Parental Control/Game time limiter

Your right I just checked that sorry. Try and see what os your running by going to info under general. Then if it's not running on iOS 4.3+ you won't have game center at all. Really I'd say the solution at this point is getting him an iPod nano and getting rid of the touch if you want him to stop playing games on it.

I edited my reply before your's....

We did get a nano for listening to music at night so we can take away devices, but my problem is that there is a lot I'd like her to have limited access to during the day. This all or nothing or constant monitoring need not be the only answers.

25 years ago, all or nothing was the answer: you either let your kid watch TV or not.

However, the iPod Touch and iPad are digital devices with relatively unlimited ability to customize. Again, as a developer I can say with complete confidence that the solution here is trivial. It doesn't take high-level engineering. It doesn't take vast resources. An average programmer could create a parental control app with basic functionality in a month.

This is an Apple problem, not a parenting problem.

We use a B.O.B. for our TV/Videogaming devices. Works beautifully and worth every penny. Apple's products are much more complex, however. There is so much good mixed in with the risky that all of the solutions listed are inadequate.

Here's an idea: take the Touch for yourself, and buy him an iPod Nano. Let him use your MacBook Pro when he needs Wikipedia, and he'll soon bore himself with the two or three games on the Nano. Have him sync the Nano to your computer so that you can regulate what content he absorbs.

By the way, if you could download an app that shut down the games, all he would have to do is delete it, or re-sync it to his computer, if he has one. There are more ways of getting rid of such content controllers than adding content controllers.

What about this?

http://www.bitworks-engineering.co.uk/Apps/TimeLock_App/Welcome.html

I've been using TimLock and it was useful over our vacation. She is smart enough to figure out that all she has to do is turn off the notifications, so I warned her that if she did, the device would be taken away. Well, she held out for a few weeks and then got too overwhelmed with temptation to continue texting a friend and check comments on her art one night. I came in and saw that the devices were on and that the notifications weren't popping up.

Turning off notifcations for TimeLock is too easy. There may be a way around ANY controls, Connerdly, but if the workaround to employ and set the device back to, it is less likely to be attempted by children who really do want to obey but are just having a hard time controlling impulses.

Devices have been taken away until I can set them up with extreme restriction again using Open DNS and removing apps and ability to download apps.

Again, Connerdy, there are many useful apps that I would like my daughter to have free access to, as would the OP. These are creative/productivity apps and music. Much of the work being assigned now in high school relies heavily on the internet. Without Apple's cooperation, it is a problem purchasing these devices for any child with a propensity toward media addiction. My older son has no problem at all self-regulating with his devices and I just wish there was a better way to let my daughter be free to use hers.

I agree with HollyJams July 12 9:28am post. It is my opinion that Apple is deliberately not giving us parental controls. FOr the record most all programs referenced here thru Sept 1 2012 (timelock and game time limit) are not reputable firms. A firm called netnanny is supposed to be coming out with a product. I use netnanny on both my pcs and macs and their software is very smart. Their website shows ios coming soon of course it has said that for 1 year. I imagine that Apple is blocking the root level access needed for these progams to succeed with the features we all want. The fact that I can add parental controls to a 2001 operating system (windows xp) with time limits and other restrictions but I cannot with a 2012 handheld device is unacceptable for my view on Apple in this area. I respect Apple limits/blocks adult oriented apps in their app store. That shows they are pro kids in one aspect but not pro parent in the area of parental time limits. It would be nice to have granuale parental controls such as number of texts allowed out per day, number of hours on specific category apps (ex: 2 hours education apps: 1 hour gaming), times of day phone can access wifi. Yes you can control your router in this aspect but in a lot of areas (such as apartments) kids can just access another router. The device should have admin and user based access like the mac and pc os does, my kid should not be able to connect to an unsecure wifi signal without my consent of entering a passcode. If they connect to another wif signal they are than off my parental controls built in the router and off my time limits built in the router. Apple is going to have to expand their parental controls is the bottomline. I also thought for 4 to 8 year olds, making it so that mom and dad are the only ones allowed to charge it and there being an app that would allow a certain percentage of battery, say 30%. This for ipod and no service iphone users a way to manage time limits. If your kids did their chores they would get 60% battery and again the family rule would be no one but mom and dad has the right to plug in the device for power. Once the battery drained the device was set put on charger by Mom and Dad and programmed with the battery level for the next day. The fact that these devices have 10 hour battery lifes contributes to the problem. I just think Apple could make it easier for parents than having to track it other ways. I would also love if Apple had usage statistics, where a parent can review what apps and number of hours the kid was in for a duration say 7 days. If the child was in primarily education apps the parental controls may not be as necessary as for a child that is hooked on one game.

My children know our rule that is they must create on the ipad/iphone equal to the amount they play/watch on it. Therefore yes I can monitor as I pass by them if they are in games/video apps more than half my checking than something is wrong. My daughter is on the ipad 6 hours on the weekend and most of that is creating movies in imovie. Why would I want to stop that, again some usage statistics would be nice so parents at a minimum could at least go back and see amount of time a child was in an app. This type of feature is available for pcs and macs using spectorpro software, it monitors what the user is working on in, not the background windows. ios is a fairly mature product and really needs to catch up to pc and mac for parental controls, usage reports, time restrictions, etc.

if only...

Horrible parent here, looking for Ipod Touch parental controls. I always get a laugh when I read the "Holier Than Thou" parents' comments when it comes to limiting technology through the use of phone apps and cell carrier products. Hat's off to the perfect parents that don't need this technology, although they're often the same ones saying "not my Johnny/Jenny."

If you're a parent that isn't looking for these products, then your head is in the sand. Rewind back to when we were growing up. Did our parents give us restrictions? Yes. Did we break the rules and do things behind their backs? Yep, cause that's what kids do. Does that mean our parents were slack, or bad parents?. Sure, some are/were.

So I'd say any parent on here looking for help are the ones showing responsibility. Save the condescending comments for the ones that allow free rein and cross their fingers...or don't give a crap.

So, anyone found any good time limit controls for an Ipod Touch?

There are no good iPod Touch parental controls, other than what comes stock with the device and is baked into Settings.

The reason for this is two-fold:

1. Apple offers little in the form of parental control via its system software. You can restrict access to applications (YouTube, Safari, etc.) but there is no gray area.

2. Apple heavily restricts third-party development of software that could strongly limit web browsing functionality or things that could control the operating system (such as a timer, a logging method, etc.)

As I have noted multiple times, if you want this to change, then complain to Apple loudly and often. Otherwise, you will have to live with what is currently offered.

Nevermind, I realized I just repeated myself from an earlier post.

Try this app

http://www.mobicip.com/

We use it on my son's phone. It might not answer all your issues, but it is better than the aps out there.

I think that this site is to help provide answers about technology, not to comment on the parenting of people you haven't met.