5 Common Mistakes Parents Make With Kids and Technology

Most parents we hear from are doing a lot right. They set up a passcode, turn on some controls and talk to their kids about strangers. The trouble usually isn't a lack of effort. It's a handful of predictable gaps that let problems slip through.

Here are five of the most common mistakes families make with kids and technology, and simple fixes for each.

Mistake 1: Setting it up once and forgetting about it

Parental controls feel like a one-time job. You spend an evening configuring Screen Time or Family Link, and then you move on. Meanwhile:

• Your child gets older and the right settings change.
• Phones and apps update, and settings get renamed, moved or reset. Apple, for example, reorganized its family controls again with iOS 27 in 2026.
• New apps arrive that your original settings never considered.
• Kids find workarounds, and they share them with each other.

What to do instead:

1. Put a recurring reminder on your calendar every three months to review settings.
2. After any major software update or new device, check that the controls are still on.
3. When your child asks for a new app, use it as a reason to revisit everything.

Our back-to-school tech checklist is a good once-a-year review.

Mistake 2: Relying on technology instead of conversation

No filter catches everything. Content slips through, friends share things on their own phones, and the riskiest moments often happen in apps where parents have little visibility, such as private messages and group chats.

The best protection is a child who will tell you when something feels wrong. That depends far more on how you react than on what software you use. If the response to "someone sent me something weird" is taking the phone away for a month, kids learn to stay quiet.

What to do instead:

• Talk about online life the way you talk about school or friends: often, casually and without interrogation.
• Make a clear promise: if they come to you about something that went wrong online, they won't be punished for telling you.
• Ask open questions. "What's the funniest thing you saw online this week?" opens more doors than "Are you being safe?"

We have more ideas in our guide to talking with kids about online safety.

Mistake 3: Ignoring the "other" devices

Many families lock down the phone and forget about everything else that connects to the internet:

• Tablets and e-readers with built-in browsers
• Game consoles with voice chat, messaging and online stores
• Smart TVs and streaming sticks with their own app stores
• Laptops and school-issued Chromebooks
• Smart speakers that can make purchases
• An old phone in a drawer that still connects to Wi-Fi

Kids are resourceful. If the main device is restricted, they'll often use whichever one isn't.

What to do instead:

1. Walk through your home and list every device that connects to the internet.
2. Set a passcode and age-appropriate restrictions on each one. Our guide to setting a passcode on your e-reader or tablet covers the basics.
3. Consider network-level filtering through your router or internet provider, which covers devices that don't have good built-in controls.
4. Factory-reset and recycle old devices you no longer use, or lock them down too.

Mistake 4: Sharing too much about your kids yourself

This one is about parents' own posts. It's natural to share first-day-of-school photos and proud moments. But over the years, a public profile can build a detailed record of a child's full name, birthday, school, neighborhood, activities and appearance, before the child is old enough to have a say.

What to do instead:

• Keep your own social media accounts private, or limit family posts to a close friends list.
• Avoid posting school names, uniforms, house numbers and real-time locations.
• Turn off location tagging on photos.
• As kids get older, ask before posting about them. It models the consent you want them to practice with their friends.

Our guide on protecting your privacy covers the settings that matter most.

Mistake 5: Skipping the basics of security

Families often focus on content and screen time and overlook plain security, even though a hacked account can be just as harmful as an inappropriate video. Common gaps include:

• Reusing one password across many accounts
• Not turning on two-factor authentication for email and social media
• Kids knowing (or guessing) the parent's passcode, which unlocks every restriction
• Using the same code for the phone lock screen and the parental controls
• Ignoring software updates that patch security holes

What to do instead:

1. Use a password manager and give each account a unique password.
2. Turn on two-factor authentication for email, Apple or Google accounts and social media.
3. Make your parental-control passcode different from your lock screen code, and enter it where kids can't watch.
4. Turn on automatic updates on every device.
5. Teach kids to recognize phishing messages: urgent requests for a password or code are almost always scams.

A bonus mistake: making rules only for the kids

Kids notice when parents check phones at dinner or scroll late at night. Rules land better when the whole household follows some of them. A shared charging spot outside bedrooms, phone-free meals or a weekend morning without screens can work for everyone.

A written family media agreement is an easy way to set expectations that apply to adults too.

Quick checklist

• Review parental controls every three months and after updates.
• Talk about online life often, and promise no punishment for reporting problems.
• Lock down every connected device, not just the phone.
• Keep your own posts about your kids private and limited.
• Use unique passwords, two-factor authentication and a separate parental-control passcode.
• Follow some of the family tech rules yourself.