Guide · First smartphone Safely set up your child’s first smartphone: step by step A child’s first smartphone can get off to a good start without an adult account, unnecessary apps or saved payment details. A secure setup and a shared agreement make the beginning clear and easy to understand.
19 October 2026 · 4 min read
By Redaktion familydevice
“How do we set up our child’s first smartphone so they can use it safely without me having to weigh in every time they get in touch?” The key is not to read every exchange, but to prepare the device and agree on boundaries in advance. This guide takes you through a safe start step by step.
First agree on what the smartphone is for
Evidence The Guide from the Bundespsychotherapeutenkammer links safe internet use with clear rules, technical safeguards, parental support and conversations about risks. [1]
The media use agreement provides a shared foundation for rules, responsibilities and consequences. [2]
Our assessment For the first start, a clear, simple setup makes more sense than a general debate about individual features later. Your child should know why a setting is enabled and how they can deal with problems themselves.
Our advice
Clarify the purpose: Explain whether the smartphone will mainly be used for school, keeping in touch with friends or specific activities. Having one clear main purpose makes it easier to understand why individual apps are needed.Define the scope: Agree which apps, contacts and exceptions are allowed. Have your child go through the agreement with you and answer any questions directly.Describe everyday routines: Agree when the smartphone should be charged, when use should stop and that purchases may not be made without supervision. Write the rules in a short agreement so it is clear later what you have already discussed.Clarify problems: Agree who can approve an app, how your child can ask for help and what happens if the phone is lost, suspicious messages arrive or a rule is broken. The consequence should fit the specific incident. Create a secure starting setup
Evidence The AWMF guideline addresses preventing dysregulated screen media use and takes account of the age, development and everyday lives of children and young people. [3]
The Guide from klicksafe, Internet-ABC and Landesanstalt für Medien NRW covers practical settings for protecting personal data and communicating online. [4]
Our assessment The menu names vary by operating system. What matters is therefore not the exact menu path, but the result: a device that is not shared and has no other people’s accounts, up-to-date software, secure payments and as few permissions as possible.
Our advice
Start with a clean slate: Reset a smartphone that has already been used if necessary. Remove other people’s accounts and apps, then start with an empty home screen.Keep the device account separate: Do not set up an adult account on the smartphone. Your child should have their own account, with an age that is appropriate for them.Secure access: Use a unique passcode and turn on automatic locking and security updates. Use the phone’s recovery features as a safeguard if it is lost, not as a tool for covert monitoring.Check permissions: Give apps access to location, contacts, microphone, camera and photos only if they need it. Location access should ideally be enabled only while the app is being used.Limit downloads: Only allow app installs from the device’s official store. Block or ignore links in messages from unknown senders and turn on an age-appropriate search filter if the device offers one.Restrict purchases: Do not save a credit card or any other payment details. For app purchases, use a dedicated password that does not unlock the device, and make sure your child does not share it. Practise communication and adjust settings
Evidence The Guide from the Bundespsychotherapeutenkammer recommends supporting children and young people in using digital media safely through rules, support and conversations. [1]
The Guide from klicksafe, Internet-ABC and Landesanstalt für Medien NRW covers protecting personal information and dealing with unknown people and potentially risky contacts. [4]
Our advice
Adjust the scope: For children aged 9 and 10, start with a short contact list chosen together. For children aged 11 and 12, the list can grow if they can already explain contact requests and settings clearly.Protect the profile: Do not put your child’s full name, school, year group, address or exact location on a public profile. Even if the profile is private, your child should know which details other people can see.Practise handling requests: If someone promises a prize, threatens your child, asks for money or asks for a password, your child should not reply on their own. They should stop and report the message to you or an agreed support person.Protect recordings: Explain that photos and screenshots can always reveal another person. Deleting a recording does not undo the fact that someone else may already have saved or shared it.Limit interruptions: Allow notifications only from agreed apps and important contacts. No private message content should appear on the lock screen.Try out scenarios: Role-play a message from an unknown contact, a notification claiming a prize has been won and a request for the password. Ask your child to explain which app they would leave and whom they would tell.Review together: At regular intervals, review installed apps, contacts and permissions together. Explain every change, then give your child more independence. Seek expert advice if problems begin to affect your child’s sleep, school life, friendships or wellbeing. Series: The first smartphone
Part 1 The first smartphone: how to tell whether your child is ready Part 2 Safely set up your child’s first smartphone: step by step Transparency: This guide is published by the editorial team behind familydevice (ANTICIPATER GmbH), which develops a screen time app. That is why we visibly separate evidence, our assessment and advice, link every source in the original and recommend no products in the guide. How we work