A new phone or tablet for Christmas? Set it up before you wrap it

Christmas morning is the worst time to set up parental controls: everyone is excited, the box is open and the device is already online. Do it the week before.

Updated November 13, 2026·2 min read

Short answer

Before you wrap it: charge it, update it, create your child's account as a child account, set the filter up on the device (on iPhone and iPad tap the Sheepdog Filter setup link; on Android set Private DNS), turn on app approvals, and set a bedtime. Then it's protected the moment it's opened, on your Wi-Fi, at Grandma's and on mobile data.

The 10‑minute checklist

  1. Charge it and update it. Updates can take a while; Christmas morning is not the time.
  2. Make a child account. iPhone and iPad: add your child to Family Sharing. Android and Chromebook: a Google account through Family Link. Windows: a child (Standard) account.
  3. Set the filter up on the device itself, so it works on any Wi‑Fi and on mobile data. In your free Sheepdog Filter dashboard choose Protect a device, pick your child and the kind of device, and follow the steps. See iPhone and iPad, Android, Chromebook, Windows.
  4. Turn on app approvals (Ask to Buy on Apple, app approvals in Family Link), so a new app or a VPN needs your OK.
  5. Set a bedtime so the internet rests at night. See internet bedtime.
  6. Wrap it.

Game consoles and TVs

A Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation or smart TV is easiest to cover through your home Wi‑Fi: one router setting covers them all. See home Wi‑Fi parental controls and the Switch, Xbox and PlayStation guides.

The talk that goes with it

A first phone comes with a few house rules. Our family tech agreement is a one‑page starting point you can sign together, and the first phone checklist covers the rest.

Headed to Grandma's for the holidays?

Devices set up on their own stay filtered there. For the rest of the house, see the grandparents' house guide, or send them the 20‑second Wi‑Fi test.

Sheepdog Filter

The internet, childproofed in five minutes.

One switch per worry, every device in the house, and a plain-English report each week. Free to start, no app to install.

Start free

Questions parents ask

Can I set it up without opening the box?

No, you'll need to turn the device on. Open it carefully, set it up, then put it back in the box and wrap it.

Will my child see the filter?

No app or icon appears on the home screen. Blocked sites simply don't load, and your child can ask you to allow one.

What if Grandma is giving the phone?

Ask her to give it to you a few days early, or set it up together after it's opened. It takes about ten minutes.

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