How to Prepare a Phone for a Child

Before setup

• Agree when and where the phone may be used.
• Decide who can contact the child.
• Choose what happens at school and bedtime.
• Explain what will be supervised.
• Plan what the child should do if the phone is lost.

Technical setup

1. Create an age-appropriate Apple or Google child account.
2. Enable Family Sharing or Family Link.
3. Require purchase approval.
4. Set app, content and screen-time controls.
5. Configure emergency contacts, backup and location choices.
6. Use a case and identify the device without publishing the home address.

Teach, do not only block

• How to report upsetting content
• Why passwords and codes stay private
• How to recognise scams
• When to ask an adult before installing an app
• How to call 999 in a genuine emergency

Review as the child grows

Controls should change with age, maturity and risk. Tell the child what is monitored and revisit the agreement rather than relying on hidden monitoring.

Protect the parent account too

A child may bypass controls if the parent password, Screen Time code or approval device is easy to access. Use a unique parent passcode and keep recovery methods outside the child’s phone.

Build the account and recovery structure before installing entertainment

Use an age-appropriate child account linked through the official family system. Do not sign the child into an adult’s primary Apple or Google account, because photos, messages, payments and recovery then become mixed.

• Set a strong device passcode and a parent-controlled recovery route.
• Configure purchases, content, contacts, location and downtime transparently.
• Enable backup and lost-device features and record the IMEI privately.
• Practise scam, emergency and lost-phone scenarios with the child.

Review the phone after real use. Remove controls that create unnecessary barriers and strengthen the settings that address an observed problem.