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 school student starts using questionable new words she heard on YouTube. And so on and so forth.
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. Read on for eight 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, go to iTunes, install apps, delete apps, use Siri and more.
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 or 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.
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? 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.
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!
Jinny Gudmundsen is the author of iPad Apps For Kids For Dummies® and the Kid-Tech columnist for USA TODAY.
Published August 2013
