Every parent, spouse, or friend has had that moment of worry—where is my child, partner, or friend? While the urge to know their whereabouts can be strong, especially in unsettling situations, it’s essential to balance that need with respect for their privacy.

Before diving into the methods, let’s address a fundamental question: When is it ethical to track someone’s location? The most accepted answer is when you have their explicit consent and when the motive is for their safety. Blindly tracking someone without their knowledge can lead to feelings of betrayal and an invasion of privacy and could be unlawful.

When you’re considering the use of technology to keep tabs on a loved one’s whereabouts, the first and most important step is communication. A heart-to-heart discussion is crucial to clarify your motives for wanting to use tracking methods.

By sharing your concerns transparently—perhaps you’re worried about them travelling home alone or late at night or navigating a new city—you can address any questions or apprehensions they may have.

This conversation should also cover what kind of information will be shared, who will have access to it, and under what circumstances the tracking will be disabled. Only after reaching an agreement should you proceed to the technical aspects.

Location tracking is an amalgamation of complex algorithms and technologies that have been simplified for the everyday user. Your smartphone is a powerful device with multiple ways to determine its location.

The most precise is GPS (Global Positioning System), which relies on a network of satellites that circle the Earth. When activated, the GPS receiver in your smartphone communicates with at least three to four of these satellites to triangulate its exact position.

However, when a GPS signal is weak or unavailable—like indoors or in areas with tall buildings—your smartphone can still approximate its location using Wi-Fi or cellular towers.

Wi-Fi-based location uses the known positions of Wi-Fi routers to approximate your phone’s position, while cellular-based tracking relies on the distance between your phone and the nearest cell towers. Though less precise than GPS, they are better than not being able to locate the device at all.

• iOS: Apple devices come with a feature called “Find My.” Previously known as “Find My iPhone,” it now encompasses all Apple devices. If your loved one has an iPhone, or iPad, this feature can help locate their device. After securing their consent, ask your loved one to share their location with you using the “Share My Location” feature inside the “Find My” app.
• Android: Android devices have a similar feature called “Find My Device.” While it primarily serves to locate lost devices, with permission, it can be used to find the location of a loved one’s device. To use it, ensure that the feature is activated in the device’s settings.

There are several apps available that cater to location tracking using phone numbers. These apps generally work by installing the software on the person’s phone and linking it to yours.

While we won’t dive into specific names, many of these apps offer additional features, like geofencing (which alerts you if the person leaves a designated area) or location history.

When choosing an app, make sure you research its reviews and ensure it’s from a reputable developer.

With the increasing use of technology, concerns about data breaches and privacy have surged. Here are some tips to ensure your loved one’s location data remains safe:

Beware of Scams: Not every app on the store is genuine. Some can be data miners or even malware. Always download apps from trusted sources and read reviews.

Data Security: Ensure that the app or service youre using has robust encryption to prevent potential hackers from accessing location data.

Limit Access: Only share location tracking access with people you trust. The more people who can view someone’s location, the higher the risk.

The legal landscape surrounding location tracking is intricate and varies widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In many places, tracking someone without their explicit consent isn’t just unethical but illegal. Such actions can be classified under stalking or unlawful surveillance, both of which can lead to criminal charges.

Moreover, collecting and storing someone’s location data might be subject to data protection laws, which mandate strict measures for data storage and sharing.

Before using any tracking technology, familiarise yourself with the laws that apply to your specific situation and always err on the side of caution by obtaining clear and documented consent from the individual you wish to track.

In our modern, hyper-connected world, technology presents both blessings and challenges. While tools for ensuring the safety of our loved ones are more advanced and accessible than ever, the responsibility tied to their usage has equally expanded.

As we harness these tools, it’s paramount to remember that at the heart of every piece of technology is the human element. Open communication, understanding, and mutual trust form the bedrock upon which responsible usage of such tools should be built.

Keeping our loved ones safe is not just about knowing where they are; it’s about creating an environment of trust, where they know their well-being is our top priority.

