作为互联网设备(Internet device)，您的Android 智能手机或平板电脑(Android smartphone or tablet)，就像家庭 PC(family PC)一样，允许访问您的孩子不需要看到或参与的各种事物。不过(Just)，同样重要的是消息传递、银行业务和许多其他不仅私有而且易受攻击的应用程序。
虽然您可能不介意让您的小（和不那么小）的人偶尔玩智能手机，但您不希望他们安装可能具有破坏性或不适当的应用程序或启动现有应用程序并无意中更改或删除关键数据。
开箱即用，Google 的Android具有多项功能，可让您的设备对儿童安全，包括创建并随后设置对辅助和访客用户帐户的限制的能力。然而，三星(Samsung)和其他一些手机制造商和蜂窝服务提供商已经从他们的功能集中删除了多用户。
但是，三星的Galaxy(Galaxy)（和大多数其他）平板电脑可以使用多用户。设备之间的不一致(Inconsistency)是 Android 原本功能强大且用途广泛的开源编程(open-source programming)的一个不幸缺点。
因此(Hence)，在讨论如何让您的Android 设备(Android device)对儿童安全时，我们必须考虑两种情况：在可用的情况下使用 Android 的内置功能，或安装第三方儿童友好型应用程序。好消息是其中有几个，包括 Google 自己的免费Family Link 应用程序(Family Link app)。
无论您使用哪种方法，让您的孩子在未经您许可的情况下使用您的设备的可靠方法是设置 Android 的多个屏幕锁定选项之一。
锁定对智能手机或平板电脑的访问(Locking Access To Your Smartphone Or Tablet)
根据您的设备，Android提供传统的密码或 PIN 屏幕锁定选项(password or PIN screen-lock options)，以及一些生物识别功能，例如面部识别(face recognition)、虹膜识别和指纹读取(fingerprint reading)。许多设备，例如我的Note 9，允许您使用传统锁和生物识别锁的组合。
当然，所有锁定选项都可以通过 Android 的设置(Settings)控制面板访问， PIN 和密码锁(PIN and password locks)通常位于（取决于您的设备）安全(Security)或锁定屏幕(Lock Screen,)下，生物识别锁位于生物识别和安全(Biometrics and Security )（或某些变体）下。
当然，您需要的安全类型和级别取决于您。(type and levels)但是，在支持生物识别扫描的手机上，您的孩子通过指纹、面部或虹膜扫描的可能性微乎其微。
在您的 Android 上创建多个用户(Creating Multiple Users On Your Android)
如果您的设备支持多个用户配置文件，这是限制孩子可以做什么和不可以做什么的有效方法。如果多个孩子使用您的设备（或共享他们自己的设备），您可以为每个孩子创建和定义一个配置文件。这是如何做：
- 转到设置(Settings)
- 滚动到并点按用户(Users)
- 选择添加用户或配置文件(Add user or profile)
- 在随后的对话窗口中，点击Restricted Profile
Android会显示一个屏幕，允许您打开或关闭对设备上几乎所有内容的访问，包括Chrome和Google 搜索应用程序(Google Search app)。默认情况下，大多数选项都处于关闭状态。
浏览列表并打开您要允许的内容和应用程序；(content and apps)请注意，其中一些旁边有一个设置齿轮图标，通过单击它，您可以通过主要基于年龄的设置进一步定制内容，如下图所示(image below)。
例如，视频和电视应用程序(Video and TV apps)允许您使用传统评级（例如PG 或 PG-13(PG or PG-13) ）限制内容。另外，请确保关闭Allow unrated content。
您还可以限制每个用户拨打电话或发送短信和电子邮件。还要记住，对于您安装的每个新应用程序或将来为孩子们下载的内容，您需要回到这里并允许访问。
您可以从通知(Notifications)下拉菜单中来回切换用户，如下所示：
- 从任何主屏幕(Home screen)、锁定屏幕(lock screen)和许多应用程序屏幕的顶部，用两根手指向下滑动以显示快速设置(Quick Settings)。
- 点击切换用户(Switch user)
- 点击其他用户。该用户现在可以登录。
在 Google Play 中设置家长控制(Setting Parental Controls In Google Play)
为了让您的设备(device kid-safe)对年龄较大的孩子安全，您可以打开并定义内置的Google Play 商店(Google Play Store)家长控制。通过这些，您可以限制可下载到您的Android的应用程序、书籍、音乐和电影的类型。
- 打开谷歌播放商店。(Google Play Store.)
- 点击应用左上角的应用菜单图标(app menu icon)（四条水平线）。
- 滚动到并点按家长控制(Parental controls)
- 向右移动家长控制(Parental controls )滑块以打开该功能。
- 在随后出现的内容 PIN 对话框(Content PIN dialog)中，键入一个四位数字，点击确定，(OK,)重新键入PIN以确认，然后再次点击确定(OK )。
- 在家长控制“设置内容限制屏幕”中，输入每个部分并设置允许内容的级别。
例如，在“应用程序和游戏”部分(Apps & Games section)中，您可以在“所有人”（限制最严格）到“允许(Allow)所有人，包括未分级”（限制最少）之间有几个选项。当然，您可以根据需要关闭或更改家长控制，但只能在输入四位数PIN后，所以不要忘记它。
此外，这些设置与(t pertain)打开家长控制(Parental Controls)之前在您的设备上加载的应用程序和内容无关。
第三方儿童安全应用(Third-Party Kid-Safe Apps)
与大多数类型的Android 应用程序(Android apps)一样，有几种用于实施家长控制。其中一个更全面的是Google Family Link，它可以让您控制孩子的Android 访问(Android access)的大部分方面，包括设置时间限制。Family Link的一个缺点是它需要两台设备，您的和您孩子的。
以下是其他一些可直接安装到您的 Android 上的方法：
- Kids Place-Parental Control是一个启动器，它本质上将Android变成了一个对儿童友好的环境，您可以(you)在其中决定几乎所有方面的功能和可访问性(functionality and accessibility)。与所有启动器一样，您可以轻松将其关闭或打开另一个启动器。
- 多年来， Net Nanny(Net Nanny)(Net Nanny)一直在过滤内容、阻止色情内容并在Windows机器上设置时间限制。但是，它需要受限制的个人资料(Profile)用户，并非所有Android 都支持(Androids support)。
- Toddler Lock 将您的孩子限制在一个应用程序中。
- Applock 提供对几乎所有Android 功能和内容(Android functionality and content)的广泛控制。
How To Kid-Proof Your Android Mobile Device
As an Internеt device, your Android smartphone or tаblet, just like the family PC, allows acceѕs tо all sorts of things your сhildren don’t need to see or participate in. Just as important, though, are the messaging, banking, and many other apps that are not only private bυt also vulnerable.
While you might not mind letting your little (and not-so-little) ones play with your smartphone now and then, you don’t want them installing potentially damaging or inappropriate apps or launching existing ones and inadvertently altering or deleting critical data.
Out of the box, Google’s Android comes with several features for making your device kid-safe, including the ability to create and subsequently set restrictions on secondary and guest user accounts. However, Samsung and some other phone manufacturers and cellular service providers have dropped multi-users from their feature sets.
Multi-users are available on Samsung’s Galaxy (and most other) tablets, however. Inconsistency across devices is an unfortunate drawback to Android’s otherwise powerful and versatile open-source programming.
Hence, when discussing how to make your Android device kid-safe, we must look at two scenarios: using Android’s built-in features where they’re available, or installing a third-party kid-friendly app. The good news is that there are several of them, including Google’s own free Family Link app.
No matter which method you use, a sure way to keep your child from using your device without your permission is to set up one of Android’s several screen lock options.
Locking Access To Your Smartphone Or Tablet
Depending on your device, Android provides conventional password or PIN screen-lock options, as well as a few biometric features, such as face recognition, iris recognition, and fingerprint reading. Many devices, like my Note 9, for instance, allow you to use a combination of conventional and biometric locks.
All lock options are accessed, of course, via Android’s Settings control panels, with the PIN and password locks usually located under (depending on your device) Security or Lock Screen, and the biometric locks under Biometrics and Security (or some variation).
The type and levels of security you need are, of course, up to you. On phones that support biometrics scanning, though, the chances of your child defeating a fingerprint, facial, or iris scan are slim to none.
Creating Multiple Users On Your Android
If your device supports multiple user profiles, this is an efficient method for restricting what your child can and can’t do. If more than one child uses your device (or share their own), you can create and define a profile for each one. Here’s how:
- Go to Settings
- Scroll to and tap Users
- Choose Add user or profile
- In the ensuing dialog window, tap Restricted Profile
Android displays a screen that allows you to switch access on or off to nearly everything on the device, including Chrome and the Google Search app. By default, most options are turned off.
Go through the list and switch on the content and apps you want to allow; note that several have a Settings gear icon beside them that, by clicking it, lets you tailor content further, through mostly age-based settings, as shown in the image below.
Video and TV apps, for example, let you restrict content using traditional ratings, such as, say, PG or PG-13. Also, make sure that you turn off Allow unrated content.
You can also restrict each user from making calls or sending texts and emails. Keep in mind, too, that for each new app you install or content you download for the children in the future, you’ll need to come back here and allow access.
You can switch back and forth between users from Notifications pull-down, like this:
- From the top of any Home screen, the lock screen, and many app screens, swipe down with two fingers to reveal Quick Settings.
- Tap Switch user
- Tap a different user. That user can now sign in.
Setting Parental Controls In Google Play
To make your device kid-safe for an older child, you can turn on and define the built-in Google Play Store parental controls. With these, you can restrict the types of apps, books, music, and movies available for download to your Android.
- Open Google Play Store.
- Tap the app menu icon (four horizontal lines) in the upper-left corner of the app.
- Scroll to and tap Parental controls
- Move the Parental controls slider to the right to turn the feature on.
- In the ensuing Content PIN dialog box, type a four-digit number, tap OK, retype the PIN to confirm, and then tap OK again.
- From the Parental Controls “Set content restrictions screen,” enter each section and set the level of allowed content.
In the Apps & Games section, for instance, you have several options between “Everyone” (the most restrictive) to “Allow all, including unrated” (least restrictive). You can, of course, turn off or change parental controls as needed, but only after entering the four-digit PIN, so don’t forget it.
Also, these settings don’t pertain to apps and content loaded on your device before turning on Parental Controls.
Third-Party Kid-Safe Apps
As with most types of Android apps, there are several for imposing parental controls. One of the more comprehensive is Google Family Link, which lets you control most aspects of your child’s Android access, including setting time limits. A drawback to Family Link is that it requires two devices, yours and your child’s.
Here are some others for installing directly onto your Android:
- Kids Place- Parental Control is a launcher that essentially turns Android into a kid-friendly environment where you decide nearly all aspects of functionality and accessibility. As with all launchers, you can easily turn it off or turn on another launcher.
- Net Nanny has been filtering content, blocking porn, and setting time limits on Windows machines for several years. It requires Restricted Profile users, though, which not all Androids support.
- Toddler Lock restricts your child to a single app, period.
- Applock provides extensive controls over nearly all Android functionality and content.
