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The online world can be a dangerous place. Offline, phones are expensive. There are plenty of reasons to insist on rigorous safety rules when you give your kid a phone.
Keep Control of Passwords
Your kid will need an Apple ID or Google ID if they’re using an iOS or Android device, respectively. Go ahead and set up the account for them, but either make it a rule that you need the password or set up your own account as the recovery account for when they forget or accidentally change their password.
Add Yourself to the Passcode
If your phone uses fingerprints or facial ID, add your fingerprints or face to the list of options. And rest assured that, in 20 or so years when you can’t figure out your future virtual phone, your kid can return the favour.
No Payment Methods for Young Kids
Attaching your credit card to your kid’s account is asking for trouble. If absolutely necessary, you can always give them a gift card to use.
Set Up Ask to Buy / Purchase Approvals
Okay, if your kid is old enough you might attach a payment method. But you can also turn on Ask to Buy on iOS or Purchase Approvals for Android. Just in case you need to keep an eye on things.
Set Up Family Sharing
Google has Google Family Link. Apple has Family Sharing. Enabling these will help you link all your family devices together and let you monitor screen time, share content across accounts, forward each other cash, and more.
Using Your Old Phone? Wipe It
If your kid’s new phone is your old phone, wipe it first. You never know what data—credit card information, emails, personal stuff kids shouldn’t see—is rattling around on there. Here’s our guide on wiping your phone.
Engage “Find My Phone” Feature
It’s easy to lose a phone, so make it easy to find one. Engage the Find My Phone feature, because you know your kid will leave their phone at band practice one day.
Consider a Monitoring App
Family sharing actually does a lot of monitoring, but you may want more. Some monitoring software tracks locations, web history, and even keystrokes. Some are specific to teen drivers.