As we step into a future where tech integrates even more deeply into our daily lives, we must continuously reaffirm our commitment to ethical practices, respecting privacy, and fostering genuine connections with those we care about most.

Suggested age: 6-12 years

The Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

Description

Fire HD Kids Pro is a popular tablet for kids, and this year you can get a 1 year subscription to Amazon Kids+ included (with access to thousands of books, movies, TV shows, educational apps, and games), a 2 year worry-free replacement guarantee, and a durable kid-friendly case.

In addition to Kids+ content, Kids Pro tablets include access to a digital store. Children can request apps, while parents approve purchases and downloads.

The web browser comes with built-in controls designed to help filter out inappropriate sites and let parents add or block specific websites at any time.

Children can also make voice and video calls and send announcements over WiFi to approved contacts with an Alexa-enabled device or the Alexa app.

Main Features on Fire HD 10 Kids Pro

• 10.1″ HD display screen
• 2 Year worry-free guarantee (“If it breaks, return it and we’ll replace it for free”)
• Slim, kid-friendly case
• Screen made with strengthened aluminium silicate glass
• 1 year free subscription of Amazon Kids + included
• 32GB storage (expandable by up to 1 TB)
• Up to 12 hour battery life
• 2MP front-facing camera and and 5MP rear-facing camera
• Built in microphone
• Easy to use parental controls

Apps & Games

The Fire HD 10 Kids Pro comes with 1 year free subscription of Amazon Kids+, packed with fun and educational content from Disney, Harry Potter, LEGO, National Geographic and more. Hand-curated and age-appropriate, it includes thousands of popular apps, games, videos, books and Audible audiobooks.

Children can request more content from the digital store, like Netflix, Roblox or Minecraft. Parents can approve the purchases and downloads, as well as give access to more content.

Safety & Parental Controls

Access easy-to-use controls in the Parent Dashboard via the Amazon Kids app or website to set limits and educational goals, view usage history, and enable access to voice and video calling, the digital store and web browser.

Suggested age: 4-8 years

The LeapFrog RockItTwist is available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

Description

The LeapPad Rockit Twist is a handheld console, the perfect learning toy to get started with maths, literacy, science and encourage creativity. Loads of fun guaranteed as kids guide characters through puzzles, play music and much more.

Twist, turn, play and learn with the RockIt Twist rotatable, single-player game system! Four sides of colourful, light-up controls include buttons, dials, a spinner, slider, switch and D-pad to provide a totally unique way to play exciting video games.

Twelve preloaded games across five categories have three levels of difficulty that help kids learn skills including literacy, math, problem-solving and creativity all while having fun! Make delicious recipes and stir, weigh, chop and more as you bake in the Cookie’s Sweet Treats game pack. Dig into the prehistoric world and search for fossils and more in the Dinosaur Discoveries game pack.

The game packs also include two virtual RockIt Pets, a doughnut named Sprinkles and a dinosaur named Sprout. Since there’s no need for WiFi, kids can play anywhere. Listen to your own music with the built-in MP3 player with volume controls and headphone jack. Expand the fun and learning with additional games for download from the LeapFrog App Center (sold separately).

Main Features

• 12 preloaded games across five game play categories have three levels of difficulty that help kids learn skills including literacy, maths, problem solving, science and creativity.
• There’s no need for WiFi, kids can play anywhere.
• Listen to your own music with the built-in MP3 player
• 2 game packs included, more games available to buy from LeapFrog App Centre.
• Rechargeable batteries included.

Available from Currys

Description

An idea can strike anywhere. Don’t let it get away and capture it with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 10.4” 4G Tablet. Edit photos, jot down notes and browse the web on the 10.4” touchscreen.

Whether you’re sketching out a new design or scribbling down notes in a lecture, unleash your creativity with the Bluetooth-connected S-Pen. Feel like you’re writing on paper with precise, accurate movement and pressure sensitivity.

A new, improved user experience allows for wider customisation. And sharing all your stuff with the rest of the family has never been easier. Syncing with other Samsung devices takes just seconds.

