It’s the struggle that repeats generation after generation. Parents set the rules, only for kids to accept the challenge and find a way to work around them. Perhaps this is the dynamic that drives evolution and technological advancement – which is exactly what can give them an edge in this day and age, as kids often are more familiar with new tech than their parents, and have the time to figure out workarounds to any parental restrictions you might set up.
Of course the content you choose to restrict is up to you, but we put together some tips to help you ensure the content you decide to block from specific apps or services is done effectively.
1. Apple iOS Parental Controls
Apple’s Screen Time tool allows you to restrict adult content, prevent unauthorized purchases, and even set time limits for the device or specific apps. Considering 87% of teens use iPhones or iPads, this may be the primary tool you need.
To help prevent your kids from overriding your chosen parental controls, make sure they aren’t signing in with their own Apple ID, and keep the PIN you use to lock down the device private.
2. Parental Controls On Your Wi-Fi Router
If your kids are outsmarting your parental controls on their devices, you may want to think about choosing an internet router that allows you to secure the entire network. Most routers do have some level of parental controls, but others offer robust and effective systems that allow you to filter content, specify specific websites that you want to blacklist (or whitelist), monitor and control devices connected to the network, and so on.
To keep your system set up secure, make sure to change the default password and keep it private. Keep in mind that using the hotspot feature on a device could help your kids completely bypass the router, so don’t ignore device level controls either.
3. Controlling Device Access
Of course controlling access to devices is another method of parental control, however all or nothing. As tedious as it can be to navigate parental control options (and the potential work arounds), the simple solution of deciding when your child can have their devices or not plays an important role as well.
Regardless of which methods you choose to implement, and what content or apps you limit or allow, it’s ultimately about raising your kids to respect the boundaries you set. For that these guidelines are meant to be a helpful tool. Happy parenting!