Even if you carefully choose every game yourself, kids get curious, and the Play Store is one tap away. Google ships solid parental controls for free; most parents just never switch them on. Here's the quick version.
1. Turn on Play Store parental controls
Open the Play Store, tap your profile picture → Settings → Family → Parental controls, and switch them on. You'll create a PIN, then set the highest content rating allowed for apps and games. For young children, "Rated for 3+" keeps the store limited to the gentlest category.
2. Require authentication for purchases
In Play Store settings under Authentication, set "Require authentication for purchases" to every purchase. This one toggle prevents both accidental paid downloads and surprise in-app purchases inside "free" games.
3. Use Family Link for a child profile
Google's Family Link app lets you create a supervised account for your child. From your own phone you can approve or block every download request, set daily screen-time limits per app, and see how long each game is actually played. It's the closest thing Android has to a full co-pilot seat.
4. Controls limit downloads, they don't fix bad games
Parental controls filter what can be installed, but a 3+ rating doesn't guarantee a calm, ad-free experience. Ads and manipulative purchase prompts exist inside age-appropriate games too. The rating filter is the fence; choosing well-built games is still the parent's job.
What we recommend downloading inside that fence
Look for games with no ads label, no in-app purchases, offline play, and a clear age range. Sticker Builder is built exactly that way: a one-time $1 download on Google Play, zero ads, zero tracking, COPPA compliant, and fully offline, so once it passes your approval, there's nothing left to monitor.
Download Sticker Builder on Google Play →