It’s time you gave your little one an iPad of their very own! The whole world, quite literally due to the internet, has now been opened up to them and you need a childproof iPad that can protect them.
It’s easy to make your iPad kid-friendly with these simple steps.
1. Repurposing the Old With a Factory Reset
Perhaps you just got the newest iPad and you’re looking to repurpose your old one for your kid? Giving old hardware to your child minimizes the risk of monetary loss on a brand new iPad.
When repurposing, you need to make your iPad kid-friendly. For that, you’ll need to consider the types of resets available to you and which fits your situation. There are soft resets and factory resets.
A soft reset will fix the misbehavior of the iPad. Sometimes, the iPad’s functionality is a little off. Doing a soft reset will not delete any data or change settings; it is used as a troubleshooting method.
You’ll want to consider using a factory reset iPad to ensure your kids don’t accidentally find and alter old files saved to your iCloud account. A factory reset will restore the iPad to factory settings and erase all data. This also removes the current iCloud account from the iPad.
2. Create an iCloud Account to Restrict Purchases
To prevent all of their files, pictures, and data cluttering your iCloud, it is best to create an iCloud for your little one. This also prevents them from accidentally accessing your files through your iCloud if you leave it active on their device.
When you create the iCloud account and Apple ID for them, do so under iOS’s “Family Sharing” selection. This system takes the initial account, yours, and the credit card associated with it, and puts them in control of purchasing in the iTunes Store, App Store, and iBookstore.
This means you will have control over every purchase so your child doesn’t surprise you with random purchases. This can be done for up to five people.
To double-check it was properly set up, do the following:
- Open “Settings” app
- Click on “iCloud Account”
- Click “Family Sharing”
- Click on child’s “iCloud”
- Enable “Ask to Buy” setting
Now they will only be able to purchase or download apps with your approval.
3. Adjust Restrictions via Passcode
If you want to make your iPad as kid-friendly as possible, you need to restrict what they can and can’t access by using a passcode.
Enabling a “Restrictions” passcode will allow you to adjust what they’re allowed to do, manage what they can watch, ensure safe gaming, and protect their privacy. It is not hard to do this:
- Open “Settings” app
- Click “General”
- Click “Restrictions”
- Click “Enable Restrictions”
- Create a passcode
This passcode will be for you and you only. If you tell your child the passcode, then they can change all the restrictions you just made on the device.
4. Change Their App, Gaming, and Internet Access
Childproofing your iPad is extremely important when it comes to game usage.
In the “General” tab in “Settings,” there is an “Allow” section. Here you can determine a multitude of access abilities they have.
You can restrict what multiplayer games they can play and if they can add friends on that game. You can decide what data they can send on AirDrop or if they can talk on FaceTime. It can also block them from specific types of content they can access on Safari, News, and Podcasts.
You can alter the ratings of content they are allowed access to by using this feature. This is how you can make a kid-friendly iPad in terms of mature and adult content.
5. Protect Their Privacy
The internet can expose communications to your child from potential threats. How do you protect their privacy in a world of open internet communication?
It all comes down to disabling location services and microphone listening. You can disable “Share my location” in the privacy section of the “Settings” app.
When you go into “Settings,” click on “Privacy.” You will find that you can turn off microphone listening on apps you may have previously given the ability to. This can prevent targeted ads and hackers from listening in on their usage.
6. Hide the Settings Apps
You’ve just gone through all the hassle of restricting their use of the iPad and they figure out how to change everything in the “Settings” app! If you put in the time, you might as well make it even more difficult for them and hide the settings app.
You can’t delete the “Settings” app, but you can make a hidden folder. Hold down on the app until “Edit Home Screen” appears.
You can then add fluff apps like weather, calendar, or files app to this folder, and hide the “Settings” app on the last page of the folder. You can hide this folder on the last page of the iPad home screen.
Of course, an older child will probably figure out where it is, but a younger child most likely finds no interest in anything in this folder.
7. Physically Protect the iPad
Chances are, your little one is going to drop the iPad on the way to grab snacks in the kitchen. Even we can be guilty of accidentally dropping our devices and cracking the screen, so why not buy a case to prevent injuries to the device?
Cases can range from $15-50 depending on size, protection, and design. Choose the case depending on your monetary allowances and which is best to create a childproof iPad up to your little one’s standards.
Your Childproof iPad Is Ready to Go
How you restrict their ability to access apps, search the web, and play games all depends on their age and your preferences. With the ability to individually change how your child interacts with content, you can determine what is best to restrict, creating a childproof iPad!
You may hear complaints about not being able to download what they want, but you can worry less about any “accidental” purchases.
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