Protecting children

• What is the right age for a child's first phone?There is no magic age that suits every child, but recent research links owning a smartphone before 12 or 13 with poorer sleep and a higher risk of depression. Delay the smartphone as long as you reasonably can, start with a basic phone if your child needs to stay in touch, and never hand over any phone before protection they cannot remove is in place.
• The complete guide to parental control on children's phonesParental control that works rests on three things: protection your child cannot remove from the phone, clear rules they understand and help shape, and calm follow-up from the parents. This guide walks you through every step, from setting up the phone, to choosing the allowed apps, to closing the loopholes children use to get around controls.