iPhone 5 or earlier Found my old iPhone 5!…can I make this a "safe" kids iPod?

[JungleNYC]

First of all I LOVE this form factor. Am I the only one!?!? It makes me really wonder if Apple will/can ever go back to this size. It's surprisingly comfortable to hold, use and read. Obviously my Xs is faster/better, but wow would I love the Xs features (and camera) in a 5 body. Anyways…

My kid is 8 years old. We DO NOT want him to have a "cellphone" yet (despite all the other kids their age that do, ugh). But I love the idea of him being able to use the camera, play a few games, watch some movies, listen to some music, etc.

But I do not want him to be able to surf the internet un-filtered, etc.

Currently I have the WiFi turned OFF, but that causes some Photos, Music issues. Have to manually sync, etc. Which is a pain.

He also doesn't have an Apple ID yet.

Any "strategies" for creating a little creative device for him that is as connected-as-possible, without letting him stumble upon porn?

tia!

 

[Juicy Box]

I feel like I have seen parental controls somewhere in the settings.

First of all I LOVE this form factor. Am I the only one!?!?

Considering all the posts with people stating their love for the SE, I don’t think you are alone.

I personally like the design, but the iPhone 4s was always my favorite.

 

[yukari]

Like a regular iPod that have wi-fi connection, you can't prevent them from surfing the web. There may be some apps that allows parental control. I know iTunes store allow parental control vis the iphone itself, but for web surfing, your best bet may be installing a software that restricts access to certain websites.

 

[JungleNYC]

Like a regular iPod that have wi-fi connection, you can't prevent them from surfing the web. There may be some apps that allows parental control. I know iTunes store allow parental control vis the iphone itself, but for web surfing, your best bet may be installing a software that restricts access to certain websites.

Yeah, this is why I posted here. I was kinda shocked that there's not some sort of native parental controls! I never thought about it BEFORE I was a parent, lol.

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

I don't have kids so I may be talking out of my ass here, but the way I see it if the kids want to see porn they're gonna see porn. You can do everything in your power to restrict access but there's nothing you can do about the kids at school whose parents aren't as cognizant or responsible.

Talk to him. Let him know the responsibility and trust you're bestowing upon him in giving him that sort of access at such a young age. Let him know you'll be checking up and if you see anything unsavory the privilege will be revoked.

All that said, that phone body style is my favorite which is why I purchased an SE as a backup/go out phone. It's always hard to transition back into my XS after using because the added size just seems so unnecessary for my usage case.

 

[JungleNYC]

I don't have kids so I may be talking out of my ass here, but the way I see it if the kids want to see porn they're gonna see porn. You can do everything in your power to restrict access but there's nothing you can do about the kids at school whose parents aren't as cognizant or responsible.

Talk to him. Let him know the responsibility and trust you're bestowing upon him in giving him that sort of access at such a young age. Let him know you'll be checking up and if you see anything unsavory the privilege will be revoked.

All that said, that phone body style is my favorite which is why I purchased an SE as a backup/go out phone. It's always hard to transition back into my XS after using because the added size just seems so unnecessary for my usage case.

Hey, that's actually a great answer from someone who doesn't have kids

I agree. I'm not one of those who's blind about the reality of modern media, and the fact that kids these days are *going* to be exposed to some very adult stuff, way way earlier in life than we were. And time will tell if that's ultimately a good thing or a bad thing.

 

[eyoungren]

Am I missing something?

Settings App. General>Restrictions>Enable Restrictions (set a code)>Website Restrcitions>Choose.

OP, my daughter is 10 and has been using my wife's old iPhone 5 for about two years now. She's had access to tablets and other devices in that time but she didn't fully get her own phone until 8.

However, it has always had restrictions on and it's always been on WIFi. She's never had a functioning SIM and relies on our SyncUP Drives (mobile in-car hotspot devices) in our cars for connections.

I enabled Family Sharing which allowed me to create an Apple ID for her. That keeps the apps she downloads (that have to be approved by me) off my device and gives her the ability to use iMessage to text grandma.

Last Friday she got her first SIM card. But that's only because we now need to get a hold of her. That was the sole reason my son got his own line too. He was 13 when he got that. I limit my daughter's data though, she only has a 2GB line. That is the same as my son who had to prove he was responsible. He went from a 4s to the 5 my daughter has now to his own SE. And now he has a 6GB line because we trust him.

So far all of this has worked for us and we haven't had any problems with our kids.

PS. The screen shot is from my secondary iPhone (an iPhone 5).

 

[maxjohnson2]

Easiest way is to use a family safe DNS server. Whatever web address that is requested need to go through the DNS server. There are lots of them, but you can try AdGuard Family Protection, or OpenDNS Family Shield.

You can set a manual DNS server for each WiFi connection on the iPhone. Tap on the connected WiFi name, scroll down and open "Configure DNS", set it to Manual, and type in the DNS server address you want to use. This is not recommended because it apply to just that single WiFi connection.

Or you can set the safe DNS address in your home router so it will apply to every devices connected.

This can be circumvented depending on how tech smart your kid is. Usually through proxy or VPN, or knowing the exact IP address of the website you want to go to.

My brother use the service "Circle" to monitor his kids devices, it seem to be very comprehensive. "Circle Go" manage devices across all networks, but it's a subscription service.
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Am I missing something?

Settings App. General>Restrictions>Enable Restrictions (set a code)>Website Restrcitions>Choose.

View attachment 823799

I assume this applies to the carrier data, not personal WiFi.

 

[eyoungren]

I assume this applies to the carrier data, not personal WiFi.

It applies to any data.

What would be the point of having it if it only worked on cellular?

 

[now i see it]

Blocking the internet via restrictions isn't going to stop a curious mind. As long as the iPhone can connect to the outside world via iMessage, then friends that have no restrictions will send all kinds of stuff.

A kid doesn't need an iPhone. Sure they want one, but ultimately it's not a good thing to become addicted to Apple so early on in life.
Get them a flip phone.

 

[dontwalkhand]

Blocking the internet via restrictions isn't going to stop a curious mind. As long as the iPhone can connect to the outside world via iMessage, then friends that have no restrictions will send all kinds of stuff.

A kid doesn't need an iPhone. Sure they want one, but ultimately it's not a good thing to become addicted to Apple so early on in life.
Get them a flip phone.

And the helicopter parents emerge.

You could be stifling the next Steve.

 

[turbineseaplane]

First of all I LOVE this form factor. Am I the only one!?!?

(all the SE fans, like myself, furiously raise our hands...)

Nope! You're not alone at all!

We're all here waiting and hoping that Apple won't abandon us forever...