Set it up yourself — tonight.

Apple · iPhone & iPad

Screen Time

• Give the kid their own Apple Account. Settings → your name → Family → Add Child. Their age drives everything else automatically.
• Turn on Screen Time for that child (Settings → Screen Time, or from your own phone via Family). Set a Screen Time passcode they don’t know.
• Content & Privacy Restrictions: set app age ratings (e.g. 12+), block explicit content, and under Web Content choose “Limit Adult Websites” — or “Allowed Websites Only” for a strict allow-list.
• Downtime and App Limits: schedule device-free hours (nights, school) and daily per-app caps — social apps included.
• Ask to Buy: every app download and purchase needs your approval before it lands.
• Communication Safety: on-device detection warns kids before sending or viewing nude images — nothing is sent to Apple.

Official guide: support.apple.com — Screen Time

Google · Android phones & tablets

Family Link

• Create a child Google Account (or supervise an existing one) with the Family Link app on your own phone.
• App approvals: every Play Store install needs your OK; set a maturity ceiling for apps, games and films.
• Screen-time rules: daily limits, per-app limits, bedtime lock — enforced on the device, managed from yours.
• Filters: SafeSearch on Google, restricted mode and a supervised experience on YouTube (or the separate YouTube Kids app for younger children).
• Location: optionally see the device’s whereabouts — worth an honest conversation with the kid first.

Official guide: families.google.com/familylink

Microsoft · Windows PCs & laptops

Family Safety

• Add the kid as a family member at family.microsoft.com and sign them into the PC with that account — not a shared adult account.
• Web filtering: block adult sites in Edge and optionally allow only sites you list. (It can also block other browsers so the filter can’t be sidestepped.)
• Screen time: per-day schedules and limits for the PC, and per-app/game limits — Xbox limits share the same settings.
• Purchase approval and activity reports — weekly emails of search and app activity if you want them.

Official guide: Microsoft Family Safety

Consoles · PlayStation, Xbox, Switch

Family accounts

• PlayStation: create a child account in your family group — set age-rating ceilings for games, play-time limits, spending caps, and restrict chat/messages. Managed from the console or the web.
• Xbox: the Xbox Family Settings app (iOS/Android) does the same — content ratings, screen time, purchase approval, communication limits — from your phone.
• Nintendo Switch: the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app sets daily play limits (the console shows a countdown), bedtime cut-offs, rating restrictions, and can suspend play remotely.

Official guides: PlayStation family accounts · Xbox Family Settings · Switch Parental Controls

The whole house · Router & DNS

Home Wi-Fi filtering

• Your router probably has parental controls already — most NZ ISP routers can pause the internet per device and set schedules. Check your ISP’s app (Spark, One NZ and 2degrees all ship one).
• Family DNS, the five-minute version: in the router’s DNS settings, use Cloudflare Family — 1.1.1.3 and 1.0.0.3 (blocks malware + adult content) — or OpenDNS FamilyShield — 208.67.222.123 and 208.67.220.123. Every device on the Wi-Fi inherits the filter.
• Know its limits: DNS filtering stops casual access, not determined teenagers — a VPN or mobile data walks around it. It buys defaults and friction, not certainty.

References: Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 for Families · OpenDNS FamilyShield

Inside the apps themselves

Platform supervision

• Instagram: Family Center supervision — link your account to your teen’s to set daily limits, scheduled breaks, and see who they follow. Teen accounts under 16 default to stricter settings.
• TikTok: Family Pairing — link accounts to control screen time, restricted mode, DMs and search.
• YouTube: a supervised experience with content tiers for under-13s via Family Link, or YouTube Kids; restricted mode for older teens.
• Snapchat: Family Center — see who they’re talking to (not the messages) and restrict sensitive content.

Guides: Instagram Family Center · TikTok Family Pairing · YouTube Kids & supervision · Snapchat Family Center