I am often asked by parents for strategies to manage their child’s online time and how to protect them from online predators. One of the best websites I can recommend is the “Online safety eSafety Commissioner: https://www.esafety.gov.au/

Here is one of their fact sheets on adding parental controls to your child’s devices:

Parental controls

Parental controls can be used to support your family's online safety when using devices that connect to the internet, such as phones, laptops, tablets, gaming consoles and smart TVs. But it's important to understand their limitations and use them in combination with other protective strategies.

In short:

Parental controls can help keep children and young people safer online by preventing access to harmful content, managing time spent online and limiting who they communicate with.
To be most effective, parental controls need to be set up on all devices your child accesses. They should be reviewed and updated regularly. It’s also important controls are set on devices your child may access while in the care of others (such as other family members and friends).
Parental controls are most effective when used alongside supervision and other online safety strategies.

What are parental controls?

Parental controls are software tools that allow you to monitor and limit what your child sees and does online.

They can be set up to do things like:

Block your child from accessing specific websites, apps or functions (like using a device’s camera, or the ability to buy things)
Filter different kinds of content — such as ‘adult’ or sexual content, social media pages and pages with content that may promote self-harm, eating disorders, violence, drugs, gambling, racism and terrorism
Limit who can communicate with your child as well as manage the apps they can use to communicate with others
Allow you to monitor your child’s use of connected devices, with reports on the sites they visit and the apps they use, how often and for how long
Set time limits, blocking access after a specific length of time.

If a device or program is shared by multiple members of your family, you should be able change the settings to reflect each user’s age, maturity and skills.

Child safety and rights when using parental controls

Trying to control your child’s online habits can be challenging. Even when you’re doing it with best intentions, to try to protect their wellbeing and development, communicating the need for online safety can be hard. So it’s tempting to dictate instead of guiding their choices. But parental controls are most effective when they're used to support and protect – not to control.

It’s a good idea to talk with your child about what parental controls you plan to use, and why – and ask them if they have any questions. Getting a conversation going about it can help build respect and trust. When your child feels they are trusted, they're more likely to come to you for help when it really matters.

It can be helpful to have a shared plan in place to review the use of parental controls as your child get older. You may want to use a family tech agreement to help you get started.

It’s also important to understand that parental controls can sometimes be misused. This may damage your relationship with your child and unintentionally undermine their ability to manage their own online safety. Read more about Misuse of parental controls.

Your home wi-fi network

Wi-fi allows some devices to connect to the internet wirelessly using another device called a router. Some wi-fi routers come with software that allows you to set up parental controls across your whole family wi-fi network. The advantage of this is that the rules you make are applied on all your connected devices – laptops, tablets, smartphones, even game consoles and smart TVs. However, you don't always get the same level of control and monitoring that you get from software installed on each device.

Search online for wi-fi products using terms like ‘child friendly routers,’ ‘child friendly wi-fi,’ ‘family friendly routers’ and ‘child safe wi-fi.’ Or check out the products accredited through the Family Friendly Filters schemeExternal link.

Some internet service providers (ISPs) provide routers incorporating parental control features as part of their broadband products.

Desktop and laptop computers

PC/Windows

Microsoft FamilyExternal link provides the ability to manage your child’s online activity on Windows devices through website blocking, checking in online at any time, and viewing activity reports on sites, apps and games visited. You’ll need to set up a family group of at least one parent and one child, each with their own Microsoft account.

Mac OS

The OSX Parental ControlsExternal link allow you to set profiles for each child to do things like limiting access to websites or apps, restricting functions like Siri or the iTunes store, setting time limits for days of the week and for bedtime, and hide inappropriate language in the dictionary and other sources.

Mobile devices

Apple tablets and smartphones

Apple operating systems from iOS12 enable you to restrict access to browsers and applications, in-app purchasing, social networking, some internet content (such as pornography), sharing of data (including photos and location), downloads, media streaming, online gaming, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) including Apple’s AI assistant, Siri. You can also restrict specific features, like use of the device’s camera, wallet (for purchases) or AirDrop (for file sharing). Find out howExternal link.

You can also set and change health and safety settings such as screen time, and privacy settings.

If you are concerned about your child seeing unwanted nude images and videos, consider turning on 'Sensitive Content Warning' on their Apple device. It is available to users of all ages. Access it by searching for 'Communication SafetyExternal link' or 'Sensitive Content' in settings.

Other material such as movies or music with explicit content ratings can also be filtered out. Explicit content ratings cover material such as inappropriate language, violent and sexual content, and references to drugs or alcohol. However, not all files with explicit content will be tagged with these ratings, so an age-appropriate level of parental supervision in addition to the use of device and app controls is advised.

Gaming consoles and smart TVs

Every major gaming console provides parental control measures to help parents manage their child’s gaming activity. Some online gaming platforms for PC (desktop/laptop computers) also provide parental controls, such as Steam and Epic Games.

Smart TVs offer all the exciting opportunities – and the risks – that come with being online. Most provide some form of parental control, even if it is just a code locking certain features. You could also consider disconnecting the TV from the internet if you are not using the ‘smart’ features.

Social media and other common apps

Social media platforms or ‘feeds’ are curated using algorithms that encourage engagement, regardless of whether it is positive and negative. Content is delivered to users with the aim of keeping them on the platform for long periods of time. You can read more about this issue in our online safety advisory An unfair fight – how algorithms are shaping our adolescents.

