Lilia2

Q: Parental controls/time restrictions on iPhone

I can safely say that my daughter's iPhone has ruined our lives.  We've had it for five days.  Yes, there are some built-in parental controls, but Apple has blocked anybody from offering a software program that will turn the dang thing off (I'm talking about texting and calling) at a certain time every night.  I have a daughter who is addicted to her phone and the battles are humongous to get her to do anything but text. 

 

There are plenty of good programs with good parental controls for the Android and Blackberry, but thanks Apple for not allowing us as parents to turn the phone off at night.  I know about Mobicip, which is a great company, but they can only turn the internet off, not texting or calling.  When you have a kid who can and will text 5,000 texts a month, we need something that eliminates the battles at home and can automatically turn the thing off when it's bedtime.  We're all losing sleep.  Most parents, when they get an iPhone for their kid, don't realize that Apple, unlike Android, has chosen to place more importance on children's privacy than parent's ability to place restrictions on their kids' phones.  I plan to take the iPhone back and get her an Android.

iPhone 4S, iOS 4.3.3, Time restrictions?

Posted on Mar 27, 2012 7:49 AM

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Q: Parental controls/time restrictions on iPhone

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  • by Lawrence Finch,

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Dec 14, 2015 9:35 AM in response to coxwain
    Level 8 (38,076 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 14, 2015 9:35 AM in response to coxwain

    coxwain wrote:

     


    Another negative nelly.

     

    If you dont have anything helpful to add try keeping it to yourself.'

     

    We have talked about the following

    1. Wireless router time restrictions

    2. Using your mobile carrier to restrict data, sms and time access

    3. Use a firewall to help filter unwanted traffic and set time restrictions

    4. Use 3rd party apps to help limit access to the phone

    5. Use parental controls on the iphone to limit access to the phone

    6. remove the data plan on the phone

     

    There are a lot of options that are helpfull.  I have probably missed a few as well.  This is clearly a big thread and important to a lot of people.  Maybe someone could make a sticky and summarize all the constructive solutions that were put forward?

    Yes, they are all helpful, and none of them constitute a complete solution. Children will find ways around all of them:

    1. Use a public WiFi network. They are everywhere. I can find 3 of them from my home location.

    2. Use home WiFi if available, or public WiFi. Or a neighbor's WiFi.

    3. This is an option, but requires purchasing such a firewall external to the phone, and it still doesn't prevent access via public WiFi.

    4. There are no 3rd party apps that can limit access that do not require jailbreaking, and a jailbroken phone is a much greater threat to your children's safety than anything they can access on their own.

    5. Parental controls do not provide all of the access restrictions requested in this thread.

    6. Again, does not prevent WiFi access, either local or public.

  • by annie3,

    annie3 annie3 Dec 22, 2015 5:24 AM in response to Meg St._Clair
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 22, 2015 5:24 AM in response to Meg St._Clair

    When you restrict your wifi, doesn't it stop you from using it too?  I use it on my computers and tv.  Doesn't it shut it off everywhere during that time?

  • by annie3,

    annie3 annie3 Dec 22, 2015 5:28 AM in response to NoReally
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 22, 2015 5:28 AM in response to NoReally

    How do you block a mac address in part of the house?

  • by coxwain,

    coxwain coxwain Dec 22, 2015 5:31 AM in response to annie3
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 22, 2015 5:31 AM in response to annie3

    I Have 3 wifi routers in my house. 

    one for the kids withe the timer and the other two I can use. 

    i also use opendns.com as a router firewall to filter  inappropriate website content.  This is useful if your children being friends with their devices so that they can't go to inappropriate sites either. 

     

     

    ITs the the apple extreme router I use with time restrictions  

  • by coxwain,

    coxwain coxwain Dec 22, 2015 5:32 AM in response to annie3
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 22, 2015 5:32 AM in response to annie3

    IT would be specific to the wifi router.  So whatever area the router covered you could block that MAC address in that router.  

