Joe Felice

Q: Creating kids accounts for kids aged 13

Merry Christmas everyone!

 

So, we bought our two older kids an iPod Touch 5 for Christmas and decided they were now old enough (aged 13 and 14) to have some control over their own devices and iTunes content.

 

Up until now I've just used my personal Apple ID for all their devices (iPads and iPods) and have used restrictions to manage things by linking their email addresses to my Apple ID. Since the advent of "family sharing" I decided to create kids accounts for them. However, whenever I try to do this it keeps changing the date of birth I enter, presumably because they're already 13 and older.

 

So, is Apple seriously saying I can't create a kids account for my kids because at the age of 13 they're no longer kids?!?!

 

Is there any way around this? I would just enter a false D.O.B. and change it later, but am led to believe that this won't be possible (at least based on Apple's support material).

 

Any suggestions would be most welcome!

 

Thank you!

 

Joe.

Posted on Dec 25, 2014 2:00 AM

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Q: Creating kids accounts for kids aged 13

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  • by Chris CA,

    Chris CA Chris CA Dec 25, 2014 6:02 AM in response to Joe Felice
    Level 9 (79,584 points)
    iPhone
    Dec 25, 2014 6:02 AM in response to Joe Felice

    decided they were now old enough (aged 13 and 14) to have some control over their own devices and iTunes content.

    Aren’t they now old enough to have their own account?

    Why are you trying to create a kids account for them?

  • by Joe Felice,

    Joe Felice Joe Felice Dec 25, 2014 11:41 AM in response to Chris CA
    Level 2 (166 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 25, 2014 11:41 AM in response to Chris CA

    Hi Chris

     

    Merry Christmas and thanks for your reply, and I do appreciate you taking the time to respond. However, with all due respect, in reference to your first question I wasn't asking for parenting advice.

     

     

     

    But if you were asking your second question because you felt I could achieve what I want by allowing them to have their own account, then perhaps we can work through that. Up until now I've been using my Apple ID on all their devices and linking their email addresses to my ID so that they could send/receive iMessages and use FaceTime on their devices. I used restrictions to manage their content, privacy settings etc and disable app (or in-app) purchases by instantly requiring my password. I saw going to a "kids account" as a progression for them so they didn't need to wait for me or my wife to enter our password on their device for purchases, but instead use the "ask to buy" feature.

     

    Anyway, I don't really see any other way to achieve the same thing. Sure, they could have their own Apple IDs, but they don't have jobs (let alone a credit card, etc) so we'd have to attach one of our credit cards and pretty much manage things exactly as we are now, which doesn't make it any more convenient.

     

    I suppose I could get around the credit card requirement by creating accounts for them by purchasing a "free app" to get it activated and then just load credit with iTunes gift cards, but this approach doesn't really achieve much more than what we've already been doing.

     

    I could also just create accounts for them (as above) and do the whole Family Sharing thing and turn on Ask to Buy, and this probably achieves exactly what I wanted. But I figured children aged 13 and 14 were basically still kids, albeit older ones, and that I should have been able to just do what we wanted by creating kids accounts.

     

    So, do you have any other suggestions, or is my last approach really my only option?

     

    Thanks.

     

    Joe.

  • by Chris CA,Helpful

    Chris CA Chris CA Dec 25, 2014 10:04 PM in response to Joe Felice
    Level 9 (79,584 points)
    iPhone
    Dec 25, 2014 10:04 PM in response to Joe Felice

    Joe Felice wrote:

    However, with all due respect, in reference to your first question I wasn't asking for parenting advice.

    and I wasn’t giving any. You want them to have some control but you did not explain how much control or control over what. (seems it is $$ and that’s simple to deal with)

    You did post a mixed message. I was in no way questioning your parental skills/abilities/intentions.

    Sure, they could have their own Apple IDs, but they don't have jobs (let alone a credit card, etc) so we'd have to attach one of our credit cards

    You don’t have to attach credit card or any payment to an iTunes account.

    -> Create an iTunes Store, App Store, or iBooks Store account without a credit card or other payment method - Apple Suppor…

    Or just add a CC, create the account then immediately remove the CC.

    -> Change or remove your payment information from your iTunes Store account (Apple ID) - Apple Support

     

    You can give them gift cards to add to their accounts or set up an allowance.

    -> Set up and manage iTunes Allowance - Apple Support

     

    FYI: With Family Sharing, you can turn on Ask to Buy for anyone under 18, not only for a childs account.

    -> Request and make purchases with Ask to Buy - Apple Support

    It is turned on by default for iTunes accounts for children under age 13 but can be also be turned on for those 18 & under.

  • by Joe Felice,

    Joe Felice Joe Felice Dec 26, 2014 3:27 AM in response to Chris CA
    Level 2 (166 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 26, 2014 3:27 AM in response to Chris CA

    Thanks Chris for your advice and links.

     

    I've gone ahead and created two new Apple IDs for the kids (one each). I've enabled restrictions on their iPods and have activated Family Sharing and the Ask to Buy feature.

     

    I've tested their iPods and this scenario seems to work well. However, I do have two questions that I'm hoping you or someone else can answer:

     

    1. If the kids add credit to their accounts from an iTunes Gift Card and then go to purchase an app, will I still get the request for them to make the purchase or is using a gift card a way to circumvent the Ask to Buy feature? (For me the "Ask to Buy" feature is not just about controlling the $$ side of things).
    2. If the kids want to download a previously downloaded item (be it an app, music, movie etc) shared by me through family sharing, will they be able to download it if it exceeds the restrictions I have imposed? For example, if I have restricted Apps to the 12+ age group, will they still see my purchased apps in the 17+ age group? And, if so, will they be able to download them because there's no reason to "ask to buy" since it's already being shared via Family Sharing? Or will the restriction kick in and prevent the kids downloading them anyway.

     

    Thanks for any input on this.

     

    Joe.

  • by Chris CA,

    Chris CA Chris CA Dec 26, 2014 6:10 AM in response to Joe Felice
    Level 9 (79,584 points)
    iPhone
    Dec 26, 2014 6:10 AM in response to Joe Felice

    Dont know for sure on these...

    1 - It looks like Ask To Buy will still be required, even if they have credit on their account.

    -> Family purchases and payments - Apple Support

    2 - It looks like they will still be restricted.

    -> iOS: Understanding Restrictions (parental controls) - Apple Support

     

    If you find they are not, send suggestions here -> http://www.apple.com/feedback/