I am lucky in that my kids don’t play with my devices much. They have their own gadgets. My girls carry the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini. My boys each have a Samsung Galaxy Kids Tab which they love. Yes, we are a Samsung family! I realize that we are lucky. Because of my job we are blessed to have access to devices so that we usually do not have to share. Most families don’t have this luxury. It is very common for kids to play with their parents phones. And there are those times that you have to keep your kids entertained. And every now and then we get caught out running errands and I need to keep them busy. These days this usually means handing your kid your phone to play a game.

And while they are holding your phone, you may worry that they will delete something that they shouldn’t or even read a text message that they have no business reading. Hey, it happens! Also there is the fear of them accidentally accessing inappropriate content on the internet.

With Kids Mode on the Galaxy S5 you do not have to worry about that. Just hit the Kids Mode icon on your home screen before handing your S5 to your kid and you don’t have to worry about them accessing inappropriate content, or your data. They are put in their own mobile kid safe environment.

What is Kids Mode?

Kids Mode is an interface that provides a kid safe environment and locks kids out of the default Android interface. Your kids will only have access to the apps that you allow. Everything else is locked out unless the parental control code is entered.

What are the Benefits of Kids Mode?

• Kids mode allows you to setup a user account for your child.
• Tracks playtime for the child’s account and allows you to set a daily playtime limit.
• Allows you to add/remove applications from the child’s profile.
• Includes a Kids Store so your kids can safely download kid approved apps.
• Includes access to emergency dialer
• Pin Code access for parents + a backup password in case you forget your pin

What Apps are Included?

Kids Mode includes several apps that your kids will love. Apps that come pre-installed are a camera app, a drawing, karaoke (which my kids have had way too much fun with), a picture gallery, and a video playback app. You can also give your child access to other apps on your S5 by installing it in the Play Store and then adding it to Kids Mode. Or, you or your child can download apps direct to Kids Mode using the Kids Store. Apps shown here come from the Kids category of the Play Store.

Kids Mode is very easy to setup. Just tap the button on your home screen and it will walk you through setup.

Setup a PIN number to access the parental controls and exit Kids Mode.

Next you setup an alternate password to use in case you forget your PIN number.

Setup your child’s account. You will be able to setup a name, photo or clipart, and it will ask for the child’s birthday to display age appropriate content.

Next you will be prompted to give access to apps that you want your kids to be able to use. Be careful to choose only kid friendly apps! And remember, there is a kids store available in Kids Mode, so no need to give them access to the Play Store.

Kids Gallery

Kids Mode is ready to go. From here they are all set to play games, draw, take photos and video, or do karaoke.

Now if only Kids Mode was available on every device that they touch!

Kids Mode is just one of the many great features of the Samsung Galaxy S5. Stay tuned for more posts coming up about this awesome phone! For more information on the Galaxy S5 check out the Samsung website.

Disclosure: The Galaxy S5 was provided to me in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.