A weather app may need approximate location. A video-call app needs the microphone during a call. A simple game probably does not need a child’s contacts. Permissions are easier to understand when families ask what a feature needs now—not whether an app is simply “safe” or “unsafe.”
Review the five high-impact permissions
- Location: choose never, approximate, while using or always, depending on genuine need.
- Camera and microphone: allow when a feature needs them, then notice indicators that show use.
- Photos and files: prefer selected items rather than the entire library where the device offers that choice.
- Contacts: ask why the app needs everyone the child knows.
- Tracking and advertising: limit cross-app tracking and personalised advertising where settings allow.
Menu names differ across devices and updates. Use the device’s privacy dashboard or settings search rather than relying on a memorised path.
Use the NEED test
- Necessary: Does the main feature work without this access?
- Extent: Can access be approximate, selected or only while using?
- Evidence: Does the developer explain why it is requested?
- Delete: Can we turn it off or remove stored data later?
Try the test with the child. If a drawing app asks for precise location, let them notice the mismatch. If a map needs location during a journey, explain why “while using” may be enough.
Pay special attention to live location
Photos, fitness apps, games and social platforms may reveal where a child is now or where they regularly go. Turn off location sharing by default and enable it for a clear purpose and limited audience. Avoid public posts that show home addresses, school routes or predictable routines.
Family location sharing should also have boundaries. Explain who can see it, why, and when it will be reviewed. It should support safety, not become constant surveillance or a substitute for conversation.
Clean up old access
Every few months, remove apps no longer used, review signed-in devices and look for permissions granted once and forgotten. Check whether an app still has background location, microphone or photo access. Update the operating system and apps so current security fixes are installed.
The new-device parental-controls checklist provides a broader setup routine. The family photo-sharing guide covers location clues in images.
Teach children to notice permission pressure
Some apps repeatedly ask after a child says no or make the “allow” button brighter and easier. Explain that design can steer decisions. A child can close the prompt, ask an adult and check whether the feature still works. The guide to hidden ads and dark patterns builds the same critical habit.
If access looks suspicious
Turn off the permission, update or remove the app, change compromised account credentials and review recent sessions. If someone is using location to stalk, threaten or control a child, preserve useful evidence and seek appropriate safeguarding or law-enforcement help. Be careful when changing settings on a device monitored by an abusive person; specialist support may be safer.
Adapt by age and ability
- Ages 6–9: Adults approve permissions. Use a simple question: “Does this game need that to work?”
- Ages 10–12: Review a privacy dashboard together and let the child explain each choice.
- Teens: Discuss live location with friends or partners, fitness routes, photo metadata and the difference between safety and control.
A child who cannot navigate complex settings can still choose using visual cards—“only now,” “ask first,” and “no access.” UNICEF and eSafety both encourage families to protect personal information, review privacy settings and think carefully about location. The goal is not zero permissions. It is minimum necessary access, chosen deliberately.
