Keeping our students safe
beyond the school gates
At ASAD, we believe that student wellbeing does not stop at the school gate. As part of our whole-school, prevention-focused approach to wellbeing — and in the spirit of our commitment to fostering safe, inclusive and empowering environments — we have prepared this resource to support families at home.
On campus, our network is protected by enterprise-grade firewalls, content filtering and continuous monitoring. Student device use is governed by our ICT Acceptable Use & BYOD Policy and our Digital & Social Media Policy. At home, the same level of protection needs your involvement.
These guides cover the devices, apps and platforms your child is most likely to use, with step-by-step instructions written specifically for ASAD families — all in one place, with no need to search elsewhere.
If you have any questions, need support setting up these controls, or would like personalised guidance, our team is here to help.
✉ Contact us at edtech@australianschool.ae🇦🇪 Note for UAE families: Some VoIP and video-calling features (FaceTime, WhatsApp video) may be restricted by the UAE Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA). Additionally, certain content filters may already be active at network level through your UAE internet provider.
⚠️ VPN warning: VPN apps allow children to bypass parental controls, school network filters and TDRA restrictions entirely. We strongly recommend checking your child’s devices for any installed VPN apps — common examples include NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Proton VPN and free VPN browser extensions. If found, remove them and have a conversation about why these controls exist. Note that the use of unauthorised VPNs is also illegal in the UAE under TDRA regulations.
Social Media
TikTok · Instagram · Snapchat · WhatsApp · Facebook
Profile → ☰ Menu (top right) → Settings and Privacy → Family Pairing. Select Parent.Settings and Privacy → Family Pairing → select Teen. Point their phone at the QR code shown on your screen to link the accounts.Screen Time in Family Pairing. Set a daily limit (e.g. 60 minutes). Your child needs your 4-digit passcode to extend beyond the limit.Restricted Mode and toggle it ON. This filters content that may be inappropriate for younger users. Protect this setting with your passcode.Direct Messages in Family Pairing, set to No one or Friends only. For users under 16, TikTok automatically disables DMs — verify this is active in their privacy settings.Search to prevent your child from actively looking up accounts or content outside their curated feed.Settings → Privacy → toggle Private Account ON. Only approved followers can see their content and videos.💡 Tip: TikTok automatically enables some restrictions for accounts registered as under-16, but age is self-reported at sign-up. Always verify settings manually using Family Pairing rather than relying on automatic age restrictions.
Profile → ☰ → Settings → Supervision. Tap Get Started as a parent.Settings → Supervision. Both of you need the app installed.Supervision → Daily Time Limit. Set a limit (e.g. 45 minutes) and tap Save.Settings → Content Preferences → Sensitive Content Control → select Less.Settings → Privacy → toggle Private Account ON.Settings → Privacy → Messages. Set Message Requests to Don't receive requests from people your child doesn’t follow.Privacy settings, turn off Allow Resharing to Stories and set Tags to No one or People you follow.🇦🇪 UAE note: Instagram is accessible in the UAE. Some story sticker features and shopping functionality may behave differently due to regional content restrictions.
Map icon → tap the ⚙ settings icon → toggle Ghost Mode ON. This hides your child’s location from all users on the Snap Map.Profile → ⚙ Settings → Privacy Controls → Contact Me. Set to My Friends only.Privacy Controls, tap View My Story and set to My Friends.Privacy Controls, turn off Show me in Quick Add.Settings → Content Controls, ensure Sensitive Content warnings are enabled.Profile → My Friends with your child and review who is on the list. Discuss removing any accounts they do not know personally in real life.💡 Important: Snapchat’s disappearing messages make it harder to monitor conversations after the fact. Have an open conversation with your child about this, and consider whether they are mature enough for the platform before allowing it.
Settings → Privacy → Profile Photo → set to My Contacts.Privacy, set both Last Seen and Online to Nobody.Privacy → Groups, select My Contacts. This prevents strangers from adding your child to unknown group chats — a common source of harmful content.Settings → Privacy → App Lock, enable fingerprint or Face ID lock.🇦🇪 UAE note: WhatsApp voice and video calls are restricted in the UAE under TDRA regulations. Text messaging, photos and document sharing work normally.
☰ Menu → Settings & Privacy → Settings → Privacy → Your Activity. Set Who can see your future posts to Friends.Privacy Settings → How People Find and Contact You. Set Who can send you friend requests to Friends of Friends.Friends. Also turn off Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile.Settings → Profile and Tagging. Set Who can post on your profile to Only me. Enable Review posts you’re tagged in before they appear on your profile.Privacy → Message Delivery. Set messages from people not on their friend list to go to Message Requests.☰ Menu → Settings & Privacy → Family Centre. View activity time and set daily limits — the same tool used for Instagram supervision.Settings → Security and Login → Two-Factor Authentication. Enable using your email or authenticator app.💡 Tip: Facebook’s minimum age is 13, but it is self-reported. If your child is under 13 and has an account, you can report it to Facebook for removal via the Help Centre using the “Report an underage child” option.
Devices
iPhone · iPad · Android · Samsung
📣 New in iOS 27: Ask to Browse (approve each new website), Time Allowances (age-guided daily limits by app category), Schedules (replaces Downtime — set different apps for different times of day), Contact Approval (no new contact without your permission), and expanded Communication Safety (now blocks gore and violent content, not just nudity). These are the most significant parental control updates Apple has made in years.
