How to set up parental controls on Facebook

At first glance, Facebook seems harmless - a news feed, funny pictures, chats with friends. But for children, the platform can pose very real threats - especially if no safety settings are configured in advance.

1. One of the main problems is strangers. Kids often accept friend requests from just anyone. Someone might pretend to be their peer, start with friendly small talk, and then the conversations become increasingly strange. It may begin as simple friendship, followed by pressure, and eventually - dangerous suggestions. The scariest part is that a child might not tell anyone about it.
2. Then there’s bullying - more specifically, cyberbullying. Insults, harassment, fake photos, or impersonated accounts - all of this can grow into a serious psychological issue. Some kids don’t tell adults because they feel ashamed.
3. Content can also be toxic. Facebook doesn’t always filter the feed properly. Anything might appear - scenes of violence, offensive language, disturbing videos. The algorithms don’t always distinguish what is appropriate for a child or teenager and what isn’t.
4. Then there’s advertising. It might seem harmless at first. But some ads lead to suspicious websites, while others promote unhealthy body ideals, dangerous diets, or bizarre “challenges.” And kids are exposed to all of it.
5. Finally, there's the issue of privacy. Kids post photos, tag locations, and share where they go to school. All this information might become accessible to the wrong people.

Facebook isn’t just a social network for fun and connection. It’s a vast world - with both light and shadow. And if parental controls aren’t set up properly, a child can easily find themselves face-to-face with things they’re simply not ready for.

How To Set Parental Controls On Facebook - Step-by-Step Guide to

Facebook offers various tools available for adjusting privacy settings, managing content, and limiting unwanted interactions.

1. Accessing Privacy Settings

• Open Facebook. Go to your child's profile page. In the top right corner, look for the three-line icon (on mobile) or the downward arrow (on desktop) - and tap it.
• Next, go to “Settings & Privacy,” then tap “Settings.” This is where all the key security options are collected. From here, you can control who sees posts, who can send private messages, who can find the profile through search, and more. It’s important not just to glance through - but to go through each section carefully. Even a single unchecked box can give strangers access.

‍

• Check the following categories:
  
  • Who can see your posts - choose “Friends” or “Only Me” for greater privacy.
  • Who can send you friend requests - it’s best to set this to “Friends of Friends.”
  • Who can look you up using your email or phone number - limit this to “Friends” or “No one.”

‍

2. Controlling Posts and Stories

Now let’s move on to what your child shares - and who can see it. Posts, photos, and stories can easily end up in the wrong hands if visibility settings aren’t configured in advance.

• Go back to “Settings & Privacy” > “Settings” > “Posts.” Here, it’s important to set the default audience right away. The safest choice is “Friends.” Even better - “Only Me,” if your child shouldn’t be sharing anything publicly yet. The main goal is to make sure posts don’t go out to the public.

• Next - go to “Stories” (or “Facebook Stories”). Open the section and check who can view your child’s stories. Choose “Friends” or custom lists. And disable replies to stories if you’re not sure who exactly is viewing them.

‍

• Check if tag review is enabled - meaning, whether approval is required before your child’s name appears in someone else’s photo. This can be managed under the “Profile and Tagging” section. Set it to “Enabled” so that everything goes through review first.

‍

• Removing old posts. Sometimes it’s worth going through the timeline and hiding or deleting older posts - especially if they’re too personal or were shared by mistake. This can be done manually through the profile.

3. Limiting Friend Requests

If anyone can message your child - that’s already a risk. And if anyone can send them a friend request - that’s twice as dangerous. So the next step is to limit who can send friend requests at all.

Go to Settings > Privacy Settings, then find the section called How people find and contact you.

• Look for the option Who can send you friend requests?

By default, it’s probably set to “Everyone” - meaning anyone at all. That should be changed right away. Select Friends of friends instead. This significantly reduces the number of random (or suspicious) requests.

Why is this important? Because friend requests are often the first step in contact with strangers. Even if your child doesn’t accept someone right away - the connection is already made. Messages can follow, likes, attempts to get attention or overwhelm them with interaction. And from there - anything can happen.

• In the same section, you can disable the ability to find your child’s profile using their phone number or email. Just select Only Me or Friends under Who can Facebook suggest your profile to based on your phone number or email address?

• There’s also the setting: Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile? - make sure to select No here. This will prevent your child’s profile from appearing in Google or other search engines.

4. Restricting Personal Information Display

Many kids list everything in their profiles - where they go to school, where they live, when they were born. To them, it’s just part of filling out a form. But this information can end up in the hands of people who know how to manipulate children. That’s why it’s important to pay close attention here too.

• Go to Settings > Audience and visibility > Profile details. Here you’ll find all the main information that might be visible to other users - city, school, workplace, contact details, and so on. Go through each section manually. The safest option is to set everything to Only Me. In rare cases, you can choose Friends, but only if you’re sure who’s on that friend list.

Pay special attention to the following fields:

Location - should not be visible to anyone outside the friend circle.

School or educational institution - it’s best to hide this completely.

Date of birth - if possible, limit visibility to just the year. Or hide it entirely.

Phone number and email - set these to Only Me.

• It’s also a good idea to visit your child’s profile and click “Edit Profile” - this gives you a full overview of what others can see. Sometimes fields were filled out a long time ago, and your child may have simply forgotten about them.

Important: even if the account is set to private overall, visible personal information may still be shown. So don’t rely solely on profile privacy settings - it’s better to double-check everything manually.