  • by JakeSherlock,

    JakeSherlock JakeSherlock Dec 28, 2015 7:33 AM in response to Lilia2
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Dec 28, 2015 7:33 AM in response to Lilia2

    ~ Looked for app specific time limits within restrictions. Don't exist.

    ~ Looked for app to control app specific time limits. Apple doesn't allow it.

     

    I am looking for the ability to limit time on specific apps. 2 hours for this, 1 here and 6 over there. That's what I would like to see built into iOS and/or what could be accomplished with something like Norton Family.

     

    Forget txt etc. There is no plan. Forget data. It's all offline content. Ideas anyone? (Besides changing phones.. iTunes purchases etc make this not an option. Not to mention lack of iMessag etc)

     

    My hand it up if the question was asked 'show of hands if we[apple] should add app specific time restrictions and controls?'        

     

    -Jake

  • by Meg St._Clair,

    Meg St._Clair Meg St._Clair Dec 28, 2015 7:38 AM in response to JakeSherlock
    Level 9 (59,201 points)
    iPhone
    Dec 28, 2015 7:38 AM in response to JakeSherlock

    What you want is not currently possible.

     

    If you want Apple to know how you feel, submit feedback here:

     

    http://www.apple.com/feedback

     

    Best of luck.

  • by JakeSherlock,

    JakeSherlock JakeSherlock Dec 28, 2015 7:41 AM in response to Meg St._Clair
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Dec 28, 2015 7:41 AM in response to Meg St._Clair

    Already done! I push for anyone else in this thread to do the same.

     

    -Jake

  • by Poppy2345,

    Poppy2345 Poppy2345 Mar 30, 2016 6:47 AM in response to Lilia2
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mar 30, 2016 6:47 AM in response to Lilia2

    Don't worry about all the negative replies. Those sorts of parents are the ones kids hide things they say or do from.

  • by Lawrence Finch,

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Mar 30, 2016 7:19 AM in response to Poppy2345
    Level 8 (38,076 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 30, 2016 7:19 AM in response to Poppy2345

    Poppy2345 wrote:

     

    Don't worry about all the negative replies. Those sorts of parents are the ones kids hide things they say or do from.

    I'm sure lila's kids have grown quite a bit in the 4 years since she posted the original message.

     

    Anyway, ALL kids hide things they say or do from their parents. And they were doing so thousands of years before there were iPhones.

  • by Meg St._Clair,

    Meg St._Clair Meg St._Clair Mar 30, 2016 8:15 AM in response to Lawrence Finch
    Level 9 (59,201 points)
    iPhone
    Mar 30, 2016 8:15 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

    Lawrence Finch wrote:

     

    Poppy2345 wrote:

     

    Don't worry about all the negative replies. Those sorts of parents are the ones kids hide things they say or do from.

    I'm sure lila's kids have grown quite a bit in the 4 years since she posted the original message.

     

    Anyway, ALL kids hide things they say or do from their parents. And they were doing so thousands of years before there were iPhones.

    Aw, c'mon! As long as the parents avoid confrontation, the kids will share everything with them! They'll be besties!

  • by Lucas Metcalf Tobin,

    Lucas Metcalf Tobin Lucas Metcalf Tobin Apr 17, 2016 11:13 AM in response to ngmach
    Level 1 (19 points)
    Apr 17, 2016 11:13 AM in response to ngmach

    I agree with this, and it's what we are trying.

     

    Kilted Tom, however, has no business being on a support forum if he is going to be name calling and insulting people, especially about their parenting.  There are very different ways one could give suggestions than telling someone to "get a spine" and to stop whining. 

  • by Lawrence Finch,

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Apr 17, 2016 12:32 PM in response to Lucas Metcalf Tobin
    Level 8 (38,076 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 17, 2016 12:32 PM in response to Lucas Metcalf Tobin

    Lucas Metcalf Tobin wrote:

     

    I agree with this, and it's what we are trying.

     

    Kilted Tom, however, has no business being on a support forum if he is going to be name calling and insulting people, especially about their parenting.  There are very different ways one could give suggestions than telling someone to "get a spine" and to stop whining.

    In the 4 years since ngmach posted I'll bet those kids have grown up quite a bit

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