How To Have a Safe iPad and a Happy Kid

Like the iPod and the iPhone, the iPad is starting to become somewhat of a household item. This means parents should take the time to understand the iPad’s parental controls and how to set them.

The process is fairly simple and very similar to that of the iPhone and the iPod Touch, but I figured it was worth putting a nice step-by-step picture guide just in case.

 

 

1. The first thing you’ll want to do is find the Settings button on your home screen –

2. Once you’ve clicked that, look for the “General” tab on the left side. From there you’ll see the “Restrictions” option—click it.

3. At the top, you’ll want to click “Enable Restrictions”. This will bring up a password box. Since this is your first time, you’ll need to think of a code and enter it twice to confirm.

Don’t forget this password. It’s your only way to turn restrictions on and off on the iPad. If you forget, the only way to bypass it is by resetting your iPad to the factory settings.

4. From here you’ll be given the option to disable or enable a number of apps and allowances: Safari, YouTube, installing apps, etc.

Switching these apps to the “off” position will actually remove them from your iPad’s homepage—meaning you/your children won’t be able to access them until you switch them back “on”.

Some suggestions:

Safari – You’ll want to turn this off if you don’t want your child browsing the web. Safari doesn’t have a content filter, so unless you’ve installed a third-party, kid-friendly web browser, switching this to the off position might be the best option.

YouTube – SafetyMode isn’t an option here, so the same rules apply here as they do for Safari.

Installing Apps – If you have little ones using your iPad (and I’m assuming you do if you’re reading this article), turn this off is highly recommended. This will prevent any unwanted bills from Apple.

5. If you scroll down on the same page you’ll notice that you can also choose the type of content you allow to be downloaded, installed or viewed on your iPad, as well as the option to disable in-app purchases.

In-app purchases – these are actual purchases made inside any app that’s downloaded to your iPad. So, if your son or daughter decides that they want to buy $100 worth of “gold coins” in Sally’s Silly Adventures, they can…if this isn’t turned off. Click here to read one father’s horror story.

Remember, your iTunes account is probably tied to your credit card if you’ve ever bought an app in the App Store.

From here you can also limit the kind of content that gets downloaded or played on your iPad. This is done by selecting the rating for each type of content.

Music – Setting the Explicit setting to OFF makes it so any explicit songs that your child may already have on their iPad become unavailable. It also disables all explicit purchases in the iTunes Store.

Movies –

TV Shows –

Apps –

All in all, parents, safety enabling your iPad will take just 10 short minutes, but will offer you hours of peace of mind!

More resources:

iPod Touch Parental Controls Guide

iPhone Parental Controls Guide

Tags: internet privacy, internet safety, ipad for kids, ipad parental controls, ipad safety, kids social networks, mary kay, mary kay hoal, online privacy, safe social networking, yoursphere, yoursphere.com

Category: Safety, Tutorials