Kids’ Phones: Balance Safety Controls and Privacy

Start with the child’s needs

Before choosing a device or monitoring app, decide together what it is for: contacting family, schoolwork or keeping in touch with friends. Review which contacts, purchases and permissions are allowed. Explain the rules in language your child understands.

Sources: FTC: Kids and cell phones

Check the settings and the data trade-off

Review location sharing, app permissions, purchases and account recovery. A product marketed as safe still needs a privacy review: what does it collect, who can see it and how can you delete it?

Avoid secretly expanding monitoring as a substitute for support. Build a plan for bringing you a concerning message without fear of immediate blame or punishment.

Sources: FTC: Kids and cell phones; FTC: How to protect your child from identity theft

Make a practical family agreement

1. Set up the phone together and revisit settings as needs change.
2. Agree on how to handle strangers, pressure, unexpected links and requests for photos or information.
3. Keep account credentials and recovery details private.
4. If identity information is misused, follow the FTC’s child identity-theft guidance.

Sources: FTC: Kids and cell phones; FTC: How to protect your child from identity theft

Limits of this guidance

No device or parental-control product guarantees safety. Families’ needs differ, and a general guide cannot evaluate a particular child’s circumstances. Use the sources below to review the available settings and privacy choices.