How to childproof your cell phone

We all know how curious children can be. It’s that inquisitiveness that teaches them right from wrong as they glide through their informative years. While parents do their best to teach good lessons along the way by encouraging positive behaviors, discouraging negative activities, and otherwise trying to protect their children from harm, they can’t be in all places at all times. This means that children occasionally get into trouble.

 

The allure of a smartphone is one of those things that can be problematic. Luckily, there are several ways parents and others can protect their phones from the over-curious.

Here are a few:

-   Case. Childproofing your phone doesn’t always mean keeping them from accessing your apps. In fact, the first order of business should be to protect your phone from being pulled off a table and dropped, potentially thrown across the room, buried in the yard, or dropped in a nearby water source, such as a toilet. A good case should be able to protect your phone from any shock, trauma, dirt/dust, or water damage a child may be able to inflict when your back is turned for the slightest of moments.

-   Locks. Be sure to keep your phone locked when not in use. This can be done either by touch ID or facial recognition biometrics (depending on the model phone you have), and also should have a numerical passcode backup. An unlocked phone is a prime target for a child who may enjoy the pretty colors and motion of items on the screen, and that child may unintentionally delete apps, mix the order of your apps up, fill your photos folder with dozens of interesting pictures, make calls, or send gibberish texts.

-   Controls. If you allow a child to use your phone, you can set parental controls to keep them from using various apps. For example, you may allow them to play a game using your phone, but you may want to block the use of your camera or music. You can also add restrictions for explicit content, purchases, and downloads. Additionally, you can manage how long a child can use the phone for games, etc. by limiting their screen time.

-   Charging. Cords can also be enticing for young children who may want to chew on them while charging. There are cord protectors you can wrap around the cord to keep the cord from fraying or being cut in two, and you can add plastic wall protectors that safeguard the plug of the cord while your phone is charging. These are generally easy to install, relatively inexpensive, and work very similarly to how thermostats are protected from employees in an office setting.

 

Summary:

Young children can wreak havoc on your phone if left unattended. Keeping it out of reach is one way to safeguard it, but that might not always be a good option. To protect your phone from accidental trauma and water damage, be sure to get a sturdy case that provides shock protection and waterproofing. When not in use, always keep your phone locked with a passcode or biometrics, and add parental controls when allowing a child to use your phone.