There are social media platforms designed for children, such as Kids Messenger. However most social media platforms have a minimum age of 13 for accounts. A new restriction on under-16s having social media accounts is also coming into effect in Australia in late 2025.

Whatever the laws, some children and young people may still find their way onto social media when they are not meant to access it. Also, there are many other apps that can allow children to connect to the internet and other people, which can put them at risk of harm.

Various online platforms have additional safety features for users aged under 18, but you shouldn’t rely on these operating automatically or by default. Help your child check their settings regularly to ensure they are using the strongest safety features.

Find more information in Online tools and features. You can also check The eSafety Guide for information on a wide range of online platforms and services, including social media, games and other apps.

Here is more detail about some of them.

Discord - Discord is an instant messaging and voice/video chat platform that is popular with online gaming communities. The Discord Family Centre allows parents and carers to see their child’s activity on Discord. The child can also see what information is being shared with their parent or carer. The information available includes their recently added friends (names and avatars), the servers (groups) they have joined or participated in, and the users they have messaged or called directly. However, to protect privacy, the content of messages and calls is not shared. Find more safety information about Discord in The eSafety Guide.
Facebook - Parental supervision toolsExternal link have been available globally on Facebook since late 2023. These tools can be found in the Settings menu. The tools can provide insights on things like time spent on Facebook, as well as allowing parents and carers to schedule breaks, and find other resources about managing time online. Meta also introduced Facebook and Messenger Teen Accounts in April 2025. Users aged 13 to 17 will automatically have their posts, Stories and other content set to friends only, only be able to chat with friends and other connections such as people who send a request using their phone number, automatically have sensitive and age-inappropriate content filtered out of their feed, be required to review posts they are tagged in, receive notifications telling them to leave Facebook after 60 minutes each day, and have their notifications muted between 10:00 pm and 7:00 am. Find more safety information about Facebook in The eSafety Guide.
Instagram - Supervision toolsExternal link are available via the Instagram mobile app. Instagram is primarily designed to be used on mobile devices, so some supervision tools may not be accessible via desktop browsing. Parents and carers can invite children aged 13 to 17 to link their account for supervision. The teen must agree to this before supervision tools can be used. The tools include the ability for parents and carers to set limits on when and for how long their child can use Instagram, to view who their child is connected with and who they’ve blocked, and view some of their settings such as privacy and security. Supervision tools do not enable parents and carers to see their child’s search history, messages or posts (but you can see their public posts, or posts shared to followers if you follow them). Supervision is automatically removed from the child’s account when they turn 18. Find more safety information about Instagram in The eSafety Guide.
Messenger - Parents and carers can access supervision tools through the Meta Family CentreExternal link. These include the ability to view how much time your child spends on Messenger, view their contacts list, who can message them and their safety/security settings, and who can see their Messenger stories. Children under 18 can also opt into allowing parents and carers to see who they have blocked on Messenger. Parents and carers can also schedule breaks to help manage time spent online. Find more safety information about Messenger and Messenger Kids in The eSafety Guide.
Reddit - Reddit is an online platform where users can submit and comment on news about a wide variety of topics, including current affairs, politics and entertainment. Content is moderated by community-specific volunteers. Reddit does not have specific parental controls, however it does have some safety features. These include options to increase anonymity, stop your profile from appearing in search engines, restrict who can directly message you, and filter out violent and sexual content. Find out more safety information about Reddit in The eSafety Guide.
Snapchat - Snapchat provides parental controls through its Family Centre External link, which is accessible via the mobile app. These controls enable parents and carers to see who their child is communicating with, view their child’s privacy and safety settings (including limiting the types of content that can be seen), manage parental controls for Snapchat’s artificial intelligence chatbot, My AI, and report any concerns directly to Snapchat’s Trust and Safety team. Parental controls on Snapchat are only accessible to parents and carers over the age of 25. Find more safety information about Snapchat in The eSafety Guide.
TikTok - TikTok uses a feature called Family Pairing External link to support supervision. This tool enables parents and carers to manage screen time, restrict content and users from searches and the feed, and change privacy and discoverability settings such as who can comment on your child’s videos, who they can be recommended to, and whether they can send and receive direct messages. Direct messaging is only available to children 16 years and older. Find more safety information about TikTok in The eSafety Guide.
X (formerly Twitter) - X does not provide parental controls, but there are some Safety Features External link that you can support your children to use if they have an X account. These include blocking other users’ accounts, muting certain words from the feed to avoid particular types of content, and reporting harmful material. In Australia, X accounts known to belong to children under the age of 18 will only be able to receive direct messages from accounts they follow. Children’s accounts will also be restricted from accessing ‘sensitive content’ such as pornography. Find more safety information about X in The eSafety Guide.
YouTube - YouTube Kids offers family friendly content along with parental controls that can set time limits on apps and turn off search functionality. See the YouTube Kids Parental Guide for more information. The YouTube Safety Centre External link provides safety tips, including advice on keeping personal videos private, cyberbullying, spam and phishing. It also has information about how to protect your identity and appropriately manage interactions with other users, tips on how to be a responsible digital citizen and how to use the community flagging system.

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