Main Features of the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite

• 10.4″ display
• 128GB storage (expandable up to 1 TB with a microSD card)
• 5MP front-facing camera and 8MP rear-facing camera
• Up to 13 hours battery life
• S Pen included

Available from Currys and other retailers nationwide.

Description

If you are looking for a general family use tablet, then iPads are ideal for both parents and children. The 10.2″ iPad is one of the most popular tablets currently on the market.

Powered by a A13 Bionic chip, iPad makes multitasking easier than ever. Sketch out your latest masterpiece with your 1st generation Apple Pencil (sold separately), switch between apps and stream shows. All without being slowed down.

Main Features of the iPad

• 10.2″ display for razor sharp text and images
• Light sensors to adjust colour of the display depending on where you are
• Up to 10 hours battery life
• Built-in 8MP Wide camera and 12 MP Ultra Wide FaceTime HD camera
• 256GB storage

Some LEGO fans have got together and built a cool app called Brickit. The app helps you to build new creations from your LEGO.

The app offers ideas and tools to build new creations with your LEGO bricks. Perfect if your LEGO fan has run out of inspiration!

Here how’s the app works:

First, you spread out the bricks you have on the floor. This can be all the bricks mixed up, but some app users have said it’s more effective if you spread the bricks out in a single layer.

Then you scan your bricks with the app and it identifies what bricks you have and then starts to show you ideas of what to build with some of the bricks.

You choose the tiny project you want to build and it will show you handy instructions and step-by-step how to build that. You can build kangaroos, x-wings, robots, and more.

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The app is very speedy, making sense of the bricks in your collection within seconds.

Not only does it mark the bricks you need for a particular building project, but the app also tells you where they are in your pile of LEGO.

You can also customise the proposed ideas to build with e.g. different colours or bricks for your own personal touch.

The Brickit app is available on the Apple Store for iPhone and on the Google Play Store for Android.

And good news is that Brickit is free to download, but does have some paid Pro features.

At time of writing the app is rated 4.5 out of 5, with many positive reviews.

While some could say that the app is going against the point of LEGO – that it should be encouraging imagination and free play – personally I think this is a bit of free fun and could also give a new challenge to your LEGO-mad child where they can work their way through building all the app’s suggestions.

Was €69.99 NOW €59.99 Suitable for ages 3+

You don’t need to sail the seven seas to discover interesting things about the world. The LeapFrog LeapGlobe Touch is a fun way for kids to learn about different countries and cultures around the world.

And this isn’t just any old globe – it lights up as it spins and includes 48 touch-sensitive landmarks and graphics. With 4 different category buttons, kids can hear fun educational songs about greetings, animals, countries and continents.

Was €79.99 NOW €64.99 Suitable for ages 3+

The Vtech Switch & Go Dinos Overseer the T-Rex can easily switch between a T-Rex and a robot. Controlled by a remote, it can walk both in robot and dino modes.

Thanks to the sound effects, breathing light effects and the backlit screen, your kids will love playing with both the robot and the dinosaur. They can even learn some interesting dinosaur facts and phrases by simply pressing the Talk button.

NOW €119.99 Suitable for ages 0-7 years

Learn and play with Elsa, Anna and other Frozen 2 characters on the Pebble Gear Frozen 2 7″ 16GB Kids Tablet. It comes with Frozen games, apps and e-books pre-installed, and your little explorer can document anything he or she does with cameras and a mic.

With the Pebble Gear OS you get a full parental control. Create up to 4 child accounts, each with their own customisable security level.

Then there’s the Game Store Junior. There, your kids can choose from over 500 more fun games and apps, no charge, no in-game purchases, zero ads. Just a ton of fun with Disney characters!

With a tough Frozen bumper case, this one can easily take a bump or two. And there’s two years of warranty to take care of any accidents.

Was €69.99 NOW €59.99 Suitable for ages 5+

Inspire little ones to get creative with the Vtech KidiZoom Studio Compact Camera. This video and stills camera comes with a green screen, tripod, and 20 animated backgrounds, so they have fun creating their own universe.

