Guides for parents
Updated:
Short, practical how-tos on kids' safety, phones and screen time, step by step. We keep them up to date.
Here you'll find how to set up parental controls on Android and iPhone, how to share your location with family, what to do when a phone is lost, whether a kids' GPS watch or an app is better, and how much screen time children need at each age. Every tip works without Heri too; where Heri helps, we say so.
- GPS watch or app?A kids' GPS watch or a location app on your child's phone? We compare price, SIM card, battery, accuracy and safety, and say which suits which age.
- Setting up parental controlsSet up parental controls step by step: Google Family Link on Android, Screen Time on iPhone, and Heri for screen time plus your child's location in one app.
- Sharing your locationHow to share your location on iPhone and Android with Google Maps, Find My, WhatsApp and Heri. Step-by-step instructions for one-off and ongoing sharing.
- Finding a lost phoneLost your phone? How to find an Android phone with Google's Find Hub and an iPhone with Find My, how to lock it, and why a phone can't be found by its number alone.
- Screen time for kidsHow much screen time children should have by age: WHO and American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations, signs of phone addiction and practical family rules.