12 year old earned it through chores and school. I'm not trying to be overly paranoid but also not naive. Got him on Google Family Link. What are the apps every parent should know about that seem harmless but aren't? Already planning to have the talk about privacy and predators but want to be proactive on the app side too.
The fact that he earned it through chores and school says a lot about your parenting. For apps I'd focus more on having actual conversations about what he's doing rather than just blocking everything. That trust matters more long term.
My approach is less about blocking and more about having his passwords and checking in every week or so. Seems weird but he actually doesn't mind and it opens up conversations about stuff he's seeing.
Good move with the earned phone approach. I'd definitely block YouTube Kids stuff since regular YouTube is a minefield. Also TikTok is rough - lots of challenging content that kids take way too seriously. Screen time limits are huge at that age.
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12 is such a weird age for this. Definitely block dating apps and anything that could connect him with strangers. Instagram is probably fine with parental controls but TikTok I'd be careful with.