On Safer Internet Day, February 7, Apple has shared 8 useful tools on iOS 16 and resources to ensure children’s online safety.
Like many walks of life, education has been digitalized over the years which has put smartphones, tablets, and computers in children’s hands as young as 3 years old. Therefore, it is imperative to monitor and manage children’s screen time to keep them safe online from predators, bullies, social media pressures, CSAM, and other dangers.
Here is how parents, guardians, and teachers can manage their children’s Apple devices
In recognition of this day, the tech giant listed all ways parents, teachers, and guardians can protect their children’s safety and privacy.
- Improved Family Sharing feature on iOS to put parental controls.
- Family Checklist offers tips and reminders to update a child’s settings.
- Screen Time feature shows weekly reports on children’s activity and allows parents, and guardians to set limits on time spent on the device and apps.
- Downtime feature blocks apps and notifications at certain hours of the day.
- Communication Limits allow parents to select the people their children can communicate with.
- Through Content & Privacy Restrictions in Screen Time, parental controls can be used to block or limit specific apps and features like restricting the settings for explicit content, purchases, downloads, and more.
- On the App Store parent can set the following restrictions:
- Download age-appropriate apps
- Ask to Buy to seek parents’ or guardians’ approval to purchase and download apps.
- In the Made for Kids section, the company requires every app to protect children’s data and prevent age-inappropriate advertising.
- Enable Communication Safety for the Messages app to protect children from receiving and sending explicit content like nude pictures.
- The “Your Kids and Their Devices” free class is available online in 500 Apple locations worldwide. The focus of the class is to educate adults about the latest features on iPhone and iPad, including Family Sharing, Screen Time, App Limits, and more to empower adults to better manage children’s devices and protect their safety online
- Educators can participate in tailored sessions designed for the members of the Apple Education Community to offer useful insights into how teachers can protect and educate children on internet safety.
Users can read about the above-mentioned features in detail on the company’s dedicated page for families. The company’s director of User Privacy, Erik Neuenschwander said;
“At Apple, our goal is to provide people with technology that not only improves and enriches their lives, but also helps them stay safe online. We’re proud to be an official supporter of Safer Internet Day in Europe — and we’ll keep innovating every day to empower people to protect their families online.”
Will Gardner, the UK Safer Internet Centre’s director said:
“Safer Internet Day provides the best opportunity in the year to promote safe and responsible use of technology. The success of the day lies in the huge collaboration that takes place, with thousands of organisations getting involved to promote key messages and provide information and resources. The support of companies like Apple is important for this, as resources like its online hub for families help to provide information and tools to support the safety of children and young people online.”
