A parent's guide to Amazon Parent Dashboard

💡 Need to know

• Set daily time limits to automatically lock the tablet when your child’s screen time is up.
• Filter age-appropriate content so your kids only see the books and videos meant for them.
• Review activity reports to see exactly which apps and websites your child is spending time on.
• Parental controls not clicking?
  An Amazon expert can help at 866-853-4942.

As a parent, you're always on the lookout to make sure the online content your kids see is safe, educational, and fun. That's when you need the Amazon™ Parent Dashboard, a tool crafted to ease your concerns by giving you oversight over your child's digital interactions. It's not merely about imposing limits—it's about making educated decisions that cultivate healthy digital habits for your little ones.

At Asurion, our experts understand parents' concerns about safeguarding their children online—because they have children of their own. Here's their guide to the Amazon Parent Dashboard.

How to get started with Amazon Parent Dashboard

Getting setup is simple:

1. Log in: Access the Parent Dashboard through the Amazon website (parents.amazon.com) or the Amazon Kids mobile app. If you still need to activate parental controls, you'll see a prompt upon logging in.
2. Link devices: Once activated, the Parent Dashboard allows you to apply parental controls across various devices linked to your account, including compatible Amazon Fire®, Android™, iOS®, and Amazon Echo® devices.
3. Monitor activity: The dashboard provides a unified view of your child's recent activities and screen time usage. It also shows any requests from your child to gain access to new apps or games.

Managing Screen Time and Routines

A highlight of the Amazon Parent Dashboard is its capability to enforce screen time limits, promoting balanced tech habits and curbing excessive screen usage.

Set daily screen time limits Assign a total maximum daily screen time for your child's device. Once this limit is reached, the device locks for the day. (The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests limiting screen time to 1–2 hours daily for children aged 2–5).

• Go to your child's profile settings (the gear icon).
• Tap Set Daily Time Limits.
• Adjust the total screen time sliders for weekdays and weekends.

Establish a bedtime Implement a bedtime lock to automatically shut off the device each night, preventing late-night usage that could disrupt sleep. Set a curfew based on your child's bedtime routine and sleep requirements right within the Set Daily Time Limits menu.

Restrict time by activity type For more nuanced control, you can set time restrictions for individual categories. For example, you can limit entertainment apps to 30 minutes daily while leaving reading apps set to "Unlimited" to encourage educational usage.

Prioritizing education with "Learn First"

One of the best features of Amazon Kids is the ability to set educational goals. Within the Parent Dashboard, you can specify a daily reading or educational app goal measured in minutes.

You can also turn on Learn First to prioritize this educational content over entertainment. When turned on, games and cartoons will be completely locked and hidden until the child meets the daily educational goals you've set. (Amazon automatically categorizes the content as educational or entertainment).

To turn on Learn First:

1. Open the Parent Dashboard and tap the gear icon next to your child's profile.
2. Tap Set Daily Time Limits.
3. Turn on the Learn First toggle.
4. Set a daily learning goal in minutes (for reading, educational apps, etc.). This quota must be fulfilled before entertainment content unlocks.

Curating safe content

Amazon Kids employs a content rating system to categorize content by age appropriateness. Parents can use the Adjust Age Filter setting in the dashboard to set a maximum content rating, filtering out material unsuitable for their child's age.

Beyond general rating filters, you can block specific Amazon Kids+ apps, videos, and books to ensure tight control over the content your child encounters.

1. Open the Parent Dashboard and tap the gear icon.
2. Scroll down and tap Remove Content, then select Remove Unwanted Amazon Kids+ Items.
3. Search for the specific show, character, or app (e.g., "Peppa Pig" or "YouTube").
4. Tap the item in the search results to hide it from your child's profile.

Add your own content Parents can share content they have already purchased on their adult Amazon account—like specific Kindle books, digital movies, or downloaded apps—directly to their child's profile.

1. Open the Parent Dashboard and tap the gear icon.
2. Tap Add Content.
3. Toggle the switches next to the purchased books, videos, or apps you want to share to add them to your child's library.

Browsing and purchasing controls

Control web browsing The Parent Dashboard grants parents granular control over web browsing to ensure a safer online experience. Go to Settings > Modify Web Browser. You have three options:

• Enable Web Access (Off): Completely disables the web browser.
• Hand-Selected Websites & Videos: Gives children access only to thousands of websites and web videos prescreened by the Amazon Kids team.
• Filtered Websites & Videos: Provides a more open but filtered browsing experience that is more appropriate for older children or young teens. You can also manually block specific websites here.

Manage app purchases

By default, in-app purchasing is disabled on Amazon Kids devices to prevent unexpected expenses. If a child attempts to buy something or download an app that costs money, it will require the parent's account password to approve the transaction. You can verify these settings by checking the In-App Purchasing toggle under your child's profile settings.