Kid Safe Browsing on iPad, iPhones, iPods

Question

Level 1

8 points

Kid Safe Browsing on iPad, iPhones, iPods

Safe browsing is currently not possible... We use mobicip on all our devices, which blocks whatever you want and works great. Then we go into settings and block safari and youtube and also block explicit songs, videos, tv shows. We also limit app downloads to age rated 10+.

But here's the deal: These devices will not be safe for kids as long as Apple allows GOOGLE a 4+ age rating on their mobile app. There is absolutely no way to block unrestricted search and browsing from within the GOOGLE mobile app. You can click safe search, but there is no way to lock that preference from the settings->restrictions screen.

GOOGLE mobile app needs to be rated 17+ until this is resolved.

iMacs, iBooks, iPods, iPad, iPhones

Posted on Sep 1, 2010 7:45 AM

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Answer 1

Tamara

Level 6

13,738 points

Sep 1, 2010 7:47 AM in response to iParent2

Sounds like you ought to delete the Google app if you feel it is not appropriate. The rating on the app is accurate because the app itself does not contain anything inappropriate.

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Answer 2

iParent2 Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 1, 2010 8:00 AM in response to Tamara

The app store also offers more than 50 other "private" browsers that keep no web history and allows unrestricted browsing. There is no inappropriate content within any of those apps either, yet they are ALL rated 17+.

I see no difference between them and the GOOGLE mobile app.

Yes, I can block all app purchases and downloads, including the google app, but if the age ratings were correct I would not need to resort to even further draconian measures to at least attempt to keep inappropriate content of our devices.

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Answer 3

varjak paw

Level 10

170,200 points

Sep 1, 2010 8:17 AM in response to iParent2

The rating may be by agreement between Apple and Google. I would suggest you send them both feedback on the matter:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html

http://productideas.appspot.com/

For now, other than removing the Google Mobile app and not allowing your children to install apps without your approval, there isn't a solution for this issue.

Regards.

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Answer 4

Nov 5, 2010 4:45 PM in response to iParent2

This is another case to prove my point. Control of the "Networking traffic" must be controlled. I'm trying to learn how to VPN into my home-stationed UTM and control all outgoing and incoming packets. No such luck getting that help so far, but it seems that this would solve your problem better than even the software on his computer could. URL blocking via the central UTM.

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Answer 5

eli17

Level 1

0 points

May 4, 2011 10:16 PM in response to iParent2

thats not the only problem.(google)if u get a app with its own browser its going to avoid the filter.lets say k9 filter in will only fully protect the ipad from going on bad sites(not kids sites)if apple will installa fillter on the ipads opreathing system!!😟

i hope apple one day will put on like parental controls on the ipad iphone itouch🙂

sorry for mispelling anything,

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Answer 6

gdgmacguy

Level 7

21,885 points

May 5, 2011 8:04 AM in response to iParent2

Any device that accesses the internet, just like a computer poses dangers to children.

Perhaps the answer isn't for Apple to somehow allow for safe browsing, but rather it is up to the parents to properly supervise their children. Children should be supervised while browsing the internet on a home computer, even with parental controls activated (children are quite expert at deactivating these), and shouldn't be using iOS devises unsupervised.

If you're not old enough to browse the internet unsupervised, you shouldn't be given iOS devices to be used unsupervised.

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Answer 7

varjak paw

Level 10

170,200 points

May 5, 2011 9:27 AM in response to gdgmacguy

Folks, this thread is from a number of months ago, so posting further comments, particularly nontechnical ones (offering parental advice usually just sparks an argument) probably won't be of much if any help to the OP who it appears has not been back since September.

Regards.

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