The computer setup that keeps a nine year old safe is not the setup a sixteen year old needs, and treating them the same is how you end up with a teenager who is very good at getting around you. So let me split this by age, after the part that is the same for everyone.

Start with the account. Give the kid a standard account, not an administrator account. This one step does more than any app you could buy. A standard account cannot install software, cannot change security settings, and cannot wave away the warnings that stop most bad things from happening. You keep one administrator account with a password the child does not have, and you use it when something genuinely needs installing. On both Windows and Mac this takes about a minute to set up.

Turn on the built-in family tools next. Windows has Microsoft Family Safety and Apple has Screen Time, both free and already on the machine. They handle screen time limits, age ratings, and a weekly activity summary without you installing anything extra.

Leave updates on automatic. This should be default.

And set up a backup. A lost essay the night before it is due is the emergency I get called about most in a school year, and it is completely preventable. I wrote a whole post on backing up without the cloud, linked below.

For younger kids, the family tools plus a standard account is most of the job. Content filtering and time limits make sense, and they are young enough that this is just how the house works.

For teenagers, be careful. Safety software and monitoring software are two different decisions, and people mix them up. Keeping the machine patched and backed up is safety. Reading a sixteen year old's messages is surveillance, and heavy surveillance on an older teenager will probably result in a second device you do not know about and cannot see. The kids who get in real trouble online are usually the ones who could not come to a parent, not the ones who were not watched closely enough. A standard account, honest updates, and an actual conversation protect a teenager better than spyware does.

That is the uncomfortable version, and it is the true one.

If you want a hand setting this up, I am happy to do it with you over a remote session, including the parts that are more conversation than configuration.

Mike
PCRescue | Portland, ME