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Family Controls User Guide

For Parents and Guardians

Last Updated: 2026-02-12 Platform: All platforms (Web, iOS, Android, Apple TV) Languages: Available in 10 languages


What is Family Controls?

Family Controls is Bayit+'s unified parental control system that helps you create a safe viewing experience for your children. With Family Controls, you can:

  • Protect content with a secure family PIN
  • Set age limits for kids (0-12) and youngsters (12-17) content
  • Enable or disable entire content sections
  • Limit content ratings (G, PG, or PG-13)
  • Set viewing hours to restrict when content can be watched
  • Manage all platforms from one central control panel

Integration with Zeh Ani

Your Family Controls PIN is the same PIN used for Zeh Ani biometric consent. When your child uses Zeh Ani (It's Me) features, the system requires your Family Controls PIN to:

  • Grant biometric consent for 3D avatar generation
  • Enable voice-to-voice recording
  • Activate advanced AI features (scene triggers, live overlay)
  • Revoke consent or delete AI data via the "kill switch"

This ensures a unified parental gate across all AI-powered features. See the Zeh Ani User Guide for details.

Integration with Household

Family Controls work with Bayit+'s Household system:

  • Controls apply across all household members on shared accounts
  • Each household member sees the same content restrictions
  • PIN changes propagate to all devices automatically
  • Household admins can view access logs for all members

Quick Start

1. Set Up Family Controls

First Time Setup:

  1. Open Bayit+ on any platform (web, mobile, or TV)
  2. Go to SettingsFamily Controls
  3. Tap Set Up Family Controls
  4. Create a 4-6 digit PIN (remember this!)
  5. Choose age limits for kids and youngsters content
  6. Tap Create Controls

Done! Your family controls are now active across all devices.


Features

Family PIN Protection

What it does: Requires a PIN to access certain content and change settings.

When you need it:

  • Accessing youngsters content (ages 12-17)
  • Changing family control settings
  • Disabling viewing hour restrictions

How to use:

  1. When prompted, enter your 4-6 digit PIN
  2. If you enter it wrong 5 times, your account locks for 15 minutes

Security Note: Your PIN is encrypted and never shown in plain text.


Kids Content (Ages 0-12)

What it does: Filters content appropriate for younger children.

Default Settings:

  • Age Limit: 12 years old
  • Content Rating: G (General Audiences)
  • Enabled: Yes

How to adjust:

  1. Go to SettingsFamily Controls
  2. Enter your PIN
  3. Adjust Kids Age Limit (0-12 years)
  4. Toggle Kids Content Enabled on/off
  5. Tap Save

Youngsters Content (Ages 12-17)

What it does: Filters content for teenagers and young adults.

Default Settings:

  • Age Limit: 17 years old
  • Content Rating: PG-13
  • Enabled: Yes

How to adjust:

  1. Go to SettingsFamily Controls
  2. Enter your PIN
  3. Adjust Youngsters Age Limit (12-17 years)
  4. Toggle Youngsters Content Enabled on/off
  5. Tap Save

Content Rating Limits

What it does: Blocks content above a certain rating level.

Available Ratings (from least to most restrictive):

RatingDescriptionExamples
GGeneral AudiencesAll ages appropriate
PGParental GuidanceSome material may not be suitable for children
PG-13Parents Strongly CautionedSome material may be inappropriate for children under 13

How to set:

  1. Go to SettingsFamily Controls
  2. Enter your PIN
  3. Select Maximum Content Rating (G, PG, or PG-13)
  4. Tap Save

Example: If you set PG, then only G and PG content will be accessible. PG-13 and higher will be blocked.


Viewing Hours

What it does: Limits when content can be watched.

Use Cases:

  • Prevent late-night watching on school nights
  • Enforce bedtime rules
  • Limit screen time to specific hours

How to set up:

  1. Go to SettingsFamily Controls
  2. Enter your PIN
  3. Toggle Viewing Hours Enabled to ON
  4. Set Start Hour (e.g., 8:00 AM)
  5. Set End Hour (e.g., 8:00 PM)
  6. Tap Save

Example: Start 8:00, End 20:00 means content is only accessible from 8 AM to 8 PM.

Note: Times are in 24-hour format (0-23).


Content Section Controls

What it does: Enables or disables entire content sections independently.

Controllable Sections:

  • Kids Content (Ages 0-12) -- Toggle on/off
  • Youngsters Content (Ages 12-17) -- Toggle on/off

When a section is disabled, it is completely hidden from the navigation. Users cannot browse or search for content in disabled sections without entering the family PIN.


Profile-Level Controls

What it does: Adds security settings per child profile.

How to set up:

  1. Go to Settings > Family Controls > Profile Controls
  2. Select a child profile
  3. Configure profile-specific restrictions
  4. Tap Save

Note: Profile-level controls add granularity on top of the global family controls. The more restrictive setting always wins.


How to Use Family Controls

Changing Your Settings

On Web:

  1. Click Settings (top right)
  2. Click Family Controls
  3. Enter your PIN when prompted
  4. Make your changes
  5. Click Save Changes

On Mobile (iOS/Android):

  1. Tap Settings tab
  2. Tap Family Controls
  3. Enter your PIN when prompted
  4. Make your changes
  5. Tap Save

On Apple TV (tvOS):

  1. Navigate to Settings
  2. Select Family Controls
  3. Enter your PIN using remote
  4. Make your changes
  5. Select Save

Accessing Restricted Content

If content is blocked by family controls, you'll see one of these messages:

  • "This section is disabled by family controls"

    • The Kids or Youngsters section has been turned off
    • Enter your PIN to temporarily allow access
  • "Content rating too high"

    • The content exceeds your rating limit
    • Enter your PIN to watch this specific content
  • "Outside viewing hours"

    • Viewing is restricted to certain hours
    • Enter your PIN to watch now (overrides time restriction)

To override: Tap the content → Enter PIN → Watch


Changing Your PIN

For Security: Change your PIN regularly or if you think it's been compromised.

Steps:

  1. Go to SettingsFamily Controls
  2. Tap Change PIN
  3. Enter your current PIN
  4. Enter your new PIN (4-6 digits)
  5. Confirm your new PIN
  6. Tap Update PIN

Important: You need your current PIN to set a new one. If you enter the current PIN wrong 5 times, your account locks for 15 minutes.


Troubleshooting

"Account locked due to too many failed attempts"

What happened: You (or someone) entered the wrong PIN 5 times.

Solution:

  1. Wait 15 minutes
  2. The account will automatically unlock
  3. Try entering your PIN again

If you forgot your PIN:


"Family controls not set up"

What happened: You haven't created family controls yet.

Solution:

  1. Go to SettingsFamily Controls
  2. Tap Set Up Family Controls
  3. Create your PIN and settings

Settings don't sync across devices

What happened: Family controls should sync instantly, but sometimes there's a delay.

Solution:

  1. Make sure you're logged in on all devices
  2. Close and reopen the Bayit+ app
  3. Changes should appear within 30 seconds

Still not working?

  • Check your internet connection
  • Log out and log back in
  • Contact support if issue persists

Viewing hours not working correctly

Possible Issues:

  1. Time zone mismatch:

    • Viewing hours use UTC time (universal time)
    • Your device time zone may differ
    • Solution: Set viewing hours based on your local time
  2. Overnight hours (e.g., 10 PM to 6 AM):

    • Set start hour: 22 (10 PM)
    • Set end hour: 6 (6 AM)
    • System automatically handles overnight ranges
  3. Not blocking content:

    • Make sure Viewing Hours Enabled is toggled ON
    • Check that current time is outside your set hours
    • Try entering PIN to override temporarily

Kids/Youngsters section still showing when disabled

What happened: Content may be cached from before you disabled the section.

Solution:

  1. Close and reopen the app
  2. Refresh the page (web)
  3. Clear app cache if issue persists

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Can I have different PINs for kids and youngsters?

A: No, there is one unified family PIN for all content sections. This simplifies management and prevents children from bypassing one PIN to access another section.


Q: What happens if I lose my PIN?

A: Contact Bayit+ support at support@bayitplus.com with your account information. We'll verify your identity and help you reset your family controls.


Q: Can my kids reset the PIN if they know my email?

A: No. PIN resets require:

  1. Your current PIN (to change it)
  2. Or support verification (to recover it)

There's no "forgot PIN" option that can be exploited.


Q: Do family controls work offline?

A: Partially. The most recent settings are cached locally:

  • Kids/Youngsters enable/disable status
  • Content rating limits
  • Viewing hours

However, PIN changes and new settings require internet connection to sync.


Q: Can I set different rules for different children?

A: Not yet. Family controls currently apply to the entire account. Profile-level controls (Phase 4) will allow per-child settings in a future update.


Q: How do I migrate from the old kids/youngsters PIN system?

A: Migration is automatic:

  1. Log in to Bayit+
  2. Go to SettingsFamily Controls
  3. Tap Migrate from Old System
  4. Your existing PIN and settings will transfer
  5. You'll now use the unified family controls

Q: Are family controls secure?

A: Yes. Security features include:

  • bcrypt encryption: PINs are hashed, never stored in plain text
  • Account lockout: 5 failed attempts = 15-minute lockout
  • Rate limiting: Prevents automated attacks
  • Secure transmission: All data encrypted in transit (HTTPS)
  • No PIN recovery: Even we can't see your PIN

Q: Can I disable family controls completely?

A: Not currently. Once set up, family controls remain active to ensure child safety. However, you can:

  • Enable all sections (Kids and Youngsters)
  • Set maximum rating to PG-13 (least restrictive)
  • Disable viewing hours

This effectively removes most restrictions while keeping the PIN protection.


Q: Does my Family Controls PIN work with Zeh Ani?

A: Yes. The Zeh Ani biometric consent system uses the same Family Controls PIN. You only need to remember one PIN for all parental controls across the platform, including AI feature consent.


Q: Can I see what my child accessed?

A: Family Controls record section access for parental review. You can view the access log in Settings > Family Controls > Activity Log. This shows which sections were accessed and when, but does not track specific content titles.


Tips for Parents

1. Choose a Strong PIN

  • Don't use: 1234, 0000, 1111 (too easy to guess)
  • Do use: Random 4-6 digit combination
  • Keep private: Don't share your PIN with children

2. Test Your Settings

After setting up:

  1. Log out
  2. Try accessing restricted content
  3. Verify restrictions are working as expected

3. Adjust as Children Grow

  • Review settings every 6 months
  • Increase age limits as children mature
  • Gradually relax restrictions with demonstrated responsibility

4. Use Viewing Hours Strategically

  • School nights: Limit to homework hours (e.g., 6 PM - 8 PM)
  • Weekends: More flexible (e.g., 8 AM - 10 PM)
  • Bedtime enforcement: End hour at your children's bedtime

5. Combine with Device Limits

Family controls work best with:

  • Device screen time limits (iOS, Android)
  • Router parental controls
  • Open communication about online safety

Support

Need Help?

Email Support: support@bayitplus.comResponse Time: Within 24 hours

Include in your message:

  • Your account email
  • Platform (web, iOS, Android, tvOS)
  • Description of issue
  • Screenshots (if applicable)

Community Forum

Visit: community.bayitplus.com

  • Ask questions
  • Share tips
  • Connect with other parents

Report a Problem

Critical Issues: emergency@bayitplus.com For urgent problems like:

  • Security concerns
  • Account access issues
  • Payment problems

Privacy & Safety

What We Track

Family controls record:

  • Failed PIN attempts (for security)
  • Settings changes (for audit trail)
  • Section access (for parental review)

What We DON'T Track

  • Specific content watched
  • Watch time per video
  • Search queries
  • Personal viewing habits

Your Control

You can:

  • View your settings history
  • Export your family controls data
  • Request account deletion (removes all controls data)

Privacy Policy: https://bayitplus.com/privacy


What's Coming Next (Roadmap)

Phase 4: Profile-Level Controls (Future)

  • Set different rules for each child
  • Individual PINs per profile
  • Age-appropriate recommendations per profile

Phase 5: Enhanced Reporting (Future)

  • Weekly viewing summaries
  • Content category breakdowns
  • Violation alerts (attempted access to blocked content)

Phase 6: Smart Controls (Future)

  • AI-powered content recommendations based on age
  • Automatic age progression (adjust limits on birthdays)
  • Shared household controls for multi-family homes

Stay updated: Subscribe to our newsletter at https://bayitplus.com/newsletter


Quick Reference Card

Print this section for easy reference:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  BAYIT+ FAMILY CONTROLS QUICK REFERENCE             │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                      │
│  SETUP                                               │
│  Settings → Family Controls → Set Up                │
│  Create 4-6 digit PIN                                │
│                                                      │
│  CHANGE PIN                                          │
│  Settings → Family Controls → Change PIN             │
│  Enter old PIN → Enter new PIN                       │
│                                                      │
│  KIDS CONTENT (0-12)                                 │
│  Default: Age 12, Rating G, Enabled                  │
│                                                      │
│  YOUNGSTERS CONTENT (12-17)                          │
│  Default: Age 17, Rating PG-13, Enabled              │
│                                                      │
│  CONTENT RATINGS                                     │
│  G < PG < PG-13 (most restrictive)                   │
│                                                      │
│  VIEWING HOURS                                       │
│  Set start/end hour (24-hour format)                 │
│  Example: 8 (8 AM) to 20 (8 PM)                      │
│                                                      │
│  LOCKED ACCOUNT                                      │
│  5 wrong PINs = 15 minute lockout                    │
│  Automatic unlock after 15 minutes                   │
│                                                      │
│  SUPPORT                                             │
│  support@bayitplus.com                               │
│  community.bayitplus.com                             │
│                                                      │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Document Version: 1.0 Last Updated: 2026-02-12 Languages: English (UI available in 10 languages) Platform: Web, iOS, Android, Apple TV


© 2026 Bayit+ - Creating Safe Digital Experiences for Families

Released under the MIT License.