Whether they want to make an educational show for their project or film their very own unboxing video, they can capture it in HD and get creative with the kid-friendly video editing function. With a flip-up lens for selfies, fun special effects such as an invisibility cloak, and 6 fun games built-in, they’ll have hours of fun.

Was €129.99 NOW €109.99 Suitable for ages 5+

Inspire little ones to get creative with the Vtech KidiZoom Studio Compact Camera. This video and stills camera comes with a green screen, tripod, and 20 animated backgrounds, so they have fun creating their own universe.

Whether they want to make an educational show for their project or film their very own unboxing video, they can capture it in HD and get creative with the kid-friendly video editing function. With a flip-up lens for selfies, fun special effects such as an invisibility cloak, and 6 fun games built-in, they’ll have hours of fun.

Was €329.99 NOW €299.99 Suitable for ages 6+

The Nintendo Switch is designed to go wherever you do. With the ability to transform between a home console and a portable system, the Switch lets you play your favourite games for longer.

Connect the HDMI cable to your TV to enjoy a traditional console gaming experience, or prop up the stand attached to the back of the device to play games on its built-in screen. When the time comes to leave the house, you can carry on gaming by attaching the twin Joy-Con controllers to the console and using the 6.2″ screen.

The Nintendo Switch comes with 32 GB of internal memory for all of your gaming needs. This can easily be expanded, using microSDHC or microSDXC cards to add storage space to suit your needs.

This new version of the Nintendo Switch has all the same great features of the original Switch, just with a much longer battery life. Depending on your game, you’ll get from 4.5 to 9 hours of battery. Now when you’re stuck on long journeys, you’ll have even more gaming time.

Was €479.99 NOW €449.00 Suitable for ages 13+

VR gaming just got an upgrade. The Meta Quest 2 features a super-powerful processor and graphics, so you can explore virtual worlds and play games in great quality without the need for a PC or console.

The new display is a single-panel LCD screen that gives you up to 50% more pixels than the original Quest. And thanks to 3D cinematic audio, you’ll hear exactly where the enemy is approaching from.

The Meta Quest 2 lets you share more than ever – with live casting you can show your friends your VR experiences, or meet up with friends in virtual worlds for multiplayer battles.

And if you want, you can even connect your VR headset to a gaming PC with a Link cable to access hundreds of PC VR games and experiences.

Ready to play? Just open the box, set up the app on your phone, and jump into VR. Set up is as easy as that.

So time to get checking your list and head over to www.currys.ie to see the full range of kids tech available or pop into one of their 16 stores nationwide and get all the gifts you need this Christmas.

The best way to get kids interested is to show them the graph of a share price for a company they use a lot.

For example, most teenagers today are on Instagram. They may not know that Meta owns that company (even if they’re Meta or FaceBook users themselves). It can be interesting for them to see how the share price has changed over the timeframe that they have been using it.

Often, when Susan gives this scenario to a group of teenagers, they wonder how Instagram makes money since its a free app! That leads to a whole other conversation around the business models behind social media. You can lead them further then by comparing how much it has changed relative to others, i.e. Twitter or Snapchat.

Rather than try to pick the “right stock” or focus on short periods of volatility, at the beginning it’s a good idea to consider how the stock market has performed over time.

The Blackrock Asset Return Map is an interactive visual that points out exactly how all the things you can invest in (stocks, bonds, commodities, cash, etc) have performed over the past decade.

You can compare US stocks to European stocks when you click ‘Relative to Zero’ on the display button. This is a good way for them to test out ideas and compare what would have happened to money invested in different parts of the world.

There is no greater education in the stock market than when you buy your first stock. Susan says she remembers it vividly, it feels like you have some “skin in the game”. The next best thing is to have a watchlist and to monitor it prior to investing.

