The Back-to-School Tech Checklist for Parents

The start of a school year brings new schedules, new teachers, and very often new technology: a first phone, a hand-me-down laptop, a school-issued Chromebook or iPad, and a fresh batch of apps and accounts. It is the perfect moment to reset your family's tech setup, because everyone already expects things to change.

Use this checklist in the weeks before school starts, or any time during the year when things feel like they have drifted.

1. Update every device

Software updates fix security holes and often add new parental features.

• Update phones, tablets, laptops and game consoles to the latest operating system.
• Update apps, or turn on automatic updates.
• Check whether any device is too old to get security updates anymore. Older computers still running Windows 10 no longer get regular updates, and older phones eventually stop getting them too. Those devices are best kept off the internet or replaced.
• After a big update, re-check parental controls. Updates sometimes add new menus or change how settings are organized. On Apple devices, for example, iOS 27 reorganized Screen Time under the Family section of Settings.

2. Get school accounts and devices sorted

• Write down (or save in a password manager) your child's school login, learning platform and email details.
• Find out which apps and websites the school uses, and whether students sign in with a school Google or Microsoft account.
• If your child has a school-issued device, ask the school what it filters and monitors at home. Most school devices are managed remotely, and parents cannot change those settings.
• Agree on where the school device is used at home (a shared space is easiest) and where it charges overnight.
• Check the school's phone policy. Many schools and districts now limit or ban phones during the school day, and kids should know the rules before the first day.

3. Refresh passwords and sign-ins

• Make sure every account your child uses has a unique password, or a passkey where supported.
• For younger kids, a parent keeps a copy of every password. For teens, agree on which accounts you need access to.
• Turn on two-step verification for email, Apple or Google accounts, and social media.
• Review recovery phone numbers and emails so a locked-out account can be recovered.
• Remind kids: passwords are shared with parents, never with friends, even best friends.

4. Check parental controls on personal devices

Built-in controls are free and cover the basics for most families.

• iPhone and iPad: Use Family Sharing and Screen Time to set content limits, app approvals, time allowances and who your child can contact. See our guide to restricting apps by age rating for one key setting.
• Android: Use Google Family Link for app approvals, content filters, screen time limits and location.
• Game consoles: Set up the console's family settings for age ratings, spending limits and online chat.
• Search and video: Make sure SafeSearch is on in Google and that YouTube is set up appropriately for your child's age. Our article on filtering adult content in Google explains how.
• Purchases: Turn on purchase approval so in-app spending does not surprise you.

5. Review social media and messaging

• Confirm which apps your child is using, and that they meet the app's minimum age (13 for most major social networks).
• Check that accounts are private and location tags are off.
• Review who can message, tag or mention your child.
• Scan follower and friend lists together. Remove anyone your child does not know in real life.
• Ask about new group chats tied to classes, teams or clubs, and who is in them.

6. Set family rules for the school year

Summer routines rarely survive the first week of school. Write down the new ones.

• When devices are allowed on school nights, and when they are not.
• Homework first, or a set amount of downtime first. Decide together.
• Where devices charge at night. Outside bedrooms is the most common rule, and it helps with sleep.
• Phone-free times, such as meals and the drive to school.
• What happens if rules are broken, agreed in advance.

A written agreement helps everyone remember. Our family media agreement guide includes ideas you can adapt.

7. Think about location and safety

• Decide whether you will share locations within the family, and talk about why.
• Turn off location access for apps that do not need it.
• Remove school names, team names and schedules from public profiles.
• Make sure your child knows how to reach you if their phone dies, including memorizing at least one parent's number.

8. Back up and protect devices

• Turn on automatic backups (iCloud, Google One or a computer backup).
• Turn on Find My on Apple devices or Find My Device on Android.
• Put a passcode on every phone and tablet.
• Use a sturdy case and screen protector if your child is carrying a phone or tablet in a backpack.
• Label chargers. They have a way of disappearing at school.

9. Have the conversation

Settings cover a lot, but not everything. Before school starts, talk about:

• What to do if someone sends something upsetting or inappropriate.
• How to handle a group chat that turns mean.
• Why you never share photos of other kids without asking.
• That they can always come to you without getting in trouble.

If you need help starting, see our guide on talking with kids about online safety.

The short version

If you only have twenty minutes, do these five things: update every device, turn on two-step verification for your child's main account, check that parental controls and purchase approval are on, agree on where devices charge at night, and tell your child they can always come to you. Everything else can follow during the first few weeks.