Contents
In short
Family accounts and built-in parental controls are a good, free start. Technology does not replace conversation – children should know they can speak up about problems without fear.
What is it?
Family features of the major platforms allow age ratings, purchase approval, screen time and location sharing. Settings in apps, games and social networks add to this.
Who is it useful for?
Families with children and anyone digitally supporting relatives, such as older parents.
What does it protect against?
- Unsuitable content and unwanted purchases
- Contact from strangers (through privacy settings)
- Losing access (through shared recovery)
What does it not protect against?
- Cyberbullying among classmates or acquaintances
- All content – filters are never complete
- A lack of trust to report problems
What you can do for free
- 01Set up the platform's family account
- 02Turn on age ratings and purchase approval
- 03Configure privacy in messengers and games together
- 04Family emergency plan: who helps if an account is hacked?
When is an extra product worth it?
Additional parental-control software can make sense to manage many different devices uniformly. It should be age-appropriate and transparent to the child.
What to check when choosing
- Age-appropriate steps rather than total surveillance
- Transparency towards the child
- Works on all devices in use
We deliberately name no products and publish no rankings.
Common mistakes
- Secret monitoring instead of open rules
- Setting things once and never adjusting
- Leaving children alone with problems for fear of punishment
Checklist
- Family account set up
- Age ratings appropriate
- Rules discussed together
- Emergency plan known
Frequently asked questions
When should children have their own account?
It depends on age, platform and maturity. Many services have minimum ages; family accounts allow supervised use.
Where can I find age-appropriate advice?
The German initiative klicksafe offers extensive material for parents and schools.
Sources
- klicksafe – EU-Initiative für mehr Sicherheit im Netz
- Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI)
Checked on 6 Oct 2026.