How To Childproof Your Smartphone

When you think about childproofing your house, you consider neutralizing sharp corners, heavy objects, household chemicals and blocking unsavoury TV channels.

However, we often forget that our portable electronic devices may also host hidden dangers.

Take your smartphone, for example. In the process of exploring this fun new toy, your child may accidentally buy pricy apps or upgrades, delete things, make calls to your boss and more.

Here are a few steps you should take to be on the safe side and ensure your child has a nice friendly experience with your smartphone.

Lock Your Screen

This one comes as a no-brainer. If you leave your phone lying around unlocked, you make it easy for your child to start pressing buttons without your supervision. So, go to Settings>Screen Lock and choose a password or a key-combination to protect your screen.

Create a Separate User Profile

Later versions of Android allow you to create a special user profile for your child, allowing them to play with the device, while safely storing your data out of their reach. Tap Settings>User Profiles>Add User. Tap Set Up Now in the pop-up menu. You will then need to enter the user’s email address. It does not have to be an address your child is actually actively using, but he or she will need a personal account. Go to Google Play Store and tap the Menu button in the top right corner. Go to Account Settings>Content Filtering. You will be able to check/uncheck the following options: Everyone, Low Maturity, Medium Maturity, High Maturity, Show All Apps.

As an extra precaution, you can set up a pin code to prevent your child from changing these settings in the future. To do this, tap More About Content Filtering. You can even change the settings to prevent your child from being able to make in app purchase, you can read more details in our blog 

Lock Your Settings

There are a number of apps (like App Lock) that allow you to lock your settings (like date, sound, notifications, etc) and keep them from being accidentally changed.

Use a Childproofing App

You can find a good selection of apps for this purpose on Google Play Store, that cater to different ages.

For younger phone users, you may want to try Toddler Lock. When the app is in use, and your child starts pressing buttons, the screen will start showing colourful shapes that respond to touch and playing soothing music. In the meantime, all the hardware and functional buttons will be locked, ensuring your data’s safety.

We have just outlined a few simple precautions to protect your child from inappropriate information and your phone from unwanted modifications. Eventually though, the best childproofing method may involve sitting your child down and educating him or her about the way your phone works, outlining all the do’s and don’t.

How to Prevent your Kids from Buying on your Google Play Account

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