Sit down together and create a watchlist on Google Sheets with the stocks that they’re familiar with, as mentioned in the point above. Agree on a time that you will check in regularly on this and have a chat about what might have happened to cause those changes.

Doing this consistently will cultivate a space your child associates with financial education or, even just that special time to talk about what’s important to them.

Ask your teen to pick out the characteristics of a stock that they would ideally like to have. Some might say that it gives lots of income each year. Another suggestion might be one that “makes a load of profit”.

Next, help them build their on screen dream portfolio. The first wish could be translated into a dividend yield greater than 3%. The third might be that the earnings grow by 20% per year.

Have fun with this search and show them that it can be a very efficient process to find what they’re looking for… when they know what they want.

Investing in the stock market can be an exciting way to teach teens about risks and rewards.

“The stock market is just one big shop. Instead of buying a chocolate bar in that shop, you can buy a piece of the company that makes chocolate bars. If the company that makes the chocolate makes a profit, it’s worth more, and the price you bought it for may go up. Maybe that company will decide to give the profits directly to the people who own the shares and that’s called a dividend. If the company makes a loss, which can happen, the share price can go down, that’s called a risk,” explains Susan Hayes Culleton, CFA, “The Positive Economist” and author of Money Matters.

Help your teen to make an informed choice by using the options suggested above. And remember to explain the risks involved with this type of investment and how they should only ever invest what they can afford to lose.

Susan Hayes Culleton is the author of Money Matters, a financial literacy textbook with the support of CFA Society Ireland. It is written as menu of personal finance, investing and entrepreneurship life skills.

The book is tailored for young people in the following ways:

• It is story-focused whereby students can learn about pensions through characters like Sarah who starts her first job and is wondering what “tax relief” means for her.
• It is full of relevant modernity including ESG, fintech, online brokers, differentiating between trading and investing as well as using technology for active learning.
• It gives a real taste of the diversity of careers available today and tomorrow in finance. Each chapter contains a case study of a CFA Institute charterholder and highlights how the the theory learned in subjects like accounting, business, maths and economics connect with the practicality of everyday life and life-changing decisions.

Find out more and buy your copy here  so you can start talking to your teen about money and finances.

Netflix is great at recommending things once you have watched a movie or TV series, and its search function is handy if you know the title you want, but it’s not so easy to find specific categories of shows.

Netflix doesn’t really give you categories, or at least they are not presented in the navigation. You’ll only find Kids & Families on the main menu, but not subcategories. But good news, there are some secret codes for Netflix that help classify movies and series, which you can use to pull up a list of recommendations by category.

There’s a full list of lots of genres here then all you do is

1. Look up the code for the genre you want with the link above
2. Then use this format for a link to pull up the genre: https://netflix.com/browse/genre/CODE
3. Simply replace CODE with the code of your choice

You can then navigate straight to the category you want using these secret Netflix codes for family and kids movies and shows. How handy is that? This will definitely save you oodles of time so be sure to bookmark this list!

For the overall category of all Children and Family Movies and shows, use this link www.netflix.com/browse/genre/783. You’ll find a mix of comedies, dramas, family watch together films, family movie night suggestions and more.

Under this category there are even more genres to pull up:

• For animal themed tales use www.netflix.com/browse/genre/5507
• For Disney movies and shows www.netflix.com/browse/genre/67673
• Educational shows for kids are at www.netflix.com/browse/genre/10659
• Family movies can be found at www.netflix.com/browse/genre/51056
• For movies based on children’s books go to www.netflix.com/browse/genre/10056

Did you know you can also look up kids’ films by age category on Netflix? There are several secret codes for movies by age groups to use:

• Movies for ages 0 to 2 www.netflix.com/browse/genre/6796
• Movies for ages 2 to 4 www.netflix.com/browse/genre/6218
• Movies for ages 5 to 7 www.netflix.com/browse/genre/5455
• Movies for ages 8 to 10 www.netflix.com/browse/genre/561
• Movies for ages 11 to 12 www.netflix.com/browse/genre/6962

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If TV series are more your child’s bag, then for the overall category of all Kids’ TV shows use this link www.netflix.com/browse/genre/27346.

