Parental controls on child's first mobile phone

[Beachdays44]

Hi. Can anyone recommend what apps I might use for parental controls on my daughter's phone?

I just bought her a new phone today and will be giving it as a Christmas present. I would like to have the phone set up before she gets it.

Ideally I would like to have a timer on her phone so it turns on and off at particular times. And she could earn extra time from me so I can change it easily. And if she wants to download any apps that I must give permission first (through my phone). I believe Vodafone have a 'Family Link' that enables all this kind of thing. But I have a Tesco Mobile so I'm hoping there are some general apps that I could use?

She is my eldest and this is all new to me!

Any advice or recommendations? Thanks.

What kind of phone is it? If it's an iPhone and you have one too it's quite easy to set up. I don't know how android phones work so can't help there I'm afraid!

Kidslox does everything you described, I believe. I think there’s a monthly fee, but I seem to remember it being nominal.

Google family link lets you do all that op.

Parental control to me is safe guarding from access to wrong sites, apps or people.

Imo part of learning about having these devices is learning to be responsible and self limiting. forced cut offs teaches nothing except a yearing for more time, waiting for the next slot, and will breed resentment. Is that really what you want to give for Christmas? If they need timed cutoffs they are too young for a phone, if they are old enough for a phone they are old enough to start learning about boundaries around it.

Much better to put in place rules such as phone must be charged downstairs overnight, never at the dinner table, put away when having a conversation etc and encourage enjoyment other activities.

Late to this one, but you do not need a paid app for any of what you listed. Screen Time on iPhone and Family Link on Android are free, already on the phone, and cover the timer, the download approval, and most of the earn-extra-time piece. Kidslox and the rest sit on top of those same phone settings; they do not replace them, and the complaint that repeats in their own reviews is the same one: the kid deleted the app, or an update wiped the settings, and the parent found out weeks later.
What actually makes the free version hold, in order:

1. Set the parent passcode before the phone goes back to her. iPhone: Settings, Screen Time, Family, her name, App & Website Activity, Turn On, Lock Screen Time Settings, four digits she cannot guess. Android: Family Link, set from your phone, not hers.
2. iPhone: Content & Privacy Restrictions, iTunes & App Store Purchases, Deleting Apps, Don't Allow, so a limited app cannot be deleted and put straight back. Android: set everything from your phone first, then switch off Developer Options and USB debugging on hers.
3. Test it on her phone, not yours. Open a browser, go to screentime.report, tap the app you just limited. If it loads, nothing is enforced yet.
4. Put a monthly ten-minute recheck in the calendar. Settings can reset quietly after an update, on either platform.

On the timer specifically, both systems do a daily limit and a weekly schedule (iPhone has it under Downtime and App Limits, Android under Family Link, Screen time, Time limits). Neither one reaches inside individual apps like Snapchat or WhatsApp though; those need their own settings, done separately, once she is using them. One more thing worth writing down before you start: Apple's and Google's pages both say the exact screens you get can depend on the OS version and which country the account is registered in. I write parent setup guides for a living, one of them covers exactly this, but everything above is straight from Apple's and Google's own help pages.