Managing Shared Devices on Your Home Network
Practical advice for keeping children safe when your household shares computers, tablets and other connected devices.
Overview
Not every family can give each child their own device, and many households share a computer, tablet or smart TV. Sharing devices brings extra challenges — a search history meant for adults might be visible to a child, or a younger sibling might access an older child's social media. This guide covers practical steps to keep shared devices safe for everyone.
Creating Separate User Accounts
The single most effective step for shared devices is creating separate user accounts for each family member. Windows, macOS, Chromebook and most tablets let you set up individual accounts with different permission levels. Give children accounts with restricted permissions and keep adult accounts password-protected. This way, each person sees only their own apps, bookmarks and content.
Separate user accounts are the simplest and most effective way to keep shared devices safe for every family member.
Managing Shared Tablets and Phones
If younger children share a tablet, use the built-in parental controls to create a child profile. Both iOS (Screen Time) and Android (Family Link) let you restrict which apps are accessible and set content limits per profile. For shared phones, ensure the primary account is password-protected and that children cannot switch to the main profile without your permission.
Use built-in child profiles on shared tablets so younger children only see age-appropriate apps and content.
Smart TVs and Streaming Devices
Smart TVs, Fire TV Sticks and game consoles often connect to your home network and access streaming services. Set up child profiles on Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime and other services to restrict content ratings. Enable PINs on adult profiles so children cannot switch without permission. Check your TV's own settings too — many have content restriction options in their system menus.
Set PINs on adult streaming profiles and create separate children's profiles with age-appropriate content ratings.
Guest Devices and Visiting Friends
When your children's friends visit, their devices connect to your Wi-Fi. Network-level controls (such as DNS filtering) automatically protect guest devices too. Consider setting up a guest Wi-Fi network with stricter filtering enabled, so visiting children are protected without affecting your household's main network. This also prevents guests from accessing shared folders or printers.
A filtered guest Wi-Fi network protects visiting children's devices and keeps your household network private.
This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.
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Last reviewed: 2026-03-29