Connected & Protected › Smart Speakers
🔊 Always-On Devices

Smart Speakers:
Alexa & Google Home

Smart speakers sit in kitchens and kids' bedrooms without many parents realizing they can play explicit music, search the web, and rack up purchases. Here's what to configure.

🔵 Amazon Alexa 🟡 Google Home / Nest 🎵 Explicit content 💳 Purchase controls

Section 1

The Overlooked Device

Smart speakers are one of the most commonly overlooked devices when parents think about internet safety. They're in the kitchen, the living room, sometimes the bedroom — always listening, always connected — and most families set them up once and never think about them again.

The concerns are real but manageable: smart speakers can play explicit music on request (without the content filtering you might have set up in Spotify), answer web searches without filtering, and in the case of Alexa, make purchases charged to your Amazon account just by asking. Children — especially younger ones — will ask a smart speaker things they wouldn't ask a parent or search for on their own, simply because it's there and easy.

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Purchases deserve immediate attention

Amazon Alexa, by default, can order products on Amazon and charge your account just by voice request. Children have ordered toys, snacks, and far more expensive items without parents realizing how easy it is. Disabling voice purchasing should be the first thing you do.

Section 2

Amazon Alexa

Alexa settings are managed through the Alexa app on your smartphone. All the controls described here are in the app.

Essential settings to configure

1

Disable voice purchasing (do this first)

Alexa app → More → Settings → Account Settings → Voice Purchasing. Toggle off "Purchase by voice," or set a 4-digit voice code that must be spoken before any purchase is completed. The code option is better than disabling entirely if adults in the house want to use the feature.

2

Turn on Explicit Filtering for music

Alexa app → More → Settings → Music & Podcasts → Explicit Language Filter → toggle ON. This applies to Amazon Music and some other connected music services.

3

Set up Amazon Kids on Echo devices (for younger children)

Amazon Kids for Echo creates a supervised experience where Alexa only responds to age-appropriate requests, reads bedtime stories, and refuses questions it can't answer safely for children. Available in the Alexa app → Devices → [Your Device] → Amazon Kids. Requires Amazon Kids+ subscription.

4

Review and manage your Alexa history

Alexa app → More → Activity. This shows every voice request made to your device. A useful audit of what your children have been asking — and a reminder to configure any gaps you spot.

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Music service filtering still matters separately

Alexa's explicit filter applies to Amazon Music. If Alexa is connected to Spotify, Apple Music, or another service, the explicit filter from that service applies instead. Make sure you've also configured the explicit filter in whatever music service your Alexa plays from. See the Spotify guide for details.

Section 3

Google Home / Nest

Google Home settings are managed through the Google Home app. Google's smart speakers integrate tightly with Google accounts — if your child has a supervised Google account via Family Link, some of these protections apply automatically.

Key settings to configure

1

Enable SafeSearch for Google Assistant

Google Home app → Settings → More Settings → Google Assistant → SafeSearch. Set to Filter. This applies to web searches made through the speaker.

2

Turn on Explicit Content filter for music

Google Home app → Your Profile icon → Assistant Settings → Music → turn on "Block explicit songs." Applies to Google Play Music, YouTube Music, and Spotify when connected.

3

Set up Family Bell for routines

Google Home supports "Family Bell" — scheduled announcements at set times. Useful for "it's homework time," "dinner is ready," or "30 minutes until bedtime" without a manual reminder each day.

4

Link a supervised child account (if applicable)

If your child has a supervised Google account via Family Link, linking it to the Google Home speaker applies their account's search restrictions automatically when they're identified as the speaker.

Section 4

The Bedroom Smart Speaker Question

Smart speakers in children's bedrooms raise a specific concern that goes beyond explicit content or purchases: they're always-on microphones in a private space. This is worth thinking through independently of the content controls described above.

Potential benefits

  • Replaces a phone as an alarm clock
  • Answers bedtime questions without a screen
  • Plays calming music or stories at bedtime
  • Hands-free use during homework

Concerns to weigh

  • Always-on microphone in private space
  • Can play music or request content after lights-out
  • Voice commands bypass screen time controls
  • History of accidental activations recording private conversations
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A practical middle ground

If you want a smart speaker in a child's bedroom for alarm and music use, consider scheduling it to stop responding to requests after a certain time using the device's routine/schedule features. Both Alexa and Google Home support "Do Not Disturb" schedules that mute notifications and limit interaction during overnight hours.

Ten minutes of setup makes a real difference.

Disabling voice purchases and turning on the explicit filter are the two highest-impact steps — and they take under five minutes each. The rest is about deciding what role you want the speaker to play in your home's routine.