How to Childproof Your Smart Home Devices

Smart home devices make life easier for adults and create an irresistible playground for kids. Your five-year-old can ask Alexa to order 47 rubber ducks. Your toddler can unplug a smart plug and find a bare outlet. Your teenager can disable the security camera covering the back door. Here's how to lock everything down.

Smart Speakers and Displays

Amazon Echo Devices

Enable voice purchasing PIN: Alexa app > Settings > Account Settings > Voice Purchasing > Require confirmation code. Set a 4-digit PIN that must be spoken before any purchase completes.

Enable content filters: Alexa app > Settings > Device Settings > [your device] > Amazon Kids. This filters explicit music, restricts calling, and limits what Alexa can respond to.

Disable Drop In: If you use Echo Shows, disable the Drop In feature for children's rooms. Someone could accidentally (or intentionally) drop in and see or hear what's happening.

Set communication limits: In the Alexa app, restrict which contacts each Echo device can call. Kids don't need to be able to call random contacts from the kitchen speaker.

Google Nest Devices

Enable voice match: Google Home app > Settings > Google Assistant > Voice Match. This ensures purchases and personal results only work with your voice, not your child's.

Enable Family Link: Google's Family Link controls restrict what your child can access on Nest displays, including YouTube content, web browsing, and app access.

Physical Safety

Smart speakers and displays should be placed where toddlers can't pull them off surfaces by the cord. A cord cover ($12) conceals and secures the cable against the wall, removing the pull-down hazard.

Smart Plugs and Outlets

The Outlet Problem

Smart plugs create two hazards: the plug itself can be pulled out (exposing the outlet), and kids can figure out how to toggle devices on and off through the app.

Physical solution: Outlet covers ($8 for 50-pack) over unused outlets are still essential. For smart plugs that need to stay accessible, the TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug Mini ($13) sits flush against the wall, making it hard for small fingers to pry out.

App-level solution: Remove kids' devices from the smart home app entirely. They don't need the ability to control plugs, lights, or locks from their tablet. In the Google Home and Alexa apps, you can limit which family members have control over specific devices.

Security Cameras

Indoor Cameras

If you use indoor cameras for monitoring (nursery, playroom), make sure the camera is physically out of reach. Wall mount it near the ceiling using the included mount or a camera mount bracket ($10).

Enable two-factor authentication on your camera accounts. Kids won't hack your Ring account, but the habit of securing these accounts protects against actual threats.

Viewing Permissions

In the Ring or Nest app, create a shared user account for your partner rather than sharing your login credentials. This lets you revoke access individually if a device is compromised or a teenager gets too creative.

Read our full security camera guide →

Smart Locks

Smart locks are a mixed bag with kids. On one hand, you can give each family member a unique code and know exactly when they come and go. On the other hand, kids can share their code with friends.

Set temporary codes for your children's friends instead of sharing permanent ones. Most smart locks, including the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock ($179), let you create time-limited access codes that expire automatically.

Enable auto-lock. Kids forget to lock the door. Every time. Set your smart lock to auto-lock after 30 seconds so an unlocked door is never more than a brief window.

Monitor the activity log. Check who unlocked the door and when. If your teenager is coming home at 2 AM, you'll know.

Read our full smart lock guide →

Wi-Fi and Network Controls

Your router is the master switch for everything. Most modern mesh systems include built-in parental controls.

eero: Eero Secure ($9.99/month) includes content filtering, ad blocking, and per-device scheduling. You can pause internet access for specific devices at bedtime.

TP-Link Deco: Built-in HomeShield parental controls let you set content filters and time limits per device for free.

Google Wifi/Nest: Family Wi-Fi settings let you pause devices, set scheduled downtime, and filter content.

The key insight: control the network, and you control every device on it. Even if your kid figures out how to use the smart speaker to play music at midnight, a network-level bedtime pause stops it.

Read our full mesh Wi-Fi guide →

Quick Childproofing Checklist

1. Enable voice purchasing PINs on all smart speakers
2. Set up content filters and kids' profiles
3. Disable Drop In on children's room devices
4. Cover unused outlets, use flush-mount smart plugs
5. Mount cameras out of reach, enable 2FA
6. Set smart lock auto-lock to 30 seconds
7. Create time-limited guest codes
8. Enable router-level parental controls
9. Schedule network-level bedtime pauses

A smart home should make parenting easier, not harder. These settings take about 30 minutes to configure and save you from a parade of headaches.

---

As an Amazon Associate, BestElectronicsReviewed earns from qualifying purchases. All products are independently selected by our editorial team.