We live in a world where technology is ever-present, and for many of us, that includes our children. With the touch of a button, kids can have access to the internet, social media, and a world of apps and games.
Whether it’s a school-aged child needing a phone to contact their parents, or a younger child using a device for games, it’s now commonplace for our kids to be sharing our devices or using their own.
Unfortunately, modern devices can connect to almost anything and anyone, and not everyone has your child’s best intentions at heart. Here are a few ways you can make Apple iOS devices safer for your children:
Disable changes
The first thing you want to do is ensure any changes you make can’t be undone without your permission.
If you are sharing a device with a child, then Apple allows you to set a passcode that is different from the device’s passcode to prevent unwanted changes from being made to child safety restrictions. This can be done with the Screen Time Passcode. Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Screen Time Passcode
If your child has their own device, then Family Sharing can be enabled to manage the settings on their device.
Allowed apps
Many of the standard Apple apps that came with an iPhone or iPad cannot be deleted. If you don’t want your child using Safari to browse the internet or Mail to send emails, then you can hide these apps from the home screen until you choose to re-enable them.
Non-standard apps downloaded from the App store cannot be disabled with this feature. They can be deleted or restricted with the App Limits feature covered below.
Restrict downloading of new apps and deleting of existing apps
There are millions of apps available, and not all of them are safe for children. If you want to prevent your child from adding new apps to their device or simply want to prevent them from accidentally deleting apps on a shared device, you can restrict the ability to do either of these.
Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes and App Store Purchases
Block in-app purchases
It’s very common to see news stories about toddlers who spend thousands of dollars on their parent’s credit cards buying extra lives and power-ups in games and other in-app purchases. Apps are often designed by large companies who profit from making in-app purchases as enticing as possible. You can prevent in-app purchases using this feature
Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes and App Store Purchases > In-app Purchases
If you have Family Sharing set up, you may prefer to use Apple’s Ask to Buy feature, where children can request to make purchases, which you can review.
App Limits
This feature allows you to set time limits for specific apps. You may choose to limit certain apps, such as social media apps, to one hour per day. Once the app time limit has been reached, the screentime passcode is needed to continue using the app. You can also limit apps to zero minutes, meaning the screentime passcode is required every time the app is used.
Settings > Screen Time > App Limits
Scheduled downtime
The Downtime feature can be used to schedule times and days when only phone calls and allowed apps are available for use. This can be a useful feature to ensure devices aren’t being used late in the evening and can be adjusted for specific days, such as weekdays and weekends.
Settings > Screen Time > Downtime
You can choose which apps are allowed during Downtime with the Always Allowed feature
Settings > Screen Time > Always Allowed
Restrict websites
If you want your child to be able to access the internet, but not everything on the internet, then Apple devices can automatically filter web content. You can choose to either limit ‘adult’ websites or provide a list of allowed websites, and all others will be blocked.
Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Content Restrictions > Web Content
Restrict explicit content
This feature can be used to block music with explicit content or movies, TV shows and apps with specific ratings.
Restrict Siri
Siri can be used to search the web, and may be used to display explicit language. This can be prevented within content restrictions.
Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Content Restrictions > Siri
Restrict Game Center
While games can be fun and educational for children, certain features may pose a risk, such as locating physically nearby players, private messages and adding new friends. These can be restricted with this feature.
Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Game Center
Privacy Settings
There are many privacy settings on iOS devices that you may want to enable or disable for your child. Settings such as location data, Apple advertising, app tracking requests etc. may be switched off, and changes to things such as contacts and calendars may be disabled.
As parents, it’s our responsibility to keep our kids safe online as well as offline. By taking a few simple steps to secure their iOS devices, we can help to protect them from the dangers of the digital world. It's equally important to have frank discussions with our kids about online safety and to teach them how to use technology responsibly.
