Snapchat
Photos, messages and Snap Map. Review friends, recent contacts and location sharing.
Set up Family Center ↗Watch Snapchat setup on YouTube ↗A practical look at the apps young people use, what to review together, and where to find each platform’s parental controls.
What to look at together
TikTok
Short videos, comments and live content. Review recommendations, time spent and who can contact your teen.
Set up Family Pairing ↗Watch TikTok setup on YouTube ↗Reels, Stories and direct messages. Review Teen Account privacy, followers and contact settings.
Set up teen supervision ↗Watch Instagram setup on YouTube ↗YouTube
Videos, Shorts and livestreams. Review viewing history, recommendations and screen-time settings.
Open YouTube Family Center guide ↗Watch YouTube Kids controls ↗Discord
Servers, direct messages and voice chats. Review servers, friends and message requests.
Set up Family Center ↗Watch Discord setup on YouTube ↗Roblox
Games, chat, friends and in-game spending. Review content maturity, communication and purchase settings.
Link a parent account ↗Watch Roblox setup on YouTube ↗Messages, group chats and live location. For a child using a parent-managed account, review contacts, group access and privacy settings together.
Watch WhatsApp parent controls ↗BeReal
Check who sees posts and whether location is attached. Review the audience for each post.
BeReal audience guide ↗Watch BeReal privacy settings ↗Kik
Kik remains available. Review unknown contacts, group chats and blocked users; it does not have a parent dashboard like the other apps.
Kik privacy guide ↗Find Kik privacy videos on YouTube ↗Also check apps that connect users with strangers, such as Wizz and Yubo. Focus on features: private messages, unknown contacts, location, livestreaming, recommendations and spending.
Parent controls cannot show every message or block every unwanted contact.
Set up controls, step by step
1. Start with the device
Open Settings with your child. Make sure they use their own child or teen account. Review installed apps together, then agree on contact, location, spending and bedtime rules.
2. iPhone or iPad
Set up Family Sharing, then open your child’s Screen Time settings. Review Downtime, App Limits, Content & Privacy Restrictions, Communication Safety and Ask to Buy. Set a parent-only Screen Time passcode.
Apple’s setup instructions ↗Watch iPhone setup on YouTube ↗3. Android or Chromebook
Connect your child’s Google Account in Family Link. Under Controls, review app approvals, daily limits, bedtime, Google Play purchases and each app’s location, camera and microphone permissions.
Google’s setup instructions ↗Watch Family Link setup on YouTube ↗4. Connect individual apps
Use the official setup links above to connect parent and teen accounts. Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram and Discord require your teen to accept or complete the connection. Roblox uses a linked parent account.
5. Choose a YouTube setup
For younger children, consider YouTube Kids or a supervised kid account. For teens, link accounts in Family Center. Review Shorts, autoplay and viewing history together.
YouTube’s kid-account guide ↗Watch YouTube Kids controls ↗6. Check in monthly
Ask your child to show installed apps, friend or follower lists, privacy settings and any account making them uncomfortable. Invite them to tell you about strange messages without assuming they will lose their phone.
If someone requests private photos, threatens your child or pressures them to move to another app, save what you can, block and report the account, and seek help.
App menus change. The linked instructions from Apple, Google and each platform are the best place to check current steps.
Around the table
Pick two or three questions and let everyone answer, including adults. Ask for the story behind the answer.
Tell us about your day
- What was the best part of your day? What made it good?
- What was the hardest part? What made it difficult?
- Who did you talk to today, and what did you talk about?
- What made you laugh?
- What did you learn that you did not know yesterday?
Go a little deeper
- When did you feel most included, and who was with you?
- What moment would you like to do over?
- Who helped you today? Who did you help?
- What has been on your mind that we have not talked about?
- Who can contact you online, and who sees your location?