SkieSkie for Parents
Ages, stages and choosing a device
What suits a 6 year old, a teenager, and how to pick a first device. 17 questions answered.
- What phone or tablet setup suits a 6 year old?For a 6 year old, keep it small. A few learning and play apps, no Play Store, adult sites blocked, calls to family only through a short list of numbers you control, and a bedtime lock. A...
- What is the best phone for a 10 year old?There is no single best model. What matters at ten is the setup: calls and a few useful apps, no open Play Store, adult sites blocked, location and an SOS button, and a bedtime lock. With...
- What parental controls make sense for a teenager?Fewer, clearer ones. For a teenager, keep adult-site blocking, a night-time window and a lost mode, and agree the rest together. Skie lets you widen the app list as they earn it, and it...
- What makes a good first phone or tablet for a child?A good first device is easy to understand, hard to misuse, and set up with rules before it reaches the child. Choose the device by price and durability, then add controls for apps...
- At what age should a child get their first phone?There is no right age that fits every child. Many families decide when the child travels alone or needs to be reachable, often between about 9 and 13. Readiness matters more than age: can...
- How do I loosen the rules on my child's phone as they grow up?Change the app list and the schedule from the Skie dashboard, a little at a time, and tell your child what changed and why. The device follows the new rules as soon as it syncs. Keep the...
- How do I make my child's phone stricter during exams?Create a stricter app list or schedule window and apply it for the exam weeks. With Skie you can allow only books, a calculator and a study app during set hours, or hide games and social...
- How do I set study time on my child's phone or tablet?Add a schedule window in the Skie dashboard with the days, the start and end time, and the apps allowed during study. For example, six to eight in the evening with only books, a calculator...
- How do I set a bedtime lock on my child's phone or tablet?Create a night window in the Skie dashboard that runs overnight, for example from nine in the evening to seven in the morning, and allow only the clock and calls. The device switches on its...
- Can I get a phone or tablet for my child with no social media?Yes. With Skie, social media apps stay off the allowed list and the Play Store is hidden, so the child cannot install them. The browser, if allowed, has SafeSearch forced and incognito...
- Is there a phone for kids with no internet?Yes, you can make one. With Skie, turn off the browser, allow only apps that work offline or only for calls and messages, and hide the Play Store. Locking mobile network and Wi-Fi settings...
- How do I set up a child's phone or tablet safely?Start with a freshly set up or reset Android 12 or newer device with no Google account, make it managed with Skie using the Provision app or a computer and cable, then choose the apps...
- How do kids try to bypass parental controls, and what stops them?Children typically try to uninstall the app, reset the phone, use a VPN or another browser, change the clock, or borrow another device. Skie is built to block those at the Android level...
- Can I limit my child's phone to calls from approved contacts only?Not yet. Skie cannot restrict calls to an approved contact list today. You can turn outgoing calls or SMS off or on as a whole, and the SOS button reaches the number you set. The team is...
- Can I set a time limit for one app, like one hour of games a day?Not yet. Skie does not have per-app time limits or a daily screen time cap today. You can use schedule windows to allow an app only at certain hours, hide it entirely, or lock the device....
- Can I see a screen time report for my child's phone?Not yet. Skie does not show screen time or app usage reports today, so there is no list of how many minutes your child spent in each app. It does show location, online status and...
- Can I block or allow one specific website on my child's phone?Not yet. Skie does not have per-website allow or block lists today. Adult sites are blocked by a filter locked on the device, SafeSearch is forced, and the browser can be off, restricted or...