Do parental controls work, and how do I set them up?

The short answer

Parental controls can reduce access to particular content, contact, purchases or use at certain times, but they cannot guarantee safety or replace a child telling you what happened. Start with the risk you need to reduce. Create a child account using the child's real age, protect the adult administrator account, then check controls at every relevant layer: home network, device, app or platform, game or console, browser and payment account. Set only the controls that earn their place, such as age-based content, contact permissions, location sharing, purchases, downloads or a sleep-time schedule. Test each control while signed in as the child. Check what happens on mobile data, another browser or device, and after an update. Explain the setting, the reason and the review point. Recheck when the child gets a new device, account or access route. Treat bypassing as evidence that the route or rule needs attention, not proof that every conversation failed. Keep regular safety conversations and an easy reporting route alongside the technology.

• Controls reduce defined risks; no combination guarantees that a child will not encounter harm.
• Use a genuine child account and protect the adult administrator and payment credentials.
• Check network, device, browser, app, game, contact, location and purchase layers.
• Test from the child's account and through every access route the child currently uses.
• Explain, review and combine controls with regular conversation and reporting.