Start here

Quick answer: start with the free controls you already have. Apple Screen Time on an iPhone or Google Family Link on Android covers screen time, app approvals and content limits at no cost. Then set up the controls inside each game or app your child uses, because those are separate. Pay for an app or a kids’ phone only if you need something the free tools can’t do.

We research kids’ tech from the makers’ own help pages, app store listings, court filings and official guidance, and we say plainly what each option covers and what it misses. Find your situation below.

First phones, watches and tablets

A first device doesn’t have to be a full smartphone. These guides compare locked-down phones, kids’ smartwatches and tablets.

• Best phone for kids: Gabb vs Bark vs Pinwheel vs Troomi, compared
• Gabb Phone vs Bark Phone: the most locked-down phone vs a real Samsung with alerts
• Pinwheel vs Troomi: two kids’ phones that work on your own carrier
• Best smartwatch for kids: six watches compared, and the two things to check first
• Bark Watch vs Gabb Watch: 911 calls, location updates and message monitoring
• Gizmo Watch: what changed with the Verizon app, and alternatives
• Apple Watch for kids: how it works without an iPhone, and the model catch
• Best tablet for kids: Fire Kids vs iPad vs Galaxy Tab, and the controls on each

Games and consoles

Most games have their own chat, spending and age settings, and you set them up separately from the phone or console.

• Roblox parental controls: how to link accounts, limit chat and cap spending
• Roblox lawsuit: what the state cases and settlements say, explained for parents
• Fortnite parental controls: age rating, voice chat, spending and the FTC settlement
• Minecraft parental controls: multiplayer, chat and age settings
• PS5, Xbox and Switch parental controls: how to set them up on each console

Apps, phones and settings

• Best parental control apps: free tools vs Qustodio vs Bark, and what each one can see
• How to set up parental controls on iPhone: Screen Time step by step
• Instagram parental controls: Teen Accounts, supervision and what parents can see

Lawsuits and news

• Meta lawsuit: the child-safety trials and settlements, and what they mean for parents

More privacy guides for the whole family are in our digital privacy hub.

How we research: we don’t lab-test products. We read help pages, policies, official guidance and verified user reports, and we link our sources in every guide. Read our editorial policy.