5. Blocking Accounts

Sometimes the best way to protect your child is to block an unwanted person. This isn’t about blocking your child’s account - it’s about cutting off access for users who behave suspiciously or inappropriately. It could be someone who sends questionable messages, leaves strange comments, or just makes your child feel uncomfortable. Blocking immediately removes that person’s ability to view the profile, send messages, or interact in any way. Facebook allows you to block specific accounts and pages.

• Go to the profile of the user you want to restrict. Tap the three dots in the upper right corner of their profile and select “Block.” Confirm the action - the person will no longer be able to find your child in search, message them, or comment on their posts.

• You can also manage all blocked accounts in one place:

Settings & Privacy > Blocked users.

Here, you’ll see the full list of blocked profiles and pages. From this section, you can unblock someone if needed or add new accounts to the block list.

6. Managing App and Game Access

Many kids eagerly connect third-party apps and games to their Facebook - for fun, because friends suggested it, or simply out of curiosity. But almost always without reading the terms or understanding what they’re actually allowing these services to access. And often, they’re granting a lot: access to their name, photos, friend list, posts, and even messages.

To check all of this, go to:

Settings > Apps and Websites.

Here you’ll see a list of all third-party services that currently have access to the Facebook account.

Go through the list and remove anything unnecessary.

Click on any app to see exactly what data it’s accessing. If you don’t trust it, or it’s just an old game your child no longer uses - hit Remove. That’s it, access revoked.

Important: connecting an app is not a small thing. If your child does this carelessly, they might unknowingly give outsiders access to their personal data. That’s why it’s better to agree in advance on what’s okay and what’s not - and explain why. Fewer connections mean fewer risks. If it’s not needed, it’s better to disconnect it.

7. Monitoring News Feed and Reporting Inappropriate Content

Even if your child’s profile is private and all the settings are properly configured - the News Feed still remains a risk zone. Facebook’s algorithms push content based on interests, likes, and friends’ activity. And not everything that shows up is safe or appropriate.

There may be harsh comments, strange videos, adult content, dangerous “challenges,” or just plain rudeness. That’s why it’s important for parents to occasionally check what their child is seeing and block inappropriate content on Facebook.

If your child comes across a harmful post, video, or comment - they should know how to report it. This isn’t “snitching” or weakness - it’s a normal tool to report inappropriate content.

Here’s how to do it:

• Tap the three dots (…) next to the post.
• Select “Report post.”
• Facebook will ask you to choose a reason - violence, hate speech, false information, etc.

Content that has been reported is reviewed and sometimes removed. The more users who report something - the higher the chance Facebook will take action.

• You can also unfollow the source if the posts are consistently troubling. Or hide individual posts so the algorithm stops showing similar content.

Tip: talk to your child directly. Ask what they see in their feed, who bothers them, what seems strange. Sometimes kids don’t even realize they’re being influenced by toxic content - they just get used to it.

8. Setting Up Two-Factor Authentication

You can set all the privacy settings, block strangers, and hide personal information - and still remain vulnerable. Why? Because your child’s Facebook account can simply be stolen. Especially if they use an easy password or enter it on a suspicious website.

To prevent this, it’s important to enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). This means: even if someone learns the password, they won’t be able to log in without a second verification code, which is sent to a phone or authentication app.

How to set it up:

• Go to Settings > Password and Security.
• Scroll down to the Two-Factor Authentication section.
• Click Edit and choose how the code will be sent:
  
  • via SMS,
  • or through an authenticator app (like Google Authenticator or Duo Mobile).
• Follow the on-screen instructions.

From now on, every time someone tries to log in from an unfamiliar device, Facebook will ask for a verification code. This protects against hacking, phishing, and password guessing - everything that could lead to losing control over the account.

Important: Explain to your child that they should never share the verification code with anyone. Even if “support” is asking - it’s always a scam.

Family Center on Facebook

If parents used to navigate Facebook’s settings manually, now there’s a dedicated tool - Family Center. It’s essentially a control hub for parents, where monitoring, education, and safety tools for your child’s digital activity are brought together in one place.

Family Center was created to make digital safety clearer and more accessible - especially for teens and their families. In this section, you can:

• Set basic limits and usage rules for the account
• See how often your child uses Facebook or Instagram
• Receive activity reports (if the teen allows it)
• Access tips and educational resources for parents about privacy, online risks, and social media behavior

To access Family Center:

• Go to Facebook Settings.
• Scroll down to the Family Center section, or use the settings search (magnifying glass icon).
• Follow the instructions to connect your child’s account (if they agree to it)

Important: Connection only works with the teen’s consent - Facebook emphasizes respecting personal boundaries. This isn’t strict parental control, but more of a guided, supportive presence.

Family Center also works with Instagram if both accounts belong to the same child. That’s convenient - everything in one place, no need to switch between platforms.

If you run into issues with setup, you can find detailed instructions in Facebook’s Help Center: https://www.facebook.com/help/1048160303264323

Tip: Don’t start with restrictions. Start with a conversation. Explain that you're not there to read their messages or dictate who they can add as friends. The goal is to protect - not to spy.

How Kidsee Helps Parents Monitor Facebook and Other Platforms

Facebook offers a wide range of parental control settings. We’ve gone through privacy, posts, blocking, third-party apps - and all of that is important. But relying solely on built-in tools isn’t always enough. Sometimes parents simply don’t have time to monitor everything. Or they don’t realize their child has already added someone suspicious, joined a strange group, or is viewing alarming content.

Kidsee acts like a digital assistant for parents - stepping in where standard settings fall short. This is especially valuable when it comes to teenagers: they quickly learn how to bypass restrictions. The app isn’t about strict control - it’s about helping parents manage the situation consciously and constructively.