My mother has planned to get a smartphone for my 7yo sister, and i’d like some tips in setting it to block certain websites and apps.
So what i’d like to know is if it’s possible and how to do it, i’d like to block social media and the usual expected sorts of websites.
She’ll probably get a Samsung since that’s the only smartphone that isn’t iPhone.
I assume you have already looked at this, but here is a good starting point:
Thanks.
The web browser looks interesting there, but they also want open access to the play store.
They don’t really want any limitation on the phone, “it’s not like something bad could happen”.
is there a way to block the install of certain apps in the play store perhaps ?
there’s also the issue with malicious apps and the like.
If you’ve got any tips, just throw them at me.
For Android.
I set private DNS Free DNS Filtering | Block Online Porn with CleanBrowsing and then block access to settings with timelimit app TimeLimit.
I even set this for myself and give the password away so I can’t install anything distracting or go to a porn site.
From my perspective it’s almost always better to do a whitelist of a device you need to control, than a blacklist. This means you need to approve everything, but for a kid of 7, I think this is appropriate.
Free access to Play Store is not the best idea, as there are both malicious apps and micropayments galore in there. It’s only a matter of time before your kid accidentally burns a couple of hundred bucks on hats.
That does seem interesting for the web browsing side, i can’t really get along with the whole subscription side though, would rather have a one time payment to avoid having my card on it, and my mother surely won’t pay for it.
I agree with you there, i don’t want her to have a smartphone at all yet frankly.
the biggest issue is that they’re more or less buying her a smartphone so she can download from the appstore.
i live quite a bit from home as i’m four times her age, so i can’t actively control anything regarding her phone.
They’ve got the idea that smartphones will protect you from everything bad on the internet, and will not listen to any opinion to the contrary.
There are a lot of reasons to hate Apple or to simply choose the alternative. But parental controls work pretty well out of the box on iPhones/iPads.
Few technical issues, mostly parenting issues, raising my toddlers into internet savvy teenagers. Yes, it works best if everyone in the family has Apple devices (sigh).
Apple devices, while overpriced in general, can be had more reasonably priced on the second hand market. Still more of a premium solution, though.
The reason i suspect she’ll get a Samsung is that they want to buy a new phone for up to 200 dollars.
i did think about iPhone as well, but they’re just too expensive, especially as the phone has to be new.
The best i can do now is to find some sort of passive “set-and-forget” solution that doesn’t change the functionality too much.
And then i have to convince them to actually use it of course.
So I have five kids with devices - on both sides of the aisle - and I firmly prefer Android, actually.
It’s a little bit of hassle at first to set up accounts with supervision with Family Link (which is Google’s built-in Android controls, so it works on everything) but it’s basically just setting a Google account to be supervised, confirming a couple times, and then you get an app on your phone where you can control virtually everything.
You don’t have to completely block the Play store, you can require everything to need approval, it sends a notification to your phone and you can approve or deny as needed.
Then you can give time limits for individual apps or block them if you change your mind, full-lockdown bedtimes, look at their app usage, etