Considering that we are on the 12th iOS, I think it is fair to say that Apple was late to the parental control party. While they have had “Restrictions” available in Settings for a while, the controls were hardly robust. Now, with release of iOS 12, it appears that they are finally STARTING to take parental control features seriously. If […] Read More
Filed in : Parental Controls, Parenting in the Digital World
When one of my sons was 5 years old he was diagnosed with a neurological issue that was causing issues with his spine. God was gracious to us, and after two successful surgeries the problem was corrected. It’s been about fifteen years since we received that diagnosis. It was called a Chiari Malformation. We were clueless about and had not […] Read More
Filed in : Android, Apple, Device Monitoring, Filtering, Products, TV
YouTube has been one of the most challenging areas for parents who are concerned with the content their kids see online. On one hand, there are thousands of worthwhile, funny and educational videos on YouTube. On the other hand, giving a child access to YouTube is like letting them play in a video minefield because of the pitiful filtering options available […] Read More
Filed in : Apple, Parental Controls, Parenting in the Digital World
It may be due to shareholder open letters, consumer demand or both but Apple appears to be making family friendly efforts and hinting that they will be providing more robust features in their parental control options. Hopefully we will see actual iOS improvements in future releases, but for now the new Families page on the Apple website will have to do. iOS […] Read More
Filed in : Device Monitoring, Gaming, Parental Controls
The Parental Controls app for the Nintendo Switch gives parents the ability to oversee their kids gaming activity on the device. But sometimes the global age restriction setting that you are comfortable using for your child may disallow a game that you are comfortable with them playing. The app gives you the ability to whitelist games that are allowed even […] Read More
Filed in : Parental Controls, TV
In the coming months Netflix will be rolling out changes to their parental control options for parents. The PIN system that has been in place will be more robust, allowing parents added control to block specific movies and TV shows rather than by rating level only. In addition, the maturity ratings will be more prominently displayed and be shown in […] Read More
Filed in : Apple, Parental Controls, Parenting in the Digital World
Rene Ritchie, via iMore’s Vector tech podcast, recently looked into the issues of parental controls and screen addiction with iMore’s Georgia Dow, a psychotherapist who contributes to iMore and treats kids with various technology addiction problems. They discuss parents’ responsibilities for protecting their kids by limiting time and setting up restrictions as well as the very real problem of screen […] Read More
Filed in : Filtering, Parental Controls, Products
Netgear was one of the first router manufacturers to incorporate parental controls into their routers. Some of these attempts have been more successful than others, but I applaud their efforts and commitment to keep families safe. Their latest partnership with Circle (detailed SCP post on Circle ) is their most promising effort to date in my opinion. As of now the […] Read More
Filed in : Android, Apple, Filtering, OpenDNS, Parental Controls
OpenDNS should be the first-line of defense for a protected home network. There are many posts already on the SCP website about the benefits and use of OpenDNS. I generally recommend using OpenDNS Home, which gives parents the ability to customize the levels or categories of filtering controls. There are times when that kind of customization is not necessary and […] Read More
Filed in : Parental Controls, Parenting in the Digital World, Pornography Concerns, Uncategorized
In a recent article at Amplify, Alon Schwartz (CEO and co-founder of UnGlue) claims that the concept of parental controls is “the biggest parenting mistake in modern history”. As a big proponent of parental control products, I have to take serious issue with his claim. The point he is trying to make is that parental controls do not allow the […] Read More
