Parents who have kids with Samsung devices will be glad to know that they can use the mobile management tools that are built into Android to help control and monitor the activities of their children. This is a great way for parents to make sure that their kids do not spend too much time using some features of their devices, or to prevent certain apps from being used.
Samsung’s Galaxy phones and tablets come with a feature called “Parental Controls,” which give parents a degree of control over the device when it’s in the hands of their children. While Parental Controls aren’t intended to be used as a replacement for supervision, they can be a useful tool when teaching children how to use smartphones and tablets responsibly.
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➡ Pewresearch – Parenting Children in the Age of Screens
When you set up your child’s Samsung device, you can choose how much time they can use the device per day and what types of apps they can access.
For example, you can set it so your child is limited to a certain amount of time using social media apps during weekdays, but unlimited usage during the weekend. Another feature includes restrictions on content—you can set a password lock on certain apps so that your child cannot access them without your permission. This is especially useful if you have apps like Netflix or YouTube installed—but you don’t want your kid spending too much time watching videos.
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The controls are also useful if there’s an app you don’t want your kid to download—you can block access to the Google Play Store entirely. You can also limit which websites your kid can visit by adding sites to the blocked list in Internet settings or by installing a web filtering app on their device.
How to Enable Samsung Parental Controls
Samsung Kids is a great feature if you have a child between toddler age and 13 years old. It’s free and easy to set up. It features a variety of fun and educational apps that are specifically for kids.
It also allows you to lock your child’s device with a pattern, PIN, or password—especially handy if you have an older child who might just want to play games or surf the internet while they should be doing homework. You can also control which apps they can access and even how long they can use their device each day.
Reset the Phone and add an account for your child
- Click on Settings then go to General Management > Reset > Factory data reset.
- Go to Settings then Backup and reset and then tap Factory data reset.
- Tap Settings > Privacy > Factory data reset.
Now you have to add an account. Go to Settings then Accounts and tap on Add account, enter the details and agree to the Terms and Conditions.
After phone is reset and child account has been added, you can install Google’s Family Link app.
Install and setup Google Family Link app
Family Link is a new feature provided by Google to help parents keep track of their children’s online activities. It gives you access to your child’s online activity, like which apps they’re using, their call logs, and their location. It also lets you set limits on when they can use their phone and how much time they spend on it each day.
To get started, you’ll need to install the Family Link app on your child’s phone, and the Family Link for Parents app on your own phone. You’ll then need to create a Family Link account for yourself and link it to your child’s device. You can do this with your child present or after they’ve gone to bed—as long as they aren’t able to see what you’re doing, that doesn’t really matter.
To get started, you’ll create a Family Link account using your Google email address and password. You’ll then be asked to confirm that you’re 18 or over, and set up a profile for yourself with a picture that can be viewed by your child. That’s it!
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Once you’ve got everything set up, open the app on your phone and follow the instructions to add your child. The app will ask permission to access location information as well as some basic things about your kid like their name, age, gender and current school. (Note: if you’re looking to track a younger child who doesn’t have a phone of their own yet, you can also set up their profile on the device of the person who plans to be the main contact person.)
The next step is to give your kid their own phone! To do this, you’ll need to make sure they’re using Android 5 or higher (sorry iPhone users). Once they have their own device with Android 5 or higher installed, all you need to do is download and open the Family Link for Children.
Enabling Time Limits
Using your “supervisor” device (the one you’ve linked with your child’s Samsung), open the Family Link app. Select your child’s profile from the list of Family Link profiles.
Tap the gear icon in the top right corner of the screen, then select “Time Limits.” Tap “On” under “Weekdays” and/or “Weekends” to enable time limits for those days.
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If you’d like to adjust the amount of time that your child can use their device each day, tap “Hours per day” and enter a new number.
Tap “Back” in the top left corner of the screen to save your changes, then tap “Turn on” in the top right corner of the screen. Once you’ve enabled time limits, tap “OK, got it” in the message that appears at the bottom of the screen. Time Limits are now enabled for your child’s Samsung!
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Set a Screen time
- Go to Settings, then tap Digital Wellbeing and parental controls.
- Click on Digital Wellbeing.
- Click on Screen time > Set goal.
- Set the number of hours and minutes for screen time goal. Tap Done.
- After the screen time is set, you can view current usage of your child’s phone .
Control Google Play Purchases
The Google Family Link app offers control over your child’s device, but it can also be used to control purchases made through the Google Play Store. This is great for parents, who can use the app to lock their kid’s device and make sure they’re not buying anything they shouldn’t be on your old Android device.
However, it’s important to remember that you can still control the Play Store yourself even if you don’t want to use the Family Link app—and the process will look different depending on whether or not you’re using a phone that runs Android Oreo or an older version of Android.
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One of the primary ways that Family Link helps you keep track of your child’s online activity is by letting you monitor their in-app purchases on Google Play. This way, if they want to buy something using their own money, you’ll have the option of approving or declining it before they actually spend anything. Google Play lets you set spending limits on each individual payment method that your child registers with their account—this prevents them from being able to spend too much money in a single transaction. You can also require approval for all purchases over a certain amount or disable the app purchases.
- Open up the Google Play Store app on their phone or tablet and tap Menu > Settings > For all purchases through Google Play on this device.
Set Content Restrictions
You can set up what apps, games, and videos your kids can access and when they can use them based on your own specific parenting values. For example, you can restrict your teen from using Snapchat after 10 p.m., block any apps that are rated higher than a certain rating, or even prevent access to adult videos, games, or websites.
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You’ll be able to closely monitor how much time your child spends on their device each day, as well as which apps they’re using the most and what kind of activity they’re engaging in with each one. With this information, you can create your own parental controls and make sure to put appropriate limits on usage so your child is getting the most out of his or her device while still being safe and healthy.
- Tap Menu > Settings, Set a PIN for Play Store downloads,
- Tap other content type and set the age level where you want the PIN verification to activate.
