Parents' guide · mlab Kids
kids.mlab.sh/parents
How to use mlab Kids together
Pick the age group
Content adapts: highly visual and guided for young children, more technical for teens. Start at your child's level.
Do the first ones together
Especially for ages 3–7, sit alongside them: read the prompt aloud and talk through the choices. The conversation is what matters.
No sign-up
No account, no email, no data collected. Progress stays on the device. You can follow it on My journey.
What matters, age by age
Laying the foundations, gently
At this age the goal isn't technique but instinct: don't give information to a stranger, ask an adult when unsure, understand that a screen can hide someone you don't know. Praise them for coming to talk to you.
First accounts, first rules
Strong passwords, spotting a suspicious message or email, understanding that a password is never shared. Help them create their first passwords and talk about cyberbullying before they encounter it.
Social media and critical thinking
Privacy, privacy settings, misinformation, targeted scams, digital footprint. Talk about what they post and who can see it, without dramatising, staying a trusted person to turn to.
Autonomy and responsibility
Advanced security, ethics, the legal framework. At this age guidance is lighter-touch: mlab Kids even covers cybersecurity careers, a possible path for the future.
💬 To start the conversation
- 👉“Has anyone ever sent you a weird message? What did you do?”
- 👉“If a game promised you a free gift in exchange for your password, what would you do?”
- 👉“Who can you talk to if something online makes you uncomfortable?”
- 👉“Show me an activity you enjoyed on mlab Kids, tell me what you learned.”
Warning signs to watch for
Mood changes after screen time, anxiety or sudden withdrawal.
Hiding the screen, clearing history, becoming secretive about online activity.
Requests for money or gift cards, or unexplained purchases.
New online “friends” they don't know in real life, or late-night contact.
When in doubt, choose dialogue over punishment: a child who fears being punished will share less. The goal is for them to come to you.
What to do if… the emergency guide
Concrete steps, in order, for the most common situations. Your calm matters as much as your actions: a reassured child opens up more easily.
😢 They are being cyberbullied
- Listen without blaming: it is not their fault.
- Keep the evidence: screenshots, messages, profiles.
- Do not reply to the bullies, block them.
- Report the content on the platform involved.
- Call Childline on 0800 1111, free and confidential.
📸 An embarrassing photo of them is circulating
- Reassure them: we will handle this together, no blame.
- If they are being blackmailed, never pay and do not reply.
- Keep the evidence before blocking anyone.
- Use Report Remove (Childline / IWF) to get the image taken down.
- Report to CEOP for support.
👤 A stranger has contacted them
- Cut the contact and block the account.
- Never meet in person, especially alone.
- Keep the messages as screenshots.
- Report to CEOP.
- Immediate danger: call 999.
🎣 They clicked a scam link or gave away a password
- Change the affected account's password right away.
- Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA).
- Change it everywhere it was reused.
- Watch the bank accounts if payment details leaked.
- Warn their contacts if their inbox was hijacked.
Set up parental controls
A useful safety net, especially for younger children. Show it to your child rather than hiding it: it is a tool that supports the conversation, not surveillance.
📱 iPhone / iPad
Settings, then Screen Time. Turn it on, set a parent passcode, then use "Content & Privacy Restrictions" to filter apps, purchases and sites.
🤖 Android
Install the Google Family Link app on both phones. You manage apps, screen time and location remotely.
▶️ YouTube
For younger children, use the YouTube Kids app. Otherwise, turn on "Restricted Mode" in the account settings.
🎬 Netflix / Disney+
Create a Kids profile with an age limit, and lock adult profiles with a PIN.
🎮 Consoles (Switch, PlayStation, Xbox)
Each console has its own parental controls app: time limits, age filtering, and blocking purchases and chat.
🌐 Router and provider
Parental controls are free and often included with your provider (mobile and home broadband). Turn them on from your account.
Parental controls are a safety net, not a replacement for talking: tools can be worked around, trust cannot.
The decoder: apps and slang
The apps your teen uses, their official minimum age and the main thing to watch.
TikTok · 13+
Viral videos and private messages. Key setting: private account, turn off messages from strangers.
Snapchat · 13+
Disappearing messages and a location map. Key setting: turn on "Ghost Mode" on the Snap Map.
Instagram · 13+
Photos and direct messages. Key setting: private account and message restrictions.
Roblox · all ages
Games and player chat. Key setting: turn on parental controls and limit chat.
Discord · 13+
Chat servers, sometimes public. Key setting: filter messages and limit friend requests.
Fortnite · 12+ (PEGI)
Online game with voice chat and purchases. Key setting: block purchases and chat with strangers.
The slang to know
Grooming: an adult builds a child's trust online with the aim of abuse.
Sextortion: blackmail using an intimate image.
FOMO: fear of missing out, which keeps them glued to the screen.
Doxing: publishing someone's private information to harm them.
V-Bucks, skins: paid currency and looks inside games.
Finsta: a fake "private" account kept alongside the real one.
Screen-time guidance
These are rules of thumb, not hard limits. The quality of the content and your presence matter more than exact minutes.
As little screen time as possible, and always alongside an adult. Play and talking come first.
Limited time, age-appropriate content, never in the bedroom, never alone.
Clear rules, explain what the internet is, no social media yet.
Support their growing independence and talk about privacy. Social media: 13 is the minimum age on most platforms.
Talk about habits, keep screens out of the bedroom at night, protect sleep.
Frequently asked questions
What age for a first smartphone?
There is no magic age. Many experts suggest waiting until secondary school and starting with a simple phone, without social media. What matters is your child's maturity and the rules you set together.
Should I read their messages secretly?
Usually not: secret monitoring breaks trust, and a child who feels spied on hides more instead of confiding. For younger children, transparent, agreed-upon controls beat hidden snooping.
How much screen time per day?
No single number fits everyone. Aim for quality over quantity, regular breaks, and no screens right before bed. The best approach is to build a balance with your child, not to impose one.
Social media: from what age?
Most platforms require a minimum age of 13, and many countries require parental consent below 16. Beyond the rule, the key is to guide those first steps rather than let them happen unseen.
How should I react if they slip up online?
Understand first, fix it, then learn from it: an immediate punishment mostly teaches them to hide better. The goal is that they dare to come to you next time.
Password manager, antivirus: worth it?
Yes. A password manager is a great habit for the whole family, two-factor authentication protects important accounts, and an up-to-date antivirus is still useful on computers.
📜 Our family digital charter
Fill it in and sign it together, then put it up near the computer or on the fridge. You can complete it on screen before printing.
Charter for , dated .
The child agrees to
- ☐ Tell an adult if something makes me uncomfortable online.
- ☐ Never share my passwords, my address or my school.
- ☐ Not accept strangers and never meet them.
- ☐ Ask before downloading, buying or posting a photo.
- ☐ Turn screens off at and keep them out of my bedroom at night.
- ☐ Stick to a screen-time limit of .
- ☐
The parents agree to
- ☐ Listen first, not punish, when you come to us.
- ☐ Set the example with our own screens.
- ☐
Child's signature
Parent's signature
Where to get help
Trusted, free resources for cyberbullying, harmful content or online danger.
Internet Matters
Practical, age-based online safety advice for parents. internetmatters.org
Childline (UK)
Free, confidential support for children and young people. childline.org.uk
StopBullying (US)
Government guidance on preventing and responding to bullying. stopbullying.gov
CEOP (UK)
Report online sexual abuse or grooming to law enforcement. ceop.police.uk
If a child is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency number (999 in the UK, 911 in the US, 112 across the EU).