How to turn an old mobile or tablet into a device for children

How many times a day do your children ask for your mobile phone? Although experts do not recommend its use in younger children and establish limitations for the elderly, it is clear that at some point they will connect to your screen. Even if it is to see photos and videos of your last excursion to the mountains.

The problem is that leaving a child's phone unattended (apart from the fact that it shouldn't be done) is a real danger. It can move files, delete them and even call your boss without you realizing it.

Luckily, Google offers users the possibility of turning an old phone – the one you no longer use and that you have laughing in your drawer – into a kind of children's area. The tool in question has been dubbed Family Link.

But unfortunately, at the moment it is only available in a few countries: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States. So until it arrives, we have proposed to offer you an alternative that you must configure,of course, manually.

Do you have a mobile phone or a tablet that you no longer use at all? Well, now you can take advantage of it for your little ones to enjoy, whether it's to play, watch cartoon movies or recall photos. Prepared? Well, let's get to work.

Recover an old mobile and clean it

Okay, you just changed phones. What do we do now with the old one? If you think your children will take advantage of it, you can reuse it for them. But first you'll have to do a little cleaning. You can go to the gallery, for example, and delete all those images, videos and screenshots that no longer serve you.

You can also uninstall all those applications that your children are not going to use. For example, there you have WhatsApp, YouTube, Gmail, Evernote, those of your banks,and so on. It is about leaving your device clean, to save storage space and at the same time eliminate any type of content or tool not suitable for children.

If you want to start from scratch, it's still easier for you. Why don't you reset the mobile to leave it as it came from the factory? In this way, you will eliminate everything you do not need at the root and you can start from scratch.To do this, go to Applications > Settings > Backup and factory reset > Factory data reset

Follow the process and let the device do its job. In a few minutes you will have the device as new. And you can make it kid-friendly.

Protects automatic purchases in the Google Play Store

It is a very frequent accident. The child fiddles with the phone and suddenly we find that, at the end of the month, a invoice arrives with different purchases of applications that we have not made at all . Be very careful with this, because depending on the time that the little one spends alone on the phone, the bill can increase dangerously.

That I have to do? Well, restrict purchases, so that to make them, it is necessary to authorize them. Access the Play Store > Settings > Parental control. At this point you will need to select a four-digit PIN.

Then you should also tap on the Require authentication to make purchases section and select For all purchases made through Google Play on this device . Confirm your Google password.

Choose a parental control app

You have dozens and dozens of parental control applications to install on your device. We recommend Screen Time, a tool that is available for Android. With this application you will be able to see what your children are doing on the device And what is most important: control the time they spend online.

The tool is totally free, but you have the option to try a paid version. You can do it for free for four days, but then you will have to pay. You can block access to games and social networks, prohibiting access after a certain time.It is protected so that they cannot uninstall it.

You can log in with your Google or Facebook account Or register directly. In any case, the first thing you will have to do is install the application on your mobile. And then, after you have obtained the code, download it to your child's device.

Install kid-specific apps

And that's it. It turns out the question of security (it would not hurt if you installed a good antivirus solution on the phone), you can start filling the phone with content. We are talking about specific applications for kids, with which they can give free rein to fun and creativity. Next, we offer you a list of apps that you can install on your child's phone in a completely safe way.

• YouTube Kids. It is the YouTube that we all know, but specially designed for children. Here you can find only children's content, so you don't have to worry at all if what your children see is not suitable.
• YouTube If you have older children or want to access certain content that is not on YouTube Kids, you also have the option of using the Normal YouTube, but in Restricted Mode. Access the Settings section > General > Restricted mode. Move the switch so that inappropriate content is not displayed. You must bear in mind, however, that it is not a one hundred percent reliable option.
• iCuadernos Rubio Do you remember Cuadernos Rubio from when you were little? Well, now they are also available in app format. It is a very well developed tool, with which children can practice writing and motor skills.It's great to use on tablets.
• Smile and Learn. Are you looking for a complete application with stories, games and activities for children? Well, Smile and Learn is a very interesting option for children between three and ten years old.

If your kids enjoy watching cartoons, you should know that most TV series have their own app In the Play Store You will find the apps for Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, Ben and Holly, Caillou, Heidi, Maya the Bee, Pocoyo or Masha and the Bear.