The best way to know what is on your child’s phone or tablet is to look at it together, not behind their back. Sit down side by side, be curious, and treat it as a tour they give you.
Start by opening the device and scrolling through every home screen and folder. Ask your child to name each app and game and tell you what they like about it. This one conversation usually turns up things you did not know were there, and it tells your child that their world is interesting to you, not suspect.
Make a simple list
Write down the apps and games that are actually used. For each one, you are checking three things: who can talk to them, what they can see, and whether money can be spent.
- Chat and messaging: can strangers send messages, or only friends?
- Privacy: is the account or profile private?
- Location: is location sharing turned off?
- Spending: is a card saved, and can purchases be made without a password?
Open the settings on each one
Every app has its own privacy and parental settings, usually under a settings or profile menu. Go through the busiest few apps together and adjust anything that feels too open. On the device itself, iPhone Screen Time and Family Sharing, or Android Family Link, let you see installed apps and set limits from one place.
You will not finish every app in one sitting, and that is fine. Cover the ones they use most, and note the rest for another day.