How to find out how much your child is sitting on the phone on Xiaomi: 5 ways with instructions

Monitoring your child’s time on a smartphone is a key challenge for parents today. Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi, POCO, and Black Shark models) offer built-in tools to monitor activity, but many users don’t know how to use them, and in this article, we’ll look at all the available ways, from standard MIUI features to third-party applications with advanced capabilities.

It's important to understand that simple time tracking is just the first step, and effective time monitoring involves analyzing the specific apps that a child is using, setting limits, and even blocking unwanted content, and we're going to look at not only how to look at the statistics, but how to set up the system so that screen time is good for them, not bad for them.

All instructions are valid for MIUI 12-14 devices (including global and Chinese firmware versions).If your smartphone runs on pure Android (such as the POCO F5 or Xiaomi 13T Pro), some features may not be available, as we will mention.

1. Built-in screen time statistics in MIUI

The easiest way is to use the built-in Digital Wellbeing tools that are available on all Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 10 and later, which shows not only the total usage time, but also the distribution by application, as well as the number of screen unlocks.

To open up the statistics:

1. Go to Settings → Digital Well-Being and Parental Controls.
2. Choose your child’s profile (if added) or your own (to view general statistics).
3. Click on the Screen Time chart - here you will see the detail by day and application.

Note that if your child is using a guest mode or a second user profile, the statistics will be separate, in which case you need to switch to the corresponding profile in the settings.

💡

If the schedule is not updated, check if data sync is enabled in Settings → Google Accounts → Sync. Without this, the statistics can be reset after the reboot.

MIUI 14 has the ability to set weekly limits for individual applications, such as limiting TikTok time to 1 hour a day.

• 📱 Open the statistics of the application in Digital Well-being.
• 🕒 Click on the timer icon next to the app name.
• ⏳ Set a daily limit and save the settings.

💡

The built-in MIUI statistics do not take into account the time spent in the browser if the child uses incognito mode.

Parental Controls in MIUI: Customization and Limitations

Xiaomi’s Parental Control feature not only allows you to monitor usage times, but also blocks access to certain apps, games or websites, which is available in the same Digital Well-being section, but requires pre-setting.

To activate parental control:

1. Go to Settings → Digital Well-Being → Parental Controls.
2. Choose Add a child profile and follow the instructions (you will need to link a Mi Account).
3. Install. PIN-Code to protect settings (remember it!).
4. Set time limits, apps and content.

After activation, you will be able to:

• 🔒 Block the installation of new applications without your confirmation.
• 📵 Set the time of sleep (for example, from 22:00 to 7:00 the phone will be blocked).
• 🌐 Filter web content via Mi Browser or Google Chrome.
• 📊 Get weekly activity reports to linked mail.

The important point is that if the child knows PIN-The code or password from your Mi Account will be able to reset the restrictions. PIN (Not your date of birth! and don’t keep it in your phone’s notes.

3. Family Security App from Xiaomi

For more control, Xiaomi offers a separate app, Mi Family Guard, which is available for download on Google Play and App Gallery (for Huawei devices), which is suitable if the child has a smartphone not only Xiaomi, but also other brands.

Annex capabilities:

To connect the child's device:

1. Set Family Security on both phones (your and your child).
2. Sign up or sign in through your Mi Account.
3. On the child’s phone, confirm the connection request (you will need to enter) PIN-code).
4. Set up rules in your account.

When using this app, the statistics are updated in real time, but some features (e.g. geofence) require GPS enabled, which can drain the battery quickly.

Third-party monitoring applications

If Xiaomi's built-in tools aren't enough, you can use third-party solutions. They offer advanced features such as screenshots, tap recording or analysis of correspondence (with the consent of the child!).-3 tested applications:

1. Google Family Link

• 🔍 Allows you to set limits on the use of the device and individual applications.
• 🛒 Requires confirmation of purchases on Google Play.
• 📱 It works on all Android devices, including Xiaomi.

Cons: does not show detailed statistics on websites in the browser.

2. Kaspersky Safe Kids

• 🌍 Filtering Web Content by Category (Violence, Adult Content, etc.).
• 📍 Location tracking with movement history.
• 📊 Weekly reports on email.

Limitation: The free version has stripped down functionality (for example, no application locking).

3. Norton Family

• 🕵️‍♂️ Monitoring search queries and videos on YouTube.
• 📵 Ability to remotely lock the device.
• 📈 Detailed reports with schedules and recommendations.

Disadvantage: High battery consumption due to background monitoring.

Make sure your child’s phone has enough memory (minimum 200MB)|Disable battery optimization for the application|Check compatibility with the Android version|Coordinate the installation with the child (if he is older than 10 years)-->

Warning: Some apps (e.g. mSpy or FlexiSPY) are labeled as “spyware” and may violate privacy laws. Use only legal solutions with the child’s consent (if they are over 10 years old).

5. Hidden methods: log of use and ADB-team

If a child has deleted a story or reset statistics, there are hidden methods, one of which is analyzing the usage log through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which is suitable for tech-savvy users.

To obtain data via ADB:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on your child’s phone: go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version and press 7 times.
2. Activate Debugging by USB in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command:

adb shell dumpsys usagestats --check-current

This command will display a list of apps with activity times over the past 24 hours.

For more detailed analysis, use:

adb shell dumpsys usagestats -t daily

The result will be saved in JSON format, which can be opened in any text editor.

💡

If ADB does not recognize the device, install Xiaomi USB Drivers and check the connection in Transfer Files (MTP) mode.

Note: using ADB requires physical access to the phone and can be blocked if a child disables Debugging via USB. Furthermore, these commands only work on devices with an unlocked bootloader (which is not typical for most Xiaomi smartphones out of the box).

6. Analysis of traffic and browser history

If a child spends a lot of time online, it is helpful to analyze the history of the browser and the use of mobile traffic. Even if the history is cleared, some data can be recovered.

Method 1: History in Google Account

If your child is logged into Google Chrome through their account, the history of visits is saved in the cloud to view:

1. Go to myactivity.google.com.
2. Select your child’s profile (if you have access to their account).
3. Filter activity by date and type (search, YouTube, maps, etc.).

Method 2: Mobile traffic statistics

Xiaomi has built-in monitoring of mobile data usage:

1. Go to Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Using traffic.
2. Choose. SIM-Map and see what apps were using traffic.
3. Click on the app to see details by day.

This will help to identify, for example, that a child spends 3 hours a day on TikTok or Roblox, even if they have cleared the history in the app itself.

💡

If a child is using a VPN, the traffic statistics will be inaccurate, in which case only specialized monitoring software, such as GlassWire, will help.

7 How to discuss the problem with the child: psychological aspects

Technical controls work better when the child understands the need for them, and here are some tips on how to approach them:

• 🗣️ Explain the reasons: instead of “You’re sitting on the phone too much,” say “I want your eyes and sleep to be OK".
• 🤝 Make arrangements: for example, "After 21:00 the phone is charging in the living room".
• 🎮 Offer alternatives: board games, sports, joint walks.
• 📱 Take an example: limit your time on the phone in front of your child.

Research shows that strong bans often lead to deception (the child will use the phone in secret), and cooperative arrangements to a deliberate reduction in time, and use control apps as a tool for discussion, not for espionage.

Note: If a child is over 14, they are legally entitled to privacy, and at that age, it is better to move from total control to trust and self-regulation.

FAQ: Frequent questions about time control on Xiaomi