Apps With Built-In Parent Controls - What UK Parents Should Know
The app has its own tools for a parent to supervise or limit a child's account, such as a linked parent account.
Why it matters
Built-in parent tools can manage settings your phone's controls cannot reach, such as who can message your child inside the app. They only work if you set them up, and they work best when your child knows they are on.
What to check
Set up the app's parent tools together with your child, and check them again after app updates.
Apps with this feature
Features are based on what each of our app guides says. Apps change often, so check the app's own settings too.
YouTube Kids Safety Guide for Parents
No minimum age · We suggest 4+
YouTube Kids is a child-friendly version of YouTube with simplified navigation, curated content, and stronger parental controls.
From our YouTube Kids guide Setting: Content LevelWhere: Parent Settings (lock icon) → Child's Profile → Content Level
Amazon Prime Video Parental Controls
No minimum age · We suggest 6+
Amazon provides parental controls including profiles with viewing restrictions, purchase PINs, and a dedicated Amazon Kids+ subscription for children's content.
From our Prime Video guide Setting: Amazon Kids ProfileWhere: Account → Household & Family Library → Set Up Amazon Kids
Netflix Parental Controls Guide
No minimum age · We suggest 6+
Netflix provides meaningful parental controls including dedicated Kids profiles, content maturity ratings, a PIN lock on mature content, and automatic download restrictions for children's profiles.
From our Netflix guide Setting: Kids ProfileWhere: Account → Who's Watching? → Add Profile → Kids
Roblox Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 5+ · We suggest 10+
Linking a parent account lets you manage spending limits, chat and content maturity so your child cannot change them without your knowledge.
From our Roblox guide Setting: Linked Parent AccountWhere: Settings → Parental controls
Fortnite Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 12+ · We suggest 12+
Epic's parental controls let you require your Parental Controls PIN for real-money purchases made through Epic's own payment system.
From our Fortnite guide Setting: Purchase ControlsWhere: Epic Games Parental Controls → Require a PIN for Epic Games Payments
Epic Games & Fortnite Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 13+
Epic Games offers parental controls that let you require your Parental Controls PIN for purchases made through Epic's payment system.
From our Epic Games guide Setting: Parental ControlsWhere: epicgames.com → Account → Parental Controls
Facebook Messenger Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 13+
a parent who supervises a teen through Meta's Family Center can see who the teen has chatted with in the last 7 days
From our Messenger guide Meta Quest VR Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 10+ · We suggest 13+
Supervision in Family Center (via the Meta Horizon app) shows screen time, app usage, friend list, and lets you approve or block individual apps.
From our Meta Quest guide Setting: Parent SupervisionWhere: Meta Horizon app > Family Center > Supervision
Pokemon GO Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 13+
Niantic provides a separate Niantic Kids portal for under-13 accounts that gates social features.
From our Pokemon GO guide Setting: Niantic Kids AccountWhere: Sign-up flow -> Use a Niantic Kids account for under-13s
Spotify Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 13+
Spotify does offer parental controls, but they sit in a few different places rather than one dashboard
From our Spotify guide Steam Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 13+
Family View lets you set a PIN to restrict access to certain games, the Steam Store, and community features.
From our Steam guide Setting: Family View (Parental PIN)Where: Steam menu → Settings → Family → Manage Family View
YouTube Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 13+
YouTube offers a voluntary supervised teen account: you and your teen both agree to link accounts
From our YouTube guide Setting: Supervised AccountWhere: Family Link app → your child → Controls → YouTube, or YouTube app → profile picture → Settings → Family Centre
ChatGPT Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 14+
a parent and teen link their accounts (either can send the invite, and the other person has to accept)
From our ChatGPT guide Instagram Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 14+
Instagram's parental supervision (in the Family Centre) lets you see who your child follows and who follows them, set daily time limits
From our Instagram guide Setting: Parental SupervisionWhere: Settings and activity → Supervision (or Meta's Family Center at familycenter.meta.com/supervision)
Snapchat Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 14+
Family Centre is Snapchat's built-in parental tool.
From our Snapchat guide Setting: Family CentreWhere: Settings → Family Centre
Discord Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 15+
the Family Centre (Family Center in the app) lets a linked parent see a seven-day activity summary
From our Discord guide Facebook Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 15+
Meta provides family supervision tools for teen accounts
From our Facebook guide Threads Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 15+
Set up Instagram Parental Supervision before your child opens Threads, since they share the same account
From our Threads guide Setting: Parental SupervisionWhere: Instagram Settings -> Supervision (covers Threads)
TikTok Parental Controls and Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 13+ · We suggest 15+
Use Family Pairing, which links your own TikTok account to your teen's.
From our TikTok guide Setting: Family PairingWhere: Profile > Menu ☰ > Settings and privacy > Family Pairing
Crunchyroll Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 16+ · We suggest 16+
Open Parental Controls and confirm mature content is filtered for the child profile
From our Crunchyroll guide Setting: Mature Content FilterWhere: Account -> Parental Controls -> Mature Content
Character.AI Safety Guide for Parents
Official age 16+ · We suggest 18+
An optional link: your teen goes to Settings, chooses 'Parental insights' and invites you by email
From our Character.AI guide Setting: Parental InsightsWhere: Your teen invites a parent by email from the app's settings
Related risk guides
Other features
This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.