.
E.g. at night and during lessons TikTok won’t open.
Narrows content for younger users.
Who can message your child and who can comment on their videos.
Plus turning search on or off.
A list of your child’s followers and accounts they blocked. You can block an account on their behalf.
Update the app. The option is in Profile › menu ☰ › Settings and privacy › Family Pairing. Your child’s account must have a teen age.
TikTok allows several accounts in one app. On your child’s profile, tap the name at the top of the screen to see all signed-in accounts.
Family Pairing only covers the linked account, so also set a time limit for the whole app on the phone.
Block tiktok.com in the website filter: on iPhone in Content Restrictions, on Android in Chrome settings in Family Link.
Check Family Pairing from time to time to see whether your child’s account is still linked. If not, link it again and talk about why it happened.
Under the terms they shouldn’t have an account. The safest option is to delete it and block installing the app on the phone.
Problem still there? or .
Source: TikTok Safety Center. Menu item names may differ slightly.
Everyone under 18 gets a teen account on Instagram with built-in protections. Meta is introducing the same accounts on Facebook and Messenger.
New followers must be approved.
Only people the teen follows or is already connected with can message them.
Restricted, and offensive words are filtered in comments.
Mutes notifications at night.
Loosening the settings requires a parent’s approval.
How much time a day on Instagram.
Full lists of accounts.
When your teen searches for terms that may point to serious problems.
Meta asks for age confirmation when a teen tries to change to an adult date. Check the date of birth in Accounts Center in Instagram settings.
On the profile, tap the name at the top of the screen to see all accounts signed in to the app. Supervision only covers the linked account.
Update the app on both phones. The invitation can also be sent from your child’s account (Family Center in settings) and accepted on your phone.
On a teen account, only people your child follows or is already connected with can message them. Go through the following list together and remove strangers.
Report and block any account that sends worrying messages.
Teen accounts also work on Facebook and Messenger. You set supervision in Meta’s Family Center.
Problem still there? or .
Sources: Instagram: for parents · Internet Matters: Instagram
The hardest for parents, because messages disappear. Family Center works like a phone bill: you see who your child contacts, but not what they say.
All friends and new ones from the past week, with information about mutual friends.
Who your child has recently messaged.
Average daily time over the past week.
Content restrictions and turning off the chatbot.
Shared family location and reporting worrying accounts.
You must be friends on Snapchat, your child must be under 18, and both apps must be up to date.
In your child’s privacy settings, allow contact from friends only and turn off showing the profile in Quick Add.
Take a screenshot or photograph the screen with a second phone, and report the account in the app. Snapchat notifies the sender about screenshots, so talk to your child first.
If these are nude images of a child, don’t take screenshots; report it to the police or to Dyżurnet.pl.
Turn on Ghost Mode or share location only with selected, trusted people.
A teen can leave Family Center. Check from time to time that they are still on the list, and if they disappear, talk about it.
Problem still there? or .
Source: parents.snapchat.com
A standard account from age 13. Since 2026, children aged about 9–12 can have a parent-managed account. The biggest risk is groups your child gets added to without being asked.
You link your phone with your child’s phone when creating the account.
By default your child only chats with people saved in their contacts.
When your child adds a new contact, you get a notification.
With “My contacts”, a stranger can’t add your child directly and can only send an invitation. Teach your child not to accept invitations or tap group links from strangers.
If your child is already in such a group: leave it, report it and block the person.
Turn off automatic download of photos and videos in Settings › Storage and data. Report the group or person in the app, and illegal content to Dyżurnet.pl.
Update WhatsApp on both phones. A managed account is created when setting up WhatsApp on your child’s phone and linked to yours with a QR code. The feature may not be available in every country yet.
On your child’s phone, check Settings › Linked devices and log out any device you don’t recognise.
Problem still there? or .
Source: WhatsApp Help Center
A messenger for gamers with thousands of public “servers”. Many parents don’t know their child has it. If your child plays online, check this first.
New friends, servers, who your child messaged and talked to.
Spending over the past week and time on voice and video calls.
Who can message, sensitive content filter and ads. Only the parent can change them.
Your child can turn on a notification to the parent when they report someone.
Family Center works in the mobile app. The code is generated on the teen’s account in the phone app.
In your child’s privacy settings, turn off direct messages from server members and limit friend requests to friends of friends.
Leave the server and report it. Check what age is set on your child’s account.
Family Center shows who your child talked to, but not what was said. Filters don’t check voice calls, so agree on a rule: voice calls only with people your child knows.
Problem still there? or .
Source: Discord Safety Center
In 2026 Roblox made the biggest change to its safety rules in its history. Since January chat requires an age check, and since June younger children get separate account types.
Chat only after facial age estimation or an ID check. Without it your child can play but can’t chat with others.
Under 9, 9–12, 13–15, 16–17, 18–20, 21+. Children mainly chat with people in their own group.
Chat is off by default unless a parent agrees.
Accounts for ages 5–8 and 9–15 with selected games and stricter chat settings.
Chat settings and blocking or approving specific games, up to age 15.
Playtime limit and monthly spending limit on Robux.
Content level and a one-time correction of your child’s age after the check.
Make sure there is good light and remove a cap or glasses. An ID can also be used. A parent can correct the child’s age once in Parental Controls.
In-app purchases go through the App Store or Google Play. Turn on Ask to Buy on iPhone or purchase approval in Family Link, and set a monthly spending limit in Roblox.
A new account without an age check has no chat. Control playtime on the phone or console, because that works regardless of the account.
On your child’s account, open Parental Controls and enter your email. Once linked, you change settings from your own account.
