Your Child's First Phone: Set It Up Safely

Start with a child account, not yours

The single most useful step is setting up the phone with your child's own account, linked to yours as the parent. That's what unlocks parental controls, purchase approvals and location sharing. Handing down your old phone still signed in to your account skips all of that, and gives your child access to your email, photos and payment methods.

• iPhone: on your own iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Family (Family Sharing), and add a child. Apple walks you through creating a child account you manage.
• Android: use Google Family Link. You can create a supervised Google account for your child or add supervision to an existing one, then sign in to the new phone with it.

If the phone is a hand-me-down, erase it fully before your child sets it up. Sign out of your accounts first so the phone isn't locked to you.

Turn on parental controls

iPhone: Screen Time

With Family Sharing set up, you can manage your child's Screen Time from your own phone. The settings worth looking at first:

• Downtime: a schedule when only the apps and contacts you allow are available, such as overnight.
• App Limits: daily time limits for categories like games or social media.
• Communication Limits: control who your child can call and message.
• Content & Privacy Restrictions: age ratings for apps, films and websites, plus blocking explicit content.
• Ask to Buy: you approve downloads and purchases.
• Communication Safety: warns children before they view or send images that may contain nudity. Check that it's on.

Set a Screen Time passcode your child doesn't know, so the limits can't be switched off.

Android: Family Link

The Family Link app on your phone lets you approve app downloads, set daily limits and a bedtime, filter content in Google Play and Chrome, see the phone's location and lock it remotely. Most of it is set from your phone, so you can adjust limits without taking the device away.

Location sharing and finding a lost phone

Turn on location sharing through Family Sharing (iPhone) or Family Link (Android), and make sure the phone can be located if it's lost. On an iPhone that's Find My. On Android, it's Google's Find Hub, which used to be called Find My Device.

Talk to your child about why location is shared. Kids who understand the reason are less likely to look for ways around it.

Set up emergency basics

• Add parents and trusted adults to contacts with clear names, like "Mom" or "Dad", not nicknames.
• Set up emergency contacts and a Medical ID (iPhone Health app) or emergency information (Android safety settings), so first responders can see them from the lock screen.
• Show your child how to call 911 from a locked phone.
• Make sure the phone has your number saved as an emergency contact.

Protect the hardware from day one

Kids' phones lead a hard life: backpacks, playgrounds, hockey bags and bathroom counters. Put a case with a raised lip and a tempered glass screen protector on before the phone is handed over, not after the first drop. Choose a case your child likes; one they find ugly tends to come off.

Turn on automatic backups (iCloud or Google) too. If the phone cracks, gets wet or goes missing, the photos and contacts aren't lost with it.

Family phone rules that actually help

Settings do part of the job. Clear, simple rules do the rest. Some families write them down together:

1. Phones charge overnight in a shared space, like the kitchen, not the bedroom. It helps sleep, and it's safer than charging under a pillow.
2. No new apps without asking first.
3. Parents know the passcode.
4. Don't share your location, school or address with people you don't know.
5. If the phone breaks, gets wet or something online feels wrong, tell a parent right away. No trouble for telling.

That last rule matters for repairs. A wet phone that's switched off and handed over quickly has a much better chance than one hidden in a drawer for a week.

Have a repair plan before you need it

• Note the exact model (Settings › General › About on an iPhone, Settings › About phone on Android).
• Check whether the phone is covered by AppleCare+ or a carrier protection plan.
• Save a repair number in your own phone so you're not searching in a panic.
• Know the common fixes: cracked screens, batteries and charging ports clogged with pocket lint.

Our cell phone repair page lists what can be fixed at home.

Need a hand?

When a first phone gets its first crack, you don't have to drag your child to a mall kiosk. Woman Wireless On The Go sends a certified woman technician to your home anywhere in our service area, with a free quote before any work starts and the repair done on the spot. Evening windows suit after-school schedules. Call or WhatsApp (365) 351-4247, or book online.

Frequently asked questions

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