Or if they enjoy animation, you can view Kids TV cartoons via www.netflix.com/browse/genre/11177.

There are also secret Netflix codes for some teen genres as well:

• Teen TV www.netflix.com/browse/genre/60951
• Teen comedies www.netflix.com/browse/genre/3519
• Teen dramas www.netflix.com/browse/genre/9299
• Teen screams www.netflix.com/browse/genre/52147

Netflix also has plenty of Halloween fare, here are the codes for families/kids/teen Halloween movies and shows.

To view Family Halloween Treats, which is classified as Halloween content suitable for younger audiences, head to www.netflix.com/browse/genre/81346195.

For Halloween Comedies go to www.netflix.com/browse/genre/81510605.

For older kids and teens, Halloween Favourites (mixture of movies and TV shows) visit www.netflix.com/browse/genre/81336575 while Teen Screams can be found at www.netflix.com/browse/genre/52147.

And finally, for the Christmas holiday season you’ll find plenty of Christmas movies available on Netflix, perfect for family movie time. The whole category of Christmas children & family films can be found at www.netflix.com/browse/genre/1474017.

Surprisingly, there’s also a category of “Feel-good Christmas children & family films” (aren’t nearly all Christmas movies feel-good?) which you can watch at www.netflix.com/browse/genre/1475066.

Or if you prefer Goofy christmas children & family films head to www.netflix.com/browse/genre/1475071.

British Christmas children & family films are at www.netflix.com/browse/genre/1527064, while European Christmas children & family films are at www.netflix.com/browse/genre/1527063.

Then once the kids are tucked up in bed dreaming of sugarplums and Rudolf, check out romantic Christmas films over at www.netflix.com/browse/genre/1394527.

Your child or teen may feel like you are being a ‘mean’ parent or that you just want to snoop on them, but setting up parental controls is extremely important. Not only can it help to protect your child from cyberbullying or explicit content, but it can also prevent expensive mistakes like in-app purchases.

In short, parent controls are peace of mind. I once heard someone liken it to teaching your child how to cross the road. First, you teach them to walk and they cross the road holding your hand; you repeat the safety rules to them each time about looking both ways and crossing at the lights, but you don’t just send them on their way to navigate the traffic themselves. You cross the road with them time and again until you are both sure that the safety message has sunk in and that the risk has been reduced.

Parent controls on your child’s phone or devices are the hand-holding that’s needed as they navigate their online space, as they create boundaries in this ‘always on’ world, and as they learn the implications of circumstances none of us parents had to deal with as children. Phishing, scamming, sexting, cyberbullying, log ins, passwords, keeping their details secure…it’s a veritable minefield.

So, what can you do? Your child or teen will make mistakes with their online interactions – that’s hard to avoid – but setting boundaries and limits from day one with parental controls will help to better prepare you and them. Digital tools like Qustodio will help to easily manage your concerns, or you can use the in-built device settings to set screen time limits, filter explicit language and content, block certain websites and more.

Our children are experiencing life online as the first fully digital generation – they don’t remember a time without access to the internet at the tip of their fingers. And new research from Qustodio shows that 19% of 8-year-olds have their own smartphone, jumping to 69% of 12-year-olds and 91% of 18-year-olds.

This time online can open our kids and teens to a wealth of wonderful knowledge and experience, but unfortunately also to more risk and health side effects. Headline figures from Qustodio’s research include:

• 50% of online exploitation victims are between 12 and 15 years of age
• 50% of kids admit to being addicted to their smartphones
• 42% of kids have seen porn online
• 33% of kids have experienced cyberbullying
• 73% of high school students don’t get enough sleep
• 63% of children who have more than 2 hours of daily screen time show lower academic performance than those who spend less time online

For parents, these figures are terrifying and it can feel as if you are facing an uphill battle to retain any kind of control in the situation. But tools and resources, like Qustodio, offer a whole host of parental controls that are easy to navigate and monitor from a real-time dashboard. Qustodio’s features allow you to set consistent time limits on your child’s devices, track calls and SMS, see your child’s location, block apps that are not appropriate, filter browser results and block adult websites, monitor YouTube viewing and social posts, and set downtimes before bed.