Problem still there? or .
Fortnite settings are tied to the Epic Games account and work on every device: phone, computer and console. They are protected by a 6-digit parent PIN.
Off, friends only or everyone.
Adding a new friend requires your code.
No PIN, no spending.
Access to modes and islands by age.
The Xbox Family Settings app.
Family Management in account settings.
The Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app.
Each console has its own settings, independent of the game settings. Set both levels.
On the Epic Games account page, open Parental Controls and choose the PIN reminder option. A reset code will be sent to the parent’s email.
The console has its own parental controls. Set both levels: in the Epic account and on the console.
Set voice chat to “Friends” or “Off” in Fortnite, and also limit chat in the console settings.
Accounts of children under the age of consent have limited features until a parent confirms consent by email. Check your inbox, including the Spam folder.
Problem still there? or .
Sources: Epic Games: changing settings · Internet Matters: Fortnite
Tools show time and contacts. The rest shows in your child’s behaviour. A single sign rarely means much. Several at once or a sudden change is a reason to talk.
From the internet, whom your child talks about reluctantly or not at all.
Top-ups and in-game currency from someone outside the family.
Requests to move to another messenger or to keep something secret.
Hiding the screen when you come near. Phone use at night.
Towards school or the phone, nervousness after messages.
From contact with friends, deleting accounts.
In sleep, appetite, mood.
With weapons, school attacks or their perpetrators.
Talking or writing about hurting someone, even “as a joke”.
A hidden account or a second phone.
Experts at NASK repeat that the most important protection is a child’s belief that they can come to a parent at any time with a difficult online experience.
About what you set up and why. Hidden tracking, once discovered, destroys trust for years.
Promise your child won’t lose their phone for coming to you with a problem.
“Will you show me what you’re watching?” works better than “What are you doing on there?”.
A 16-year-old needs different rules than a 10-year-old.
The most common problems with parental controls and the ways children try to get around them. Problems with a specific app are at the bottom of each guide.
On your phone and your child’s phone. Many bugs disappear after an update.
Your child’s phone after changing settings. It really often helps.
They must be set automatically, including the time zone. Otherwise limits and bedtime work incorrectly.
Your child’s phone needs Wi-Fi or mobile data to receive new settings.
Your child must be signed in to their own account, not yours and not a second, unknown account.
Some changes arrive after a few minutes, and reports even after a few hours.
TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat allow several accounts in one app. Supervision only covers the linked account.
Check the account list in apps and set a time limit for the whole app on the phone.
When the app is blocked, children open the website in a browser. Block those sites in the website filter, and on Android block browsers other than Chrome.
A VPN can get around website filters. To use one, your child has to install it, so with app approval you will see a request. Decline and talk about what your child was looking for.
On Android, your child’s account still needs your approval after a reset. On iPhone, the child account stays in Family Sharing. Check that your child’s phone is still visible in your app.
Some apps pretend to be a calculator or notepad and hide photos and chats. Review the list of installed apps and the time reports: lots of time in a “calculator” is a sign.
Children can see a passcode over your shoulder or record the screen. Enter it discreetly, change it from time to time and don’t use birthdays.
An old phone, a tablet, a console or a friend’s phone don’t have your settings. Add every device at home to the family, and cover the rest with conversation and clear rules.
All numbers are free and operate in Poland. Helplines are not emergency numbers. In an emergency, call 112.
Immediate danger to life or health, an announced attack.
For children and teens. Free and anonymous. You can also write via 116111.pl.
On children’s safety, including online. Email: pomoc@800100100.pl
For children and adults who want to report a child’s problem.
Run by NASK. Reports can be anonymous. Go to the form
Schools in Poland have mandatory Child Protection Standards, including procedures for protection against online threats.
Helpline opening hours may change. Check them on the websites of the organisations that run them.
You don’t have to do it alone. You tap on your phone, I guide you step by step. I never ask for passwords and never connect remotely to your child’s phone.
Video call. We set up one child’s phone and the apps they use. We finish with protection that works.
Book a timeAll your children’s phones, console and computer. After 30 days a second session: we check what works and adjust the settings.
Book a timeLive demo: iPhone, Android, YouTube, TikTok and games. Q&A at the end. You keep the recording.
Sign upChoose a day and time in the calendar and pay online by BLIK or card.
A video call link arrives by email. Have your phone and your child’s phone ready.
You tap, I tell you where. At the end you have working protection and know how to change it.
One printable page: iPhone, Android, YouTube, TikTok and games. Tick them off one by one. We will send it to your email, and once a month we will write about what changed in the apps.
Fill in the form and I will reply within one working day. You can also email me directly.
A meeting without slides about “online dangers”. Parents bring their phones and together we turn on parental controls. On iPhone, Android and in the apps their children use.
A meeting without slides about “online dangers”. Parents bring their phones and together we turn on parental controls.
Every collaboration is priced individually, depending on the number of parents and meetings. Get in touch and I will reply within one working day.
Concrete and without scaremongering: contact with strangers, groups, games, spending, night-time use.
Parents set up Family Sharing or Family Link on their phones. I help anyone who gets stuck.
What a parent can see and what they will never see. Where the most important settings are.
How to talk about controls, warning signs, where to find help.
A printable PDF with a QR code to the online guide.
Criminal record certificate and information from the Register of Sex Offenders.
A short note for the head teacher for the Child Protection Standards records.
Parents have access to the guide and can book a 1:1 consultation.
Tell me which school, municipality or company you are from and how many parents you expect. I will reply within one working day and prepare an offer.