Weekend Setup Sheet

Ages 13–14. Set the device layer first, then the five apps a teen this age actually uses. Two or three settings each — the ones that matter. Tick as you go.

Do it in this order. The device layer is the backstop that works even when an app's own controls are bypassed, so start there. Then work down the apps. Before anything else, check the real date of birth is set on each account — almost every teen protection keys off it. Menus move. If a path below doesn't match your screen, search the setting name in the app or use the official help page. Paths checked June 2026.

1 Device layer — set this first ~20 min

Choose the one for your child's phone: Apple Screen Time (iPhone) or Google Family Link (Android).

Lock it with a passcode they don't know — do this first, or the rest can be switched off. Apple: Settings → Screen Time. Android: in the Family Link app.
Set Downtime / bedtime hours and a daily app limit (e.g. Social). Overnight and homework are the easy wins.
Turn on content filters and purchase approval (Ask to Buy / Play Store approval) so installs and spending need your tap. Also agree: the phone charges outside the bedroom overnight.

2 Snapchat ~10 min

Turn on Ghost Mode so live location is hidden. Map → ⚙ → Ghost Mode.
Set Contact Me to "Friends" (not "Friends and Contacts") so strangers can't message. Settings → privacy controls.
Set up Family Centre — you'll see their friends and who they've messaged (not the content). Profile → ⚙ → Family Centre → send invite.

3 Instagram ~10 min

Confirm it's a Teen Account — under-18s are auto-placed here, with private profile and strictest messaging on by default. Check the profile is private and messages are limited to people they follow.
Set up supervision via Family Centre to see who they've messaged in 7 days, set time limits and "off" periods. Settings → Family Centre → invite/accept.
Verify the real birthday — under-16s need your permission to loosen any of these. Changing to 18+ triggers an age check.

4 TikTok ~10 min

Set up Family Pairing — links your account to theirs for screen time, content and DMs. Profile → ☰ → Settings and privacy → Family Pairing → scan the QR.
Confirm the account is private and DMs are off for under-16s (both are defaults — check they're on). Settings → Privacy.
Set a screen-time limit (default 60 min/day for 13–17; you can set shorter). TikTok moves menus often — search the setting name if a path has shifted.

5 Discord ~10 min

Set up Family Centre — you get a weekly activity feed (new friends, servers, who they messaged), names and metadata only, never content. App → User Settings → Family Centre → scan the teen's QR.
Set the sensitive-content filter to blur or block, and restrict friend requests to friends-of-friends or server members. Once linked, the teen can't change these — only you can.
Turn off personalised-data and sponsored-content personalisation. User Settings → Data & Privacy.

6 YouTube ~5 min

Turn off Autoplay, and pause or clear watch & search history. For most 13+ teens on standard YouTube, the device layer (step 1) is the real backstop.
Set a content level on a supervised account (Explore More ≈ 13+) if they use one. Managed via Family Centre or Family Link.
Set take-a-break / bedtime reminders (and a Shorts daily limit if you want one). In the YouTube app settings.

That's the run done

The one thing that matters more than any setting: say the line out loud — "If anything goes wrong online, come to me. You won't be in trouble." Plan to re-check these for ten minutes each school term, as apps change settings often.

If something's wrong, these are the people to contact — keep them where you'll find them fast:
Immediate danger — 999.
A nude image of an under-18 shared or threatened — Report Remove via Childline (childline.org.uk/remove) and Childline 0800 1111.
Online sexual pressure or grooming — CEOP (ceop.police.uk/safety-centre).
Worried about a child, any reason — NSPCC 0808 800 5000.
For your child to talk to someone — Childline 0800 1111 (free, under-19s, 24/7).

These dashboards show you "who," not "what" — they're for noticing patterns and starting conversations, not surveillance. Bypass routes exist (second accounts, the mobile browser instead of the app), which is exactly why the device layer goes first.

Levelhead — Weekend Setup Sheet · Paths checked June 2026 · Date set: ____________