In addition, a series of advice articles help you talk to your children about how to spot and avoid data thieves, groomers, sexual predators, and stalkers.

With Family Sharing, up to six family members can share an iCloud+ subscription, apps, books, music and more, all while having different Apple IDs. You can set up an Apple ID for kids, set permissions remotely with Screen Time, and approve spending and downloads from a parent’s device with Ask to Buy.

When you share iCloud+, family members can’t see each others’ photos, files or documents. And when you share other subscriptions, such as Apple Music or Apple TV+, each person will see their own preferences and recommendations – not the whole family’s.

If you want to see and approve what your child downloads, set up Ask to Buy. Then, when they ask to buy apps, films or other content, an alert is sent to you to approve or decline it directly from your own device.

This feature is useful for many reasons – you can be ‘in the know’ as to the apps your child is looking to get, you can start a conversation about why some or all of those apps are being requested, you can decline apps you feel are not appropriate, and you can have a better idea of which apps need a time limit set.

Is your child spending too much time on social media, or on a game? Is their mood affected or their homework suffering? With Screen Time, you can keep an eye on how much time your kids are spending on apps, visiting websites and on their devices overall. Review your children’s activity reports and set time limits for specific apps.

One of the many additional benefits of the Content & Privacy Restrictions in Screen Time is that you can limit your child’s ability to install or delete apps and disable in-app purchases.

You can also:

• Disable built-in features (e.g. Mail, Siri or AirDrop)
• Automatically filter website content to limit access to adult content in Safari and other apps
• Prevent explicit content and set content ratings. This will limit music with explicit content and movies, TV shows or apps with specific ratings.
• Restrict Siri functions to prevent Siri from searching the web when you ask a question or to prevent Siri from displaying explicit language
• Restrict Game Centre features such as multiplayer games, adding friends, or private messaging
• Allow changes to privacy settings (e.g. allowing an app access to your camera or microphone)

Google Family Link is about guiding your child or teen to good content and make better decision about how they spend their online time – whether that is helping them manage their apps by approving or blocking app requests from their device or using the activity reports to see how much time they’re spending on different apps and websites.

Screen time limits allow you to set the amount you feel is right for your child, as well as a ‘bedtime’ setting. Whether it’s time to go and play outside, have dinner, or have screen-free time, you can also remotely lock your child’s device.

Being able to check in on your child when they’re on the go is reassuring for parents, so the location feature is useful. There is also the option to manage in-app purchases and get teacher-recommended apps your child might like.

Excessive screen time and an increasing need for balance in our busy lives means that digital wellbeing – alongside physical, emotional and mental wellbeing – is something we should all become familiar with.

The earlier we can instil this in our children’s lives, the better so these tips from Qustodio are a useful place to start and apply to all ages:

1. Turn off all screens (including TVs) at least an hour before bedtime to improve sleep quality. Fill that hour with a ‘wind down’ activity like taking a bath, reading, listening to music, etc.
2. Set consistent screen time limits that are appropriate for your child.
3. Take a break after 45 minutes of screen time. Sitting and looking at a screen for hours on end is not great for any of us, so get up and walk around, go outside, have a stretch and take a few minutes to recharge yourself.
4. Keep phones off the dinner table and away from family time. Enjoy the moment, make eye contact, and spend some real world time together.

Coding for kids, or beginners of any age, helps to develop problem-solving skills, encourage creativity and logical abilities.

In addition, while your child learns through games and challenges, they are also equipping themselves with skills and a foundation that will help in numerous future career paths.

Code.org offers numerous free courses for children from preschooler age upwards. From designing a game and computer drawing to building a working app or website, there is lots to choose from for all ages.

Tutorials, videos and fun games all help children engage with the courses – in fact, more than 82 million projects have been created on Code.org!

If you don’t have time for a full course or just want a quick coding break, there are dozens of hour-long activities to choose from on Hour of Code.

Take your pick from Dance Party, Minecraft, or character favourites from Disney, Harry Potter, Barbie, Star Wars, and lots more. You could even create your own Google logo!

Initially started as a way to offer an introduction to computer science and encourage children to take part, Hour of Code is now a global initiative with partners including Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook, Disney and hundreds more around the world.

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Scratch is a programming language and an online community where children can program and share interactive media such as stories, games, and animation with people from all over the world.

As children create with Scratch, they learn to think creatively, work collaboratively, and reason systematically.

While Scratch is aimed at children 8-16, it can be valuable for all ages. Younger children, however, may prefer to try the simplified version ScratchJr first.

Write code. Catch bananas. Save the world.

CodeMonkey is an international award-winning online platform that teaches kids real-world coding languages like CoffeeScript and Python. Teens and children learn text-based and block-based coding in a fun, playful environment.

The Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award, known as iDEA, is an international programme that helps you develop digital, enterprise and employability skills for free.

Through a series of online challenges, you can win career-enhancing badges, unlock new opportunities and, ultimately, gain industry-recognised Awards that help you stand out from the crowd.

Badges can be achieved in coding, social media, e-safety, virtual reality, blockchain, research and more. Each badge is an interactive online module – the more badges you get, the more points you get towards a bronze, silver or gold award.

Interactive puzzles from codeSpark Academy teach little learners the basics of computer science. Once your mini coders master the puzzles, they can create games of their own.

With new puzzles and games added every month, kids as young as four can develop 21st century skills that will help boost their performance in all subjects.

Minecraft: Education Edition is a game-based learning platform that promotes creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving in an immersive digital environment.

Through project-based lessons, students build critical 21st century skills like collaboration, creative problem solving and digital citizenship.

On EduCode Academy, video micro-lessons break down complex computer science concepts like JavaScript or HTML into fun and engaging exercises. Rich storylines provide context and motivation throughout the learning journey.

With Blocksmith, students can learn about 3D modelling, animations and programming, before starting with advanced programs like Unity3D and Unreal.

Blocksmith does not require special equipment, and can run on regular home computers (Windows PC, Mac and Chromebook). Get one month free to create 3D games and experiences.

CodeCombat is a game that teaches programming to learners as young as six. Using typed commands, rather than blocks, players learn to code by playing through levels and quickly mastering programming concepts.

More than 5 million players from around the world play CodeCombat, and together have written more than 1 billion lines of code!

As a non-profit, Khan Academy offers a free world-class education through practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalised learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace.

In addition to computer programming, other subjects covered include math, science, history, art history, economics, and more.

Khan Academy has also partnered with institutions like NASA, The Museum of Modern Art, The California Academy of Sciences, and MIT to offer specialised content.

Tynker has 40+ award-winning block and text-based courses, over 3,700 learning modules, and access to popular coding languages. Meaning there is a suitable learning path for all children, whatever their age or coding skills.

Learn how to mod Minecraft, create apps, control toys, build games, build websites, and learn popular coding languages.

Code Avengers Junior, suitable for 5-16 year olds, helps you to create a future coder at home with fun, easy courses.

Students learn how to logically sequence events, create playable games, and model real situations. They also learn computational thinking by developing algorithmic and design thinking abilities. Once students have a strong grasp of the fundamentals, they can transition to learning programming languages, such as JavaScript and Python and web languages, or build their theoretical knowledge with our Computer Science and Design courses on a Code Avenger PRO account.

Learn how to create a slo-mo video, create a vlog, record an out of this world interview, remix like a DJ, create a kooky animal, time travel with time-lapse, create their own emoji, create a cartoon, and even how to interview an alien! These are just some of the 30 free and creative classes available from Compu b for children learning at home.

Children can also take part in Compu b’s weekly topic-based learning competition to be in with a chance to win some incredible prizes!