The control panel

What you can actually control

Every device in your house has parental controls, but they go overlooked because they're scattered across menus that get renamed every year. Underneath the menus, every platform offers the same five levers, which you can apply to any settings screen, on any device, including ones that don't exist yet.

The account. You get to decide whether your kid uses a child account or roams free on a shared adult login. If you don't set up a child account, you have no controls.
Time. Daily limits, downtime schedules, a bedtime that's enforced because the device stops being useful.
Content. Age ratings, filters, etc. On most platforms, there's also an allow-only mode, where instead of blocking bad sites forever, you can approve good ones once.
Apps and money. What can be installed, and whether buying anything requires your approval.
Other people. Who can contact your kid through the device, and whether chat is on at all.

Which device are you setting up?

We tell you which levers exist on each device, which ones don't, and where you can reference the latest documentation about your device. Menus move too often for anyone to mirror them faithfully, so the company's own guide is always your final step.

iPhone and iPad (Apple Screen Time)

The most complete set of levers, if you do the account step first.

Account
Create a child Apple Account in Family Sharing, so every setting below can be managed from your own phone.
Time
Downtime for the hours the device sleeps, App Limits for daily budgets.
Content
Age ratings per category, web filtering, and "Allowed Websites Only", which is the strict version.
Apps and money
Ask to Buy sends every download and purchase to your phone for approval.
Other people
Communication Limits controls who they can call and message, including during Downtime.

→ Apple's own setup guide (kept current by Apple)

Android phone or tablet (Google Family Link)

Nearly as complete as Apple's, and managed from your phone.

Account
A child Google Account supervised through the Family Link app.
Time
Daily limits, bedtime hours, and per-app limits.
Content
Age ratings in the Play Store, SafeSearch, and Chrome's approve-only website mode.
Apps and money
Every install and purchase can require your approval.
Other people
No single switch; contact controls live inside each app, so this lever is app-by-app work.

→ Google's own Family Link guide

Amazon Fire tablet (Amazon Kids)

The strongest built-in kid mode of any cheap tablet.

Account
A child profile locks the whole tablet into Amazon Kids; leaving it requires your PIN.
Time
Daily limits, bedtime, and educational-goals-before-entertainment ordering.
Content
You curate the library; the kid browser only reaches approved sites.
Apps and money
Nothing installs and nothing sells inside a kid profile.
Other people
Effectively off; there's no open communication in the kid profile.

→ Amazon's own Kids settings guide

Roku

Honest summary: Roku barely has parental controls.

Account
No child profiles. Everyone shares the same Roku.
Time
Does not exist. The real time lever is the TV, the outlet, or the household rule.
Content
A PIN can gate The Roku Channel by rating, but apps like YouTube or Netflix bring their own settings; you configure each app separately.
Apps and money
A PIN can require approval to add channels or purchase.
Other people
Not applicable.

→ Roku's own parental controls page

Apple TV

Good content locks, weak time controls.

Account
Shares your Family Sharing setup; restrictions are set on the device.
Time
Thin. You make your own rules, but make sure the TV is in a common room.
Content
Ratings restrictions per category behind a PIN.
Apps and money
Purchases and app installs can require the PIN.
Other people
Not applicable.

→ Apple's own Apple TV restrictions guide

Nintendo Switch

Nintendo's parental controls app is the best in the console business.

Account
A child account linked to your family group, managed from the phone app.
Time
A daily limit and bedtime; the console shows the countdown and can suspend play.
Content
Age ratings restrict which games run.
Apps and money
eShop purchases can be restricted entirely.
Other people
Communication toggles, settable per game.

→ Nintendo's own parental controls guide

PlayStation

Full-featured, once the family account exists.

Account
A child account inside your PlayStation family group.
Time
Playtime schedules and daily limits, adjustable from your phone.
Content
Age ratings per child.
Apps and money
A monthly spending cap, which can be zero.
Other people
Communication and content-sharing toggles per child.

→ Sony's own family accounts guide

Xbox

The same levers, plus they follow the kid to a Windows PC.

Account
A child account in a Microsoft family group, managed from the Family Safety app.
Time
Screen-time schedules per device.
Content
Age ratings, and web filtering in Edge.
Apps and money
Ask-a-parent approval for installs and spending.
Other people
Communication settings per child.

→ Microsoft's own Family Safety guide

Chromebook at home (Google Family Link)

The same Family Link levers as an Android phone, on a laptop.

Account
The kid signs in with their supervised Google Account. A school-issued Chromebook is different: the school's settings win, and we cover that on the school laptop page.
Time
Daily limits and bedtime per school-night.
Content
Chrome can run approve-only; SafeSearch stays locked on.
Apps and money
Installs require approval.
Other people
App-by-app, same as Android.

→ Google's own Family Link guide

Most home routers can pause the internet per device or per hour, which catches everything the per-device menus miss. And no lever substitutes for the conversation you need to have about limits. The conversations are the other half of every setting on this page.

Menus moved? A device we're missing? Tell us and we'll update this page.