How to set your phone to “kid mode” when they're watching videos
We all give our kids our phones at some point. Here’s how to make it baby-proof so they can't roam the internet or your contact list.
I’m going to explain how to disable the touchscreen on all phones so your child can watch videos on your phone without wreaking chaos. I get it — my toddler has almost dialed 911 when I’ve been on the toilet and he’s got quite a selfie reel already.
I’ll also explain which phones have dedicated kid-friendly modes that your littles can use without getting into the rest of the phone.
The headline explains it all, so let’s dive in. All of these are free, except for the last one, which is an app that is free with copious ads and requires $3 payment to be ad-free.
iPhone:
Go to your settings app and find the Accessibility tab in the menu. For some iPhones, it’s under General and for newer versions, it’s on the main Settings menu.
Tap Guided Access. Set up a password.
Slide the button on that says Guided Access and Accessibility Shortcut. When you open an app like YouTube, tap the right-hand side button three times to open Guided Access.
To make it so the touch screen still works but a child cannot exit out of an app, stay on the Guided Access screen and draw a circle around the “X” tab of a game. For newer phones like the iPhone 13, circle the bottom edges so your child cannot move between apps by swiping up.
Tap “Options” in the bottom left corner. To make it so the touchscreen stops working so your child won’t accidentally end their video or play with your phone unsupervised, deselect “touch” and “keyboards.” This is ideal for when they want to watch videos.
When you triple-click the side button now, it will automatically go to the settings you’ve just set in Guided Access.
Androids:
Samsung:
Swipe down twice to reach the Settings.
Tap Samsung Kids Home.
Tap Start to open the built-in feature. This will open a kid-friendly, simplified version of the phone. You can set daily screen time limits and other protections.
To pin a video app like YouTube when a child is watching a video, follow these instructions:
Swipe down and tap on Settings.
Tap on Biometrics and Security,
Tap Other Security Settings.
Slide on the Pin Windows option. Turn on the Ask for Pin option.
Go back to the home screen.
Tap on the Recent button (on the bottom left hand side of the home screen that looks like several vertical bars).
Find the app you want from the recently opened app. Tap on the icon of that app to open a menu. Select Pin this App from that menu. Your child will be able to select videos, pause and unpause videos, and scroll within a video. Your child will not be able to exit that app until you end the screen pinning.
I recommend using a separate app for Samsungs since my preference is total screen lockdown — or else my son pauses his video and cries because he doesn’t know how to start it again — but that’s up to you.
Google Pixel:
To put the phone in a separate mode for kid-only content:
Tap Google Kids Space from the home screen and follow the instructions.
That’s literally all.
All Other Androids:
Most Android phones (like Pixels) running an Android OS should work with this screen pinning tip:
Open Settings and go to Lock Screen.
Tap Advanced.
Tap Screen Pinning. Turn it on.
When you are opening an app, you should be able to go to the Recent Apps screen and click a Pin button (may look like a push pin). If that isn’t available, try a hold-tap on the app icon to select Screen Pinning. This all depends on the model of your phone, how old it is, and which version you have, but they all run on the same Android OS, which has this as a built-in feature.
To disable screen pinning, hold the Back button for about five seconds. If you phone does not have a Back button, swipe up and hold your finger on that swipe for a few seconds.
I like iPhone’s built-in Guided Access options because it gives me a ready-made childlock. None of the Android phones have this outside of their kid-friendly modes.
Here’s an app I came across that has a lot of positive reviews for being a good child-lock option.
Touch Lock
This app is available for Android on the Play Store (there’s no iPhone version; sorry). This will make you watch an ad every time you use the lock or you can pay $3 for the ad-free version.
Once installed, follow the instructions to enable the app. When you slide down from the top, there should be a permanent option for Touch Lock now.
Open a video on YouTube (or your app of choice).
Slide down from the top and tap Touch Lock.
Unlock by double tapping the Unlock button.
Additional sources:
https://www.androidcentral.com/how-set-kids-home-child-mode-samsung-phones