iPad
Apps For Kids For Dummies® Shares
Ten Safety and Privacy
Settings Every Parent Needs
to Know Before Handing Over the iPad
By Jinny Gudmundsen
You love your iPad, and the kids do too. However,
you’re hesitant to hand over your tablet because various disaster scenarios
keep popping up in your mind: Your preschooler deletes all of your apps. Your
toddler ends up on the Internet. Purchases you didn’t authorize show up on your
credit card statement. Your elementary schooler starts using questionable new
words she heard on YouTube. And so on and so forth. Is there a way to make iPad
use safe for you and your kids…or is
it best to just keep your iPad out of reach of little hands?
Relax, and take your iPad down off the top shelf. A
new For Dummies®
book will help you to gain peace of mind while your kids are tapping, sliding,
and typing away.
Before you
simply hand your iPad over to your kids and hope for the best, you should first
do what you can to make using the device as safe as possible—but that can be a
daunting task for iPad newcomers. As a mother myself, I understand how
important it is for parents to have a reliable resource that will help them to
make good choices for their kids.
As a USA TODAY Kid-Tech columnist, I have
made it my mission to provide just that. I have personally taken a multitude of
kid-friendly apps on a test run, and in my new book, iPad Apps For Kids For Dummies® I break
them all down. Whether you’re searching for apps that will appeal to a dinosaur
lover, have strong girl role models, or will keep the whole family entertained
on the road, you’ll find them all—and more—in this volume. First, though, I detail
how you can make your iPad’s settings kid-friendly so that you don’t have to
worry while they’re playing.
Yes, iPads are
easy to use, but they’re also so capable and complex that most people don’t
know half of the things that could go wrong until disaster has already struck.
That’s why it’s so important to have a guide that tells you what you should
know up-front. I’ve spoken with numerous parents who had no idea that their
kids could rack up major charges while playing a supposedly “free” game, or that
a certain number of incorrect password guesses could erase all of the personal
data on the device!
Also, remember
that educating yourself about how to make your iPad kid-friendly isn’t just for
your protection; it’s for theirs, too. When children are on the Internet with
few or no restrictions, other people will have access to them, which no parent
wants.
Read on for my top ten tips on how to set up your
iPad so that the whole family can enjoy the latest that technology has to
offer:
Set up a password for your iPad. If you want to be
in charge of iPad playtime, the easiest thing to do is make your kids come to
you to unlock it. That way, you’ll always know when and where they’re using it.
You can lock your iPad by turning on the Password Lock feature, which you’ll
find by tapping Settings➪General➪Password Lock.
Toggle the switch to turn the Password Lock to “On,” then create a password.
Just make sure
your kids don’t see you creating the password—and try to make it something they
can’t easily guess. You can also set how quickly the Auto-Lock comes on if the
iPad is idle and whether closing the cover triggers that lock.
Turn off the Erase Data option. Imagine that your iPad is stolen (gasp!). The
thief tries to break into it by guessing your password, but after ten failed
attempts, the iPad “figures out” that something is up and a safety feature
automatically erases your personal data. What a relief for you! But now picture
this: Your kids get hold of your
iPad, try to figure out what your password is, and the same thing happens.
Suddenly, that data-erasing safety feature doesn’t look so great.
If you want to
keep your data safe in case your kids turn into pint-sized wannabe hackers,
turn off the Erase Data option under Password Lock. Just be extra-careful not
to leave your iPad in a place where it’s likely to be stolen!
Turn on the parental controls. Apple’s version of parental controls are called
“restrictions.” To browse and activate them, go to Settings➪General➪Restrictions, and toggle the ones you want to
use to “On.” Be aware that you’ll need to create another password for these,
and that the options you see will vary depending on which iPad you are using
and the
operating system you are running. In general, though, you should be able to decide
whether your kids will be able to:
·
Surf the web (The browser on the iPad is called Safari.)
·
Go to iTunes
·
Install apps
·
Delete apps
·
Use Siri (This option is only for iOS 6.)
·
…and more!
In many ways, “parental
controls” is synonymous with “peace of mind.” Taking a few minutes to think
about all of the options can save you a lot of trouble later on.
Set media parameters. Every
parent knows the depth and breadth of the content that’s at the fingertips of
anyone with Internet access…and that knowledge can be downright terrifying!
There are so many things you don’t want your children to see, hear, and read.
Thankfully, the iPad allows you to set the age
appropriateness of the media your kids use. The setting you want is called
Allowed Content, and you’ll find it under Restrictions. The options cover music and
podcasts, movies, TV shows, books, and apps.
It’s also worth noting that
many apps made for kids now sport links to Facebook, Twitter, and the like. Because
you have to be 13 to use those social media services, it doesn’t make sense to
clutter up a title page with those links, which take your child out of the app to
a social network they can’t (and shouldn’t) be exploring. That’s why some app
developers are putting those links under a child lock, which keeps kids away from information
or links directed at parents. I’ve seen apps have parents tap five times in a row,
use a combination of swiping, solve a math problem, and more in order to unlock
the link.
Turn
off in-app purchases. Did
you know that many free apps make money by offering players the option to spend
real money on things used in the game? And did that little tidbit chill you to
the bone? If so, you’re concerned for good reason: Kids have been known to run
up hundreds—even thousands—of dollars of charges by playing “free” apps.
These in-app purchases are frequently confusing to
kids who have difficulty distinguishing between buying things with in-game currency
and buying them with real money. If you opt to let your kids explore these
games, make sure the In-App Purchases option is “Off,” or at least make sure
that you set the password requirement to “Immediately.” Otherwise, if you enter
your password and buy something for your child, he can then purchase more items
without having to enter your password again for 15 minutes afterwards. These
settings are found under Settings➪General➪Restrictions➪Allowed Content.
Don’t reveal your location. The iPad’s ability to pinpoint
your geographical location can come in handy for the adults in your household
(think searching for a great local restaurant while you’re on vacation), but
it’s best not to take chances where your kids are concerned.
If you have iOS 6, you can turn
off an app’s ability to use your child’s location by going to Restrictions➪Privacy.
Protect your
account. It’s amazing how much damage can
be done—or at least, how many changes can be made—in just a few minutes. To
protect your account from inadvertent (or mischievously purposeful) edits by
your kids, select Don’t
Allow Changes under Restrictions.
With this tool, you can keep
kids from adding, modifying, or removing e-mail, contacts, and calendars.
Restrict access to Apple’s Game Center. Game Center is an Apple app that
comes pre-loaded onto your iPad. Users can play a variety of games with other
people from around the world.
Because Game Center can
match players who don’t know each other, I recommend that you don’t allow these
options for kids. This is a service meant to be used by older teens and adults.
Set Multiplayer Games to “Off” in Restrictions if you don’t want your kids to
play with others.
Buy a protective cover. This one is fairly
self-explanatory! Sturdy
as it is, an iPad is still a fragile device, especially in the hands of
children. You should talk to your kids about the iPad’s fragility, and you may also
want to set rules about where it can be used.
Still, it’s a good idea to
buy a cushioned case to protect the iPad. Cushioned cases are sold in retail stores,
such as Best Buy, Target, and the Apple Store. You have a variety to choose
from. I like the M-Edge SuperShell (www.medgestore.com), which comes in a variety of
colors and adds about 1 inch of shock-absorbing soft plastic. The M-Edge costs
between $30 and $35, depending on your iPad model.
Be wary of “free” apps.
The adage
“nothing in life is free” applies here. If a publisher offers an app for free,
the app is probably still making money for the publisher somehow. The most
common model is to monetize a free app by placing ads inside it. Other free
apps are only a “lite” version of the real thing, or require the player to buy
things inside the game. I urge parents to evaluate any free apps they download
to make sure they’re appropriate before letting kids play.
The
few exceptions to this rule are apps developed by nonprofit organizations and
foundations—such as Alien Assignment, created by the Fred Rogers Center at
Saint Vincent College, and good, free apps intended as advertisements for
another product, such as LEGO Creationary.
No matter how many safety features you activate on your iPad,
don’t skip talking to your kids about what is and isn’t allowed. And make sure
there are consequences in place for on-purpose iPad rule breaking. Overall,
though, if you take the time to think about settings and restrictions, using
the iPad will be safe,
age-appropriate, and fun for your kids…and for you!
# # #
About the Author:
Jinny Gudmundsen is the author of iPad Apps For Kids For Dummies®. She is the Kid-Tech columnist for USA TODAY and the Gannett newspaper
chain. An authority on technology for kids, she also works for Common Sense
Media, the nation’s leading nonprofit source of reviews on children’s media,
and is the editor of ComputingWithKids.com.
About the Book:
iPad Apps For Kids For Dummies®
(Wiley, 2013, ISBN: 978-1-1184-3307-2, $19.99) is available at bookstores
nationwide, major online booksellers, or directly from the publisher by calling
(877) 762-2974.
About For Dummies®:
After 20 years,
more than 250 million copies printed, and millions of e-books downloaded, For
Dummies is the world’s bestselling reference series, well known for enriching
people’s lives by making knowledge accessible in a fun and easy way. Loyal
customers around the globe agree that For Dummies is “more than a publishing
phenomenon…[it is] a sign of the times,” [The New York Times]. With more than 1,800 active topics covering
everything from health to history, music to math, sports to self-help,
technology to travel, For Dummies is dedicated to Making Everything
Easier. The For Dummies brand presence continues to expand wherever there
is a need to know, including mobile apps, e-learning courses, a corporate
custom publishing program, a robust consumer website, and a licensed product
line that includes consumer electronics, culinary, crafts, video, software,
musical instrument packs, home improvement, automotive, game, and more. For
more information, visit Dummies.com. For Dummies is a branded imprint of Wiley.
I love the "for Dummies" series and have bought some of them for this Dummy!! I have no children (actually I don't even have an ipad) but this is really good info for anyone who does!!
ReplyDeleteFor Dummies series is one of the most clever things ever and security settings for ipad is rather poignant when you see kids on news all the time telling of how they spent thousands of pounds on their parent's credit cards without even knowing they were purchasing anything
ReplyDelete