SARAH and BO from Tekkie Help take you through the steps of using Apple’s Family Sharing to configure parental control on Apple devices. Besides creating a secure online environment for your children’s online activity, it also effectively maintains screen time limits and healthy habits.
What is Family Sharing?
It’s a feature designed to enhance family connectivity while granting parents control over their children’s digital experience and usage.
Configuring parental control on Apple devices
To begin, open the Settings app on your device and tap your name at the top. Select “Set Up Family Sharing” and follow the prompts to establish a family group. You’ll be able to invite family members and set their roles, such as Parent/Guardian or Child. During the process you will need to set up Apple IDs for children under 13.
Then you will be able to configure parental control on Apple devices for:
- Screen time limits
- App limits
- A downtime schedule
- Purchase control
- Content and privacy restrictions
- Communication limits, including all time access to certain numbers
- Location tracking
Other benefits
Once configured, all family members can take advantage of Family Sharing’s shared iCloud storage, shared purchases, a family calendar and a shared photo album.
Limitations of parental controls
No parental control software will necessarily meet all of your requirements.
For instance, Apple’s Family Sharing controls are across all the child’s devices on the same AppleID. This means that if they have a school device and a mobile, the limits will be across both. A workaround is to set up a different Apple ID for each parental control for Apple devices.
The other limitation is you can’t view search history for browsing. We recommend regular browser history checks or installing a third-party parental control software – Qustodio is a great one.
Further steps to safeguard your children
Education is key: Children should be made aware of the dangers of accessing the internet, social media, email phishing, cyber bullying and so on, as well as the importance of regulating screen time limits for their own wellbeing.
Open and non-judgemental communication: Encourage your children to share their online experiences, both positive and negative. This creates an atmosphere of trust, making it more likely they’ll come to you with any concerns.
Clear boundaries and rules: Set clear and firm boundaries and rules about device usage, and stick to them, such as no device in the bedroom at night. You can also lead by example.
Supervised usage and regular checks: For younger children especially, we recommend supervision of online activity and also to check the device browser history and/or messages on regular occasions.
Retain access to devices and online accounts: We recommend a quid pro quo agreement whereby if your child has online accounts, you know the passwords for their device, email, social media and so on. Instagram and Facebook allow you to set up their accounts on your own device so you can check activity occasionally.
Home network controls: This can be configured to block certain content and help to manage device usage on TVs, Play Stations and other non-Apple devices.
Ask Tekkie Help
If you need help in configuring parental control on Apple devices and/or home network to safeguard and manage your children’s online activity, the team from Tekkie Help can assist by doing it for you. Or, you can attend their Device Safety Training, available as a live online session on 29 May or as a pre-recorded online course.
Book your slot by calling 8113 8682 or visit tekkiehelp.com.
This article first appeared in the May 2024 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase the latest issue or subscribe so you never miss a copy!
Read on for tips on setting up screen time limits from Tekkie Help, as well as setting up seamless wifi connection in your home. Head to our Living in Singapore section for more tips too.
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