Iphone parental controls

[tcufrog]

One of my teenagers got caught doing some things that he really shouldn't have done with his iPhone. We tried to replace it with a Gabb phone but it doesn't offer access to some apps that he needs access to such as Google Calendar. We have a shared family Google Calendar that he's expected to put his activities on. We want to give him access to that and a few select other apps but not allow him access to the app store, Siri or the Internet.

How easy are the parental controls to set up and maintain? Can I not allow access to Siri and Internet browsing? How easy is it to bypass the parental controls without learning the password?

 

[eticketplease]

One of my teenagers got caught doing some things that he really shouldn't have done with his iPhone. We tried to replace it with a Gabb phone but it doesn't offer access to some apps that he needs access to such as Google Calendar. We have a shared family Google Calendar that he's expected to put his activities on. We want to give him access to that and a few select other apps but not allow him access to the app store, Siri or the Internet.

How easy are the parental controls to set up and maintain? Can I not allow access to Siri and Internet browsing? How easy is it to bypass the parental controls without learning the password?

Do you have an iPhone or iPad? If so you can control settings remotely and grant more screen time when needed if not you would need to do it each time on the device itself.

Your DS can use the built in calendar as it supports google but you can use the google one too.

You can turn off safari and block any apps that you want although it seems like they can be used for a minute on the apps that aren’t Apple before they are restricted.

 

[lanejudy]

I found parental screen time limits were useless on the iPhone, but I could lock-out from the App Store with a password lock. Not sure about browser setting limits because I never tried that.

 

[ronandannette]

One of my teenagers got caught doing some things that he really shouldn't have done with his iPhone. We tried to replace it with a Gabb phone but it doesn't offer access to some apps that he needs access to such as Google Calendar. We have a shared family Google Calendar that he's expected to put his activities on. We want to give him access to that and a few select other apps but not allow him access to the app store, Siri or the Internet.

How easy are the parental controls to set up and maintain? Can I not allow access to Siri and Internet browsing? How easy is it to bypass the parental controls without learning the password?

I don't know the answer to these questions but I want to say thanks to you for at least trying. My DS is 10 years older than yours and was one of the last "generation" of kids to grow up without iPhones and 24/7 access to the temptations we ourselves couldn't have dreamed of at that age. So many parents don't know what their kids are doing on-line and/or see themselves as helpless to intervene. Your boy is lucky to have you both know and care enough to intervene and I wish you all well.

 

[tcufrog]

I don't know the answer to these questions but I want to say thanks to you for at least trying. My DS is 10 years older than yours and was one of the last "generation" of kids to grow up without iPhones and 24/7 access to the temptations we ourselves couldn't have dreamed of at that age. So many parents don't know what their kids are doing on-line and/or see themselves as helpless to intervene. Your boy is lucky to have you both know and care enough to intervene and I wish you all well.

Thanks so much. It's hard sometimes to figure out what's best.

 

[firefly_ris]

I don't have an iphone, but I use a paid subscription app called Qustodio that I've had a good experience with so far. I can do location tracking, app timers, block apps, general use time limits, bedtime routines (no access after a certain set time), will send me notifications if a child is searching for certain stuff, etc. We also have certain general rules with devices as well, like phones are to be set on my night stand by 9pm during the summer and 8pm during the school year and stay in my room all night, and so on.

My older daughter is self-directed and responsible with her device use, but my 13 year old son is very easily addicted to technology -- I like that he has it for when I need to contact him after being dropped off for extracurriculars or at the local theme park and all that, but if left to his own devices will choose to just play games all the live long day on it instead of doing literally anything else, so he gets a lot of guardrails.

 

[kdonnel]

Remember that no matter what blocking or monitoring you do at home, your child has access to the unfiltered internet via friends devices for 6-8 hours a day during school.

 

[tcufrog]

Remember that no matter what blocking or monitoring you do at home, your child has access to the unfiltered internet via friends devices for 6-8 hours a day during school.

This school year they will be required to keep them in their lockers or backpacks. I know I can't control everything but clearly what we are currently doing isn't the answer.

 

[kdonnel]

This school year they will be required to keep them in their lockers or backpacks. I know I can't control everything but clearly what we are currently doing isn't the answer.

Just wanted to make sure you had thought about friends and devices away from home.

My kids often talked about the kids who had their phones taken away or were closely monitored. They simply used their friends phones, logging into whatever apps and logging back out. In some cases the closely monitored kids had a second phone the parents didn't know about. Kids would buy a $20-$40 android phone at Walmart and use a prepaid plan or wifi.