The holidays are over and if your house is like mine then there are young people who want to spend all of their free time playing with a new electronic device. My children are crazy about their iPads and regularly want to play their games or watch their shows and movies on them. I love that the iPad is a built in babysitter and way to occupy their time in the car but can it also have negative effects? Is there too much screen time or are they at risk from predators online? How can we be sure that our children are safe in digital world?
The reality is that there is a potential for abuse with any online devices and it takes being involved as a parent. We need to exercise a willingness to oversee our children’s activities to ensure that they are not misusing these wonderful devices. Being involved with your kids and supervising their online activities is the first step. It should be an understood rule that as the person who provides the device, there is no privacy for minors and parents should always be able to monitor their activity.
That being said, all Apple® devices come with built in parental controls which allow us to limit access to many of the components of their devices. These controls, located in settings, allow us approve access to everything from the internet browser to the ability to install apps or make in app purchases. They also allow us to set up monitors to see what activity the kids have had…from who they text and email to what web sites they visit. Restrictions and Parental Controls are powerful tools.
We can use tools like Family Sharing to share purchases and give adults the power to approve all content being used on the kids devices. That means if you child wants that popular game or that new song, you get to give permission before they can download it. Family Sharing also gives a great way for the family to know where each other is at all times by allowing us to share our location with each other. Family Sharing offers other great features and it’s all free with your Apple products and your iCloud account.
There are many other safety a security tools available for Mac and iOS devices depending on your level of security needs. Apps like Covenant Eyes provide accountability for older kids and filtering and blocking for everyone. OpenDNS, one of the most popular choices, provides whole home filtering that is customizable to your individual family needs and does it at no cost to you. If you have questions about internet security or safety, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us and let us know.
- Jeff Mann
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