Child lock and control lock (key or padlock)
The touch controls are locked so nobody can switch the hob on, or change a setting, by touching the panel.
What it is for
Lock a switched-off hob when children are around, or lock the panel while cooking so wiping the glass does not change the settings. The off key normally still works when the panel is locked.
Makes differ, check your hob’s manual: the same letter or drawing can do a different job on another brand, and only your model’s manual gives its exact times and limits.
- What it looks like
- A padlock or a key on a touch key, with a small light beside it; you usually hold it for 3 to 6 seconds.
- Names makers use
- Childproof lock (Bosch); Control panel lock (Whirlpool); Lock and Child Safety Device (AEG); System lock and safety lock (Miele)
Where makes differ
There are often two different locks behind the same drawing. AEG’s Lock works while zones are cooking and ends when the hob is switched off; its Child Safety Device stops the hob being switched on at all. Miele splits them the same way: the system lock (hob off, hold 6 seconds) and the safety lock (hob on). Bosch’s childproof lock is set with the hob off, held about 4 seconds, and can be made automatic. Whirlpool locks by holding its Timer key for 3 seconds, and warns that spilt water on the key can switch the lock on or off.
What it does not mean
It does not switch the hob off or cool a hot zone, and a locked panel does not mean a fault — the hob is simply ignoring touches until you unlock it.
Sources
No published standard we could check defines hob control icons, so this meaning is taken from 4 makers’ own manuals and support pages, each fetched and read on the date shown:
- Bosch: Bosch — Instruction manual PIE...F... hob (9000884453) — “Childproof lock: The hob can be protected against being accidentally turned on… The hob should be turned off. To activate: press the symbol for approximately 4 seconds.” An automatic childproof lock can be set in the basic settings. Checked 2026-09-28.
- Whirlpool: Whirlpool — Induction hob instructions for use (flexible-zone models) — “Control panel lock… press the Timer button for three seconds; an acoustic signal and a luminous indicator near the padlock symbol signal activation. The control panel is locked except for the switching off function.” Checked 2026-09-28.
- AEG: AEG — HKP85410FB induction hob user manual — Sensor field “Lock / The Child Safety Device: To lock / unlock the control panel.” “Lock: You can lock the control panel while cooking zones operate”; “The Child Safety Device: This function prevents an accidental operation of the hob.” Checked 2026-09-28.
- Miele: Miele — Operating and installation instructions, induction hobs KM 7897 FL (en-GB) — “The system lock is activated when the hob is switched off… the hob cannot be switched on”; “The safety lock is activated when the hob is switched on… The hob can only be switched off.” Each is set by touching for 6 seconds. Checked 2026-09-28.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.