Whether you use your phone to distract your kid or you’re choosing your child’s first phone, it can be a daunting task. The last thing you want is for your child to accidentally have access to important files, like business documents, or inappropriate content through platforms like TikTok and YouTube.
The team here at OzMobiles understands how critical it is to properly childproof your phone. That’s why we’ve covered the different measures to make your device kid-friendly. We’ve also written a guide on different factors to consider when getting your child their first phone and which brands are best.
What To Consider When Getting Your Child Their First Phone
There’s no denying that times have changed, and children are starting to get their own phones as young as primary school age. In 2012, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that children as young as five years old were owning mobile phones.
While that statistic is surprising, it makes sense. A mobile phone at a young age can be good for safety, so you can keep track of your child’s location. Phone time can also be used as an incentive for completing school work or household chores.
Phones can also be an important tool for children to socialise and make friends. For example, they can be used to watch shows or play games online with classmates. When getting your child their first phone, it’s important to consider their age and what the phone will be used for.
If your child wants to play games with their friends, it’s essential to get a device that supports the latest apps. Safety features, such as parental controls, location tracking, and screen time settings, should also be considered.
For instance, refurbished Samsung Galaxy phones have a range of parental control options. You can restrict and monitor the apps your child downloads on the Google Play store, set screen time limits, and block explicit sites.
Refurbished iPhone devices also have built-in parental control and safety settings. Apple allows parents to disable specific apps or features for their children, prevent access to explicit content, and block specific websites. Third-party programs are also available on the iOS App Store for monitoring your child’s phone usage.
Both Google and Android have options to set up family accounts for their mobile phone devices. So, when you pick a phone for your child, you can add them to your Google or Apple account, granting you greater control over the content they can access.
What Phones Are Child Friendly?
Most phones on the market today include child-friendly features, such as screen time limits, restricting access to certain apps and features, and monitoring abilities.
We recommend picking a later-model phone that has access to later versions of the Android or Apple operating system. That way, your child’s device will have the latest security updates and safety features.
At OzMobiles, we understand that buying the latest model phone for your child isn’t always feasible. It can be expensive, especially if you’re trying to stick to a budget. If that’s the case, it’s also worth checking out the ‘budget’ options provided by the major smartphone brands.
For example, Samsung offers a model called Galaxy A phones. They’re much cheaper than the flagship Galaxy S phones—starting at a fraction of the price. Whilst the Galaxy A line isn’t as technically impressive, it will still run most games and apps smoothly.
If you prefer Apple devices, the iPhone SE range is still one of the best choices as the first phone for your child. iOS is much more ‘closed’ than the Android operating system, making it much safer and easier for less tech-savvy adults to monitor.
The iPhone SE is also more affordable than the flagship iPhone devices. Despite the iPhone SE’s age, it’s also still well-supported by Apple, receiving new firmware and security updates. The device also still has good specifications, so there won’t be any issues running the latest games.
How To Make Your Phone Kid-Friendly
The last thing you want is your child or a younger relative looking at something they shouldn’t have when using your phone. Whether they’re playing games on your phone and a notification pops up, or they watch a video and accidentally swap to another internet tab with inappropriate content.
So, here are our steps to making your phone more kid-friendly. Some of these steps also include downloading apps for extra functionality beyond what Android and iOS offer in their parental settings.
- When someone else is using your phone, turn on the Do Not Disturb option. On both Android and iOS, this should stop any notifications from popping up, alerts, or calls.
- If your child wants to watch a video on YouTube, open the YouTube Kids app instead. It’s a child-friendly version of the platform with content curated for kids and plenty of educational content.
- If you own an Android phone, turn off and disable downloads from unknown sources. That way, the child using your phone can’t accidentally download a malicious file.
- Restrict unauthorised purchases. The last thing you want is for your child to accidentally spend hundreds or even thousands. Go into your phone’s app store and turn on the settings to require authentication (for example, a PIN code or fingerprint) for purchases.
- Enable SafeSearch on your mobile phone’s browser. Google's SafeSearch option filters out inappropriate content from search results, such as images depicting violence.
- Set up and turn on parental controls when your child or a younger relative is playing with your phone. This allows you to restrict Apps, Games, Movies, and TV.
Third-party apps are available on both the Google Play and iOS App Store, and they allow you to set additional phone restrictions. For example, AppLock allows you to lock out access to almost anything on your phone or tablet. It can restrict access to your photo gallery, messages, or explicit apps while somebody else is using your device.
Buy Kid-Friendly Refurbished Phones at OzMobiles
The process of buying a child-friendly mobile phone doesn’t have to be hard. Let the team at OzMobiles make it stress-free. Contact us today and our team can guide you through the process and answer any questions you might have.
We stock a wide range of refurbished phones, which is perfect if you want later-model devices with enhanced parental control options at an affordable price. Our phones also come with a warranty and guarantee.
If you need any recommendations or advice on setting up parental controls, our team is also happy to help. We have extensive experience with all smartphone brands and know our way around the security settings.
