Set Up Safe: manage a child's pay monthly phone

In this article

We want children to be safe on our network. Use our Set Up Safe service to block adult content, set spending caps, and stop them adding extra charges to the bill. 

How to choose a phone and plan

How to choose a phone and plan

Read the Internet Matters guide on choosing a mobile phone for a child.

Switch to our shared family plan to manage your plan and a child's plan on one account.

How to set up a child's phone

How to set up a child's phone

Use our Set Up Safe service to:

  1. block adult websites ('Content Lock')

  2. set a spend cap (not available if your phone plan started before 1 October 2018)

  3. disable data (roaming) outside the EU

  4. stop premium rate or international calls

  5. block third-party charges to the bill, such as in-app purchases, gaming, quizzes, competitions, voting on television shows

  6. stop the child buying more data

You have complete control of the settings and must contact us by phone to remove them. 

  1. 1

    text SET UP SAFE to 150 on the child's pay monthly phone. You must be the account holder
  2. 2

    either choose the individual settings or choose a package of our recommended settings, based on the child's age
  3. 3

    the settings are activated by midnight. After that, you must contact EE by phone to change or cancel the settings

Our recommended settings

Our recommended settings

We've put together a package of settings we recommend for children, based on their age.

 

 9 and under 10 to 12 13 and over
Mobile network access Allowed Allowed Allowed
High Speed internet Allowed Allowed Allowed
Sending and receiving texts Allowed Allowed Allowed
Sending and receiving calls Allowed Allowed Allowed
Using data (roaming) outside the EU Blocked Blocked Blocked
Using data (roaming) inside the EU Allowed Allowed Allowed
Content lock Content lock set to STRICT - blocks adult websites, including chat rooms, dating sites and unmoderated social networks Content lock set to STRICT - blocks adult websites, including chat rooms, dating sites and unmoderated social networks Content lock set to MODERATE - blocks adult websites, but not websites rated below PG or social-networking sites
Spending cap Spending cap set to £0 - the child can't spend outside of their monthly allowance Spending cap set to £5 - the child can charge up to £5 to their bill if they go over their allowance  Spending cap set to £5 - the child can charge up to £5 to their bill if they go over their allowance 
International calls Blocked Blocked Blocked
Premium-number calls or texts Blocked Blocked Blocked
Charges to bill (paying for additional services via a phone bill) Blocked Blocked Blocked
Additional data purchases Blocked Blocked Blocked
Important:

Content Lock won’t work on iOS devices with iOS 15 or later when browsing on Safari and for some app traffic when iCloud Private Relay is enabled. 

To find out more, visit the EE Community >

Voice short codes

Voice short codes

Voice short codes are typically five or seven digits long and begin with a 6 or 8. They are used for things like TV voting, as the number to call from a mobile. Any calls to short code numbers cannot currently be blocked from mobiles and may incur charges.

Protecting privacy online

Protecting privacy online

Manage a child's device settings and turn off:

  1.  

    Bluetooth - other phones can scan and detect a phone if Bluetooth is on and potentially send photos
  2.  

    Location services - if activated, your child's location can be posted to their social network

Talk to any children you care for about the consequences of posting personal information, especially photos, online.

Children should be aware that they lose control of a photo after they share it - who sees it and how it's going to be used. It's also important to talk to them about consent and sharing photos of other people.

Resources to help manage your child's online life

Resources to help manage your child's online life

Our safety settings will help minimise risks children face online.

It's still really important to talk to children about leading a healthy online life, and to guide and monitor their internet use.

 

Resources for families (BT Skills for Tomorrow)

BT has partnered with the best digital skills providers to help your family explore and enjoy the online world safely.

Discover free games, activities and support for children and families on Skills for Tomorrow.

 

Guides for parents (Internet Matters website)

Our partner, Internet Matters, has expert guides for parents. Get advice on how to teach children resilience and how to identify risks online. Read their guidance on:

 

Guides for children (The BBC Own It app)

 

We recommend trying the BBC's free Own It app.

The app is designed for children to use when they get their first phone. The app has a special keyboard, which gives children helpful tips and friendly advice as they type.

Download Own It app for iPhone >

Download Own It app for Android >

 

Apps to check what a child is doing online (Apple Family Sharing and Family Link from Google) 

Apple Family Sharing is a shared platform for your family. You can control what a child purchases, gain awareness of how a child uses their device and limit content children have access to on their devices.

Family Link from Google helps parents set digital ground rules for their children and teens as they learn, play and explore on their devices. Parents can manage apps and content, set screen-time limits, see where they are and get teacher-recommended apps.

Thanks for your feedback

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