We determined that parental controls must give you the ability to perform three key functions:
- Manage and monitor a child’s device easily: It should be simple to set up the controls, as well as to change settings, receive notifications, and view usage remotely.
- Cap a child’s daily screen time: The best controls allow you to set time limits on individual apps, categories of apps, and general device use, as well as to block specific apps.
- Set a schedule that automatically blocks phone use: Parents should be able to assign at least one time period — bedtime, for example — when phone functionality is disabled. The ability to make multiple schedules (such as another one for school hours) is even better.
Additional features that we thought were useful but did not weigh as heavily:
- Usage data and analysis: Being able to see which apps your kid is using and for how long can be useful. We found this data helpful in understanding how our kids were using their devices, but it may be an unnecessary level of detail for some people.
- Web and content filtering: All of the apps and parental-control options we considered offered some sort of filtering, some by age and content ratings, and others by categories such as pornography, violence, or other inappropriate and adult content. We tested the filters and noted if they were easily bypassed, but we did not extensively compare them. The reality is that most filters are far from perfect, as they don’t catch everything, and kids can find ways to circumvent them.
- Location tracking: Because various iOS and Android apps can track the location of another phone, we did not consider this feature to be a top priority in a parental-control app.
We did not consider carrier-specific parental controls. And because we see parental controls as a starting point for managing your child’s first smartphone, we placed much less emphasis on more invasive features such as text message, email, or social media monitoring, particularly the ability to read your child’s messages. This level of monitoring often requires workarounds; parenting experts also warn that it can erode trust with your child, especially if you do it in secret. Note that Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok also offer their own, separate parental controls, which we did not test for this guide.
Since 2019 we’ve tested a total of 14 parental-control apps, several of them more than once. Most recently, in October 2025, we retested Google Family Link, which was redesigned in 2025, along with our two other picks. We compared them with three new options, installing them one at a time on an iPhone SE or a Google Pixel 6a, one of our previous budget Android phone picks. We used an iPhone 13 mini as the parent phone.
When should a kid get a cell phone?
By age 8, a quarter of US children already have their own smartphone, and by age 11, that number rises to half.
Giving a kid their own phone can make family communication and coordination far easier. But doing so can be a difficult choice. A Common Sense Media report found that, on a typical day, teens spent a median of four and a half hours on their phones, with social media being the most popular activity. One in five teens said they used YouTube or TikTok “almost constantly,” according to a 2025 report by the Pew Research Center, and 64% said they conversed with chatbots. TikTok, in particular, was used by half of the 11- to 17-year-olds in the study, for a median of 1 hour 52 minutes a day.
Experts have raised concerns that owning a smartphone, especially at a young age, can harm a child’s health, such as screen time replacing active play and cutting into sleep; there’s also research indicating that social media can harm a teen’s mental health.
Some parents and caregivers pledge to “wait until 8th” to give kids a smartphone of their own. Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, has called for no social media for teens until they’re 16 and no smartphones until high school. And starting in late 2025, Australia banned social media for children under 16, a move that could reverberate to kids worldwide.
What’s the right age for a smartphone? It depends on your family, your needs, and your child’s readiness. Begin by asking if your child truly needs a phone yet, because going back is difficult. “Handing over a phone is a watershed event for kids,” said Megan Moreno, MD, a pediatrician and co-medical director of the American Academy of Pediatrics’s Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health. “Once they have a phone, they won’t ever not have a phone.”
What kinds of limits are reasonable?
Once a kid does have their own smartphone, experts recommend keeping in mind three basic guidelines:
Set clear rules. Determine, for instance, how much time you will permit your child to spend on the phone on weekdays and weekends, particularly on social media and games. Curb screen time at night, when kids need sleep.
Designate screen-free times and screen-free zones. The AAP recommends designating screen-free times, such as during dinner, and, if possible, screen-free zones, such as the bedroom.
Keep the conversation going. Parental controls are not a substitute for talking to your kids about technology — nor are they “set and forget.” They’re also not infallible. But parental controls do provide an entry point to discussing how and why to use a phone.
For more guidance: The New York Times offers advice from teens, advice on how parents can help teens navigate social media, how to wean teens off social media, and how to break up with your phone. The AAP provides a tool to create a family media plan, including age-based recommendations that balance screen time against the amount of sleep and active time a kid needs. Common Sense Media answers commonly asked questions about screen time, researches how children are using technology, and gives parents tips and advice on healthy technology use.