Settings → tap your name → Family Sharing → Add Member. Create a child Apple ID or invite your child’s existing account. Children under 13 require you to create their Apple ID directly.Settings → Screen Time → tap your child’s name → Turn On Screen Time. iOS 27 introduces Focused Start — choose a curated starter set of essential apps for your child’s device. You can add more over time. Set a Screen Time passcode different from the device passcode and do not share it.Content & Privacy Restrictions → Web Content → select Ask to Browse. Your child must now request permission for each new website they want to visit. You approve or decline directly from your phone — just like app approvals.Time Allowances. Set daily limits across categories — Entertainment, Games, Social Media and more. iOS 27 suggests age-appropriate limits based on guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics. You can customise or create your own categories. When the allowance is reached, apps in that category are blocked until the next day.Schedules. Set which apps are available at different times of day — for example, no social media during school hours, only educational apps in the evening, and approved calls only after 9pm. Schedules can vary by day of the week. This replaces the old Downtime feature and is far more flexible.Communication Limits → turn on Contact Approval. Your child cannot see or receive messages from anyone new until you approve the contact. This applies across Messages, FaceTime and Phone.Communication Safety → ensure this is ON. In iOS 27, Communication Safety now detects and blurs both nudity and violent or graphic content in images and videos sent or received in Messages. It is enabled by default for children under 18.Content & Privacy Restrictions → turn ON. Set Movies to PG, TV Shows to TV-Y7, Apps to 9+ or 12+, Music to Clean. Prevent App Store purchases and app installs without your password.💡 Important: All devices in your Family Sharing group — your iPhone, your child’s iPhone/iPad, and any Mac — must be updated to version 27 software to use the new Screen Time experience. If any device is on older software, some features will not be available.
Controls → Daily Activity. Set limits per app or a total device limit. When reached, the device locks (calls and emergency functions still work).Controls → Bedtime. Set the hours when the device locks automatically (e.g. 9:30pm–7am on school nights). Configure weekends separately with more flexible hours.Controls → Google Search → turn on SafeSearch. This filters explicit content from Google search results and Google Images.Controls → Filters on Google Play. Set the maximum content rating for Apps, Movies and Music. Require a parental password for all purchases.Location on the main screen to see their current position.Settings → Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls → Samsung Kids. Set a PIN, then select which apps, contacts and media your child can access. The device enters a locked, child-friendly mode.Settings → Digital Wellbeing → tap the usage ring → tap any app → set a daily App Timer. The app icon greys out when the time is up for the day.Digital Wellbeing → Focus Mode: select distracting apps (games, social media) to pause. Set a study schedule to automate this.Digital Wellbeing → Bedtime Mode: schedule overnight hours. The screen turns greyscale and notifications are silenced.Desktops & Laptops
Windows 11 · macOS · Chromebook
account.microsoft.com/family → sign in → Add a Family Member → create a child account. Your child signs into Windows using this account.Screen Time → Windows devices. Set a daily limit and choose allowed hours (e.g. 4pm–9pm on school days).Content Filters → toggle Filter inappropriate websites and searches ON. Add specific websites to block in the list below.Content Filters → Apps and games. Set the maximum age rating (e.g. PEGI 12). Apps above this rating in the Microsoft Store require your approval.Spending. Set a monthly limit for Microsoft Store purchases. No credit card can be added to a child account.Activity tab at any time.💡 Note: Web filters apply mainly to Microsoft Edge. If your child uses Chrome or Firefox, also configure SafeSearch in those browsers directly, or install Google Family Link for Windows for broader coverage.
📣 New in macOS 27: The rebuilt Screen Time experience — including Time Allowances, Ask to Browse, Schedules and Contact Approval — is now on Mac for the first time. All devices in your Family Sharing group must be running version 27 software to access these features together.
System Settings → sign in at the top with your child’s Apple ID (created through Family Sharing). Once signed in, the Mac appears as a managed device in your iPhone’s Screen Time panel.Settings → Screen Time → tap your child’s name. Their Mac appears alongside their iPhone. All new iOS 27 features — Time Allowances, Schedules, Ask to Browse, Contact Approval — apply to the Mac automatically.Content & Privacy Restrictions → Web Content → select Ask to Browse. Your child’s Mac will prompt them to request your approval for any new website they want to visit in Safari.System Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy → turn ON. Set Web Content to Limit Adult Websites. This applies across all browsers — Safari, Chrome and Firefox.Content & Privacy Restrictions on the Mac → App Store: set App Installs to require your password. Set In-App Purchases to Don’t Allow.💡 Important: For the new Screen Time features to work across all devices, both your iPhone and your child’s Mac must be updated to their respective version 27 software. If the Mac remains on an older version of macOS, the new features will not be available and controls will sync in the older format only.
Controls → Manage sites → Blocked. Add specific URLs. Switch to Approved sites only mode for a stricter whitelist approach.Screen Time → tap the Chromebook listed under devices. Set a daily limit and configure Bedtime. When the limit is reached, the Chromebook locks with a message.💡 School Chromebooks: If your child uses a school-issued Chromebook, content filters and restrictions may already be applied by ASAD IT. Contact the school’s IT team to understand what is already in place on school-managed devices.
Need help setting these up?
Our EdTech team is happy to support ASAD families with personalised guidance — whether you need help applying these settings, have questions about a specific platform, or would like a walkthrough session.