Setting up parental controls on the TV, the box and the phone

Understanding age ratings

In France, programs broadcast on television are classified by the channels themselves under a youth-rating system overseen by Arcom, which succeeded the CSA in 2022. Each category corresponds to an on-screen symbol and to broadcast time slots. Other countries have their own rating systems, and rules vary from country to country.

Video-on-demand services apply comparable ratings and must offer a PIN lock for -18 content. Apps, for their part, are classified under other age systems specific to app stores. These ratings are useful guideposts, but they do not replace your own judgment: an "all audiences" program can still upset a young child.

The official platform jeprotegemonenfant.gouv.fr (France) offers step-by-step guides for each type of device and age-appropriate advice.

The principles of effective parental controls

Before moving on to the settings, a few principles prevent most failures:

• Act on every screen: locking the box is pointless if the tablet stays open. List every device the child can reach, including the game console.
• Change the default codes: factory parental codes (often 0000 or 1234) are known to every child who knows how to search.
• Adapt to the age: a six-year-old needs a closed environment, a fifteen-year-old needs explained and negotiated limits.
• Protect the settings too: parental controls that the child can turn off in the menu have no effect.
• Accept the limits: no filter is perfect. Parental controls reduce the risk of accidental exposure; they guarantee nothing against a determined teenager.

Since July 2024, French law requires manufacturers of connected devices sold in France (phones, tablets, computers, smart TVs) to build in a parental control feature and offer to activate it at first setup. If you skipped this step, the settings remain available at any time.

On the phone and tablet

Android: Google Family Link

On Android, the reference tool is Family Link, which links the child's Google account to the parent's. It lets you:

• approve or block the installation of each app from your own phone;
• apply age filters to the Play Store and to search;
• set a daily screen time limit and a bedtime for the device;
• see the time spent in each app.

For a child under thirteen, the Google account must be created and managed by the parent. Detailed instructions are in the official help for Google Family Link.

iPhone and iPad: Screen Time

On Apple devices, everything goes through Settings > Screen Time. With Family Sharing, you manage the child's device from your own. The essential settings:

1. Set a Screen Time passcode different from the device unlock code.
2. In Content & Privacy Restrictions, choose the ratings allowed for apps, films and series.
3. Turn on Ask to Buy, to approve each download.
4. Set downtime (at night, during homework) and limits by app category.

On the TV and streaming devices

Google TV and Android TV

Google TV lets you create a kids profile managed through Family Link: the home screen then shows only the apps you have approved, with viewing time limits and a bedtime. On older Android TV devices, locking is generally limited to a restricted mode and the channel parental PIN. For installing and managing apps on these systems, see our Android TV page.

Samsung TVs

On recent Samsung TVs, the options are in the general settings, under the parental controls section. There you can block channels by rating, lock apps one by one and require the PIN for purchases. The default PIN is generally 0000: change it first. The exact wording of menus varies with the model year; our Samsung Smart TV page describes the Tizen environment.

Fire TV

On Fire TV devices, parental controls are turned on in the preferences and rely on a PIN tied to the Amazon account. It can require this PIN for purchases, launching apps and watching content according to its rating.

Internet provider boxes

All the boxes of the major operators have a four-digit parental code, which protects:

• programs rated -16 and -18;
• video-on-demand rentals and purchases;
• sometimes access to certain channels that you choose to lock.

The code can be changed in the box's settings menu or from the online customer area. Here again, check that it is no longer the factory code.

In streaming apps and players

Most video platforms let you create a kids profile that shows only suitable programs, and protect adult profiles with a PIN. Get into the habit of launching the app on the child's profile, and lock your own.

Playlist players are a special case: they display the categories supplied by your source, without sorting them by age, since they do not know the content of the streams. Many let you hide categories. In AICKO IPTV, a hidden category disappears from the list on all devices linked to the same account, which lightens the interface and stops a child from stumbling on a section that is not meant for them. But hiding is not locking: a setting accessible without a PIN can be undone. For a young child, the best protection remains not installing the player on their own devices and combining it with app locking at the system level (Family Link, Screen Time, the TV's app lock).

Finally, check what your source really contains: a playlist supplied by a legitimate service describes its categories clearly, whereas a list of unknown origin can mix in any content. That is one more reason to use only sources whose origin you know.

Conversation, the first protection tool

Technical settings only protect as long as they are not bypassed, and they do not cover friends' or school screens. Conversation remains essential:

• Explain the rules rather than imposing them without justification: a child who understands why a film is not recommended at their age is more likely to respect the limit elsewhere.
• Watch together when possible, and talk about what was seen, especially after an upsetting program.
• Say that they can come and talk without fear of being punished if they come across a shocking image. Fear of losing access to screens often pushes children into silence.
• Set screen-free times: meals, the hour before bed, the bedroom at night.
• Let the rules evolve with age, gradually giving more independence.

Common mistakes and their solutions

Summary

• The -10, -12, -16, -18 ratings are a guide, but your judgment comes first.
• Family Link on Android and Google TV, Screen Time on iPhone and iPad, parental PIN on the TV and the box.
• Always change the default codes and protect every screen in the household.
• Hiding a category in a player lightens the interface, but does not replace a PIN lock.
• Conversation remains the most lasting protection.

Frequently asked questions

At what age can a child have a phone without parental controls?

There is no legal age. Most recommendations advise close control before the start of middle school, then gradual easing, explaining the rules and keeping time limits.

My child got around the parental controls. What should I do?

Change the codes, check that there is no unprotected secondary account or profile, then talk about it with them. Circumvention is often a sign that the rules are seen as unfair or poorly explained.

Does the box's parental code also protect the TV's apps?

No. The box's code only applies to the box's services. Apps installed on the TV or on a streaming stick must be protected by their own settings.

Is hiding a category in a player enough to protect a child?

No. Hiding a category simplifies the display, but any setting that can be changed without a PIN can be undone. Combine it with locking the app through the device's system.