How to Set Up a Tablet for a Child, With Limits That Stick

1. Start with a family group and a child account

On Apple, the family organizer (an adult) opens Settings, taps their name, then Family, and follows the screens to start a Family Sharing group. Each person needs their own Apple Account. A child needs a Child Account in that group, not a shared login with a parent or a sibling. You can create that account while you set up the iPad, or invite a child who already has one.

On Google, you need your own Google Account and you need to be 18, or the age your country requires, and in the same country as the child. Install the Family Link app on your phone (Android 6 or later, or iPhone or iPad on iOS 16 or later) or use familylink.google.com. Family Link can supervise an Android tablet or a Chromebook; it cannot supervise an iPhone, an iPad or a regular Windows or Mac computer.

2. Set up the tablet itself

iPad: Turn it on and, when Quick Start appears, bring your iPhone or iPad next to it (Bluetooth on, iOS or iPadOS 16 or later). Choose who will use the new device, or Create New Child Account, then finish the screens. Apple says you can also tap Set up Without Another Device. During setup, you can pick which apps the child can use so the Home Screen starts a little quieter.

Android: Turn the tablet on and follow the screens. When it asks you to sign in, choose Create account, or More options > For my child, and enter the child's details. Sign in with your own Google Account to give consent and pick the child's settings. On a Pixel Tablet, if the child is under 9, you can instead sign in with the parent account first, then go to Settings > System > Multiple users, turn on Allow multiple users, choose Add child, and continue without a Gmail address if you want that option. Some apps will later ask you to add a Gmail address and password.

If the Android tablet is already set up on someone else's account, Google says to remove existing accounts and any apps or photos the child should not have, then add the child's account.

3. Put the limits on from your own phone

iPad / Screen Time: Apple recommends managing this from the family organizer or parent device. Open Settings, tap Family, tap the child's name, tap Screen Time, and follow the on-screen setup. If you use Family Sharing to manage the child's account, the Screen Time passcode has to be set on your device, not on the child's.

Then set the approvals that stop surprise charges and random websites:

• Settings > Family > [child] > Apps & Websites > Restrictions > Ask to Buy, and turn on Require Purchase Approval. Apple says Ask to Buy and Ask to Browse are on by default for children under 13, and in some places Ask to Buy cannot be turned off for a child under 18.
• Under Apps & Websites > Restrictions > Filtering, choose Limit Adult Websites or Ask to Browse. Limit Adult Websites is on by default for children under 18.
• Time Allowances and Screen Time Schedule are on the child's page in Family if you want daily budgets or a bedtime-style schedule.
• Allowed Contacts and Communication Safety are there too, if you want a say in who they message and a warning about sensitive photos and videos.

Android / Family Link: Open the Family Link app, select the child, then Screen time > Time limits, and turn on Daily limit. Set a weekly schedule. You can also block or allow apps under Screen time > Time limits > App limits, and set up location later if you want it. A daily limit applies to each Android or Chromebook device separately: two hours on the tablet is not shared with two hours on a phone.

On Android 17, you can also set on-device controls: Settings > Parental controls > Set up Parental controls PIN, then daily limits, downtime, app limits, web content filters and app store filters. Add a recovery account so a forgotten PIN does not force a factory reset. You can later switch those on-device controls into Family Link from the same Parental controls screen.

4. Keep your own account off the tablet

The whole point fails if the child can pick up the tablet, switch users, and land in your App Store or Google Play. Sign out of adult accounts, do not leave a parent profile sitting unlocked, and on iPad keep the Child Account as the one that is signed in. If they need a website for school, allow that site ahead of time instead of handing them your login.

Set this up before the tablet becomes a habit, and the limits feel like part of the gift, not a punishment added later.