First Phone Checklist: How to Set Up a Child’s First Smartphone

A first phone is a big step for a child and a parent. The safest time to set it up is before you hand it over, when you can turn on controls without a negotiation. This checklist walks through readiness, setup, and the family rules that make the first year go well. It works for iPhone and Android. Checked October 25, 2026.

Is your child ready?

There’s no single right age. Ask instead:

• Do they need it for getting around on their own, such as walking to school or activities?
• Do they follow screen time rules on a tablet or computer now?
• Do they tell you when something online upsets them?
• Can they look after something valuable?

If the main need is calling and texting, a basic phone or a smartwatch with calling can be a good first step before a full smartphone.

Before you hand it over: setup checklist

1. Create the child’s account through your family account. Use Apple Family Sharing or Google Family Link so you’re the parent on the account. See iPhone parental controls or Google Family Link.
2. Set a Screen Time passcode (iPhone) or keep the Family Link parent account private. Don’t use your child’s lock-screen code.
3. Require approval for apps and purchases. Turn on Ask to Buy or Play Store approval. See In-Game Spending and Loot Boxes.
4. Set content limits for apps, movies, music and websites by age.
5. Schedule downtime for bedtime, and plan for the phone to charge outside the bedroom. See Screen Time and Sleep.
6. Limit contacts for younger children so they can only call and text approved people.
7. Check location settings. Decide together whether to share location with family, and set apps to share location only while in use. See Teen Privacy and Location Sharing.
8. Turn on the phone’s find-and-lock feature (Find My or Find My Device) so you can locate or lock it if lost.
9. Add a carrier PIN to protect the phone number from SIM swaps. See SIM Swap Scams.
10. Turn on automatic updates for the system and apps.
11. Save emergency contacts and set up the Medical ID or emergency information.
12. Add a case and screen protector, and consider whether insurance makes sense.

Social media can wait

Most major social platforms require users to be at least 13, and many experts suggest waiting until at least then. A first phone doesn’t have to come with social apps. When you do add them, set them up together using our App and Game Guides.

Write a simple phone agreement

Agree on rules before the phone arrives, and write them down. Cover:

• Where the phone sleeps at night, and when it’s put away (meals, homework, bedtime)
• Which apps are allowed, and how to ask for new ones
• That you may check the phone, and when
• That they’ll tell you about anything upsetting online, and won’t lose the phone for telling you
• What happens if rules are broken, and when you’ll review the agreement

Teach five safety basics

1. Never share passwords or codes, except with a parent.
2. Don’t answer or call back unknown numbers, and don’t tap links in unexpected texts. See Scam Texts.
3. Someone you’ve only met online is a stranger. See Online Grooming Warning Signs.
4. Never send photos you wouldn’t want everyone to see, and come to a parent if anyone pressures or threatens you. See Sextortion.
5. Be kind in group chats, and tell an adult if someone is being bullied. See Cyberbullying.

The first month

• Check in weekly about what they’re using and how it’s going.
• Review Screen Time or Family Link reports together, not as a punishment.
• Loosen limits as they show they can handle more.

Frequently asked questions

iPhone or Android?
Both have solid free parental controls. Choose the one that matches the parent’s phone, since managing the controls is easiest from the same system.

Do I need a paid monitoring app?
Most families don’t. The built-in tools cover app approval, time limits, content filters and location.

Should I read my child’s messages?
For younger children, occasional checks agreed in advance are reasonable. As they get older, conversation and trust work better than secret monitoring.

Sources

• Screen time guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Apple Support, accessed October 25, 2026
• Family Media Plan, HealthyChildren.org (AAP), accessed October 25, 2026
• Kids’ Privacy (COPPA), Federal Trade Commission, accessed October 25, 2026