Free printable checklist

    Your parental controls checklist

    Untick what your family does not have, choose your child's age, then print it. Every item links to the step-by-step guide, and the paper copy keeps track of where you got to.

    Your broadband

    Devices in your home

    Apps and games they use (or want)

    Your child's age

    Nothing is collected or stored. The checklist lives on this page and on your printout.

    Our family's online safety checklist

    From techsafeforkids.com/setup-checklist, where every item has a step-by-step guide.

    1. Home broadband (covers every device on your wifi)

    • Turn on BT Parental Controls from My BT and pick a filter level. (BT guide)

    • Turn on Sky Broadband Shield and choose a rating level (PG for younger children). (Sky guide)

    • Turn on Virgin Media Child Safe inside Web Safe, and keep Virus Safe on. (Virgin guide)

    • Turn on TalkTalk Kids Safe, and consider Homework Time for school nights. (TalkTalk guide)

    2. Each device

    • Set up Screen Time with a passcode your child does not know, and set app limits and Downtime. (iPhone guide)

    • Turn on Ask to Buy so app downloads and purchases need your approval.

    • Set up Google Family Link: screen time, app approvals and content filters from your own phone. (Android guide)

    • Turn on purchase approvals in the Play Store.

    • Add your child as a family member with their own account, never a shared adult login. (Computer guide)

    • Turn on the family safety controls: web filters, app limits and activity reports.

    • Set a PIN on age-rated content in each streaming app, and turn off shop access. (Smart TV guide)

    • Create a child account in Family Management, set play time, spending limit and chat restrictions. (PS5 guide)

    • Set up the Xbox Family Settings app: content age limit, screen time and ask-to-buy. (Xbox guide)

    • Pair the free Parental Controls app: play time limit, content level and PIN. Set eShop spending separately. (Switch guide)

    3. Apps and games

    • Turn autoplay OFF and Restricted Mode ON. Use YouTube Kids or a supervised account for under-13s. (YouTube check)

    • Link a parent account, set the content maturity level, chat settings and a Robux limit. (Roblox check)

    • Set the Epic PIN, make voice chat friends-only and turn on purchase approvals. (Fortnite check)

    • Keep younger children to single player or a private Realm; restrict chat in multiplayer. (Minecraft check)

    • Set up Family Pairing from your phone and lock the daily screen time limit. (TikTok check)

    • Link Family Centre and turn on Ghost Mode so their location is not on the Snap Map. (Snapchat check)

    • Use their real date of birth so Teen Account protections apply, and add yourself as supervisor. (Instagram check)

    • Change "who can add me to groups" to My Contacts, and set profile privacy to contacts only. (WhatsApp check)

    4. Everywhere

    • Turn safe search on (Google, Bing, YouTube), and lock it where possible. (Safe search guide)

    • Build your family agreement together and print it. (Agreement builder)

    • Remove saved card details from any account or device your child uses.

    5. The conversations (these do the most work)

    • Screens stay in shared family spaces, and watching happens together where possible. (Under-5s advice)

    • Use child-specific apps (YouTube Kids, CBeebies) rather than open platforms.

    • Agree the routine now: when screens happen, and what happens after.

    • Agree the family rules together and stick them somewhere visible. (6 to 10 advice)

    • Rehearse the exit: if anything online feels wrong, stop, do not reply, come and show a grown-up.

    • Turn safe search on everywhere they search. (Safe search guide)

    • Have the group chat conversation before the first group chat turns nasty, because one will. (11 to 13 advice)

    • Agree which apps are allowed at this age, using the real minimum ages. (App age checker)

    • Make the deal explicit: telling you about a problem never costs them the device.

    • Shift from controls to conversations: settings loosen as trust is earned. (14+ advice)

    • Talk plainly about sextortion and image sharing before it is ever needed. (Sextortion guide)

    • Keep spending approvals on, even when other controls relax.

    Frequently asked questions

    Yes, completely. No signup, no email address and nothing to buy. Untick what does not apply, then print it or save it as a PDF.

    Broadband first, because one setting covers every device on your wifi. Then each device, then the individual apps, and finish with the conversations, which do more long-term work than any setting.

    Around ten minutes for broadband, ten to twenty per device, and a few minutes per app. Most families get the essentials done in an evening, and the printout keeps track of where you got to.
    Setting up a first phone? Check an app's real age rating Build your family agreement

    Last reviewed: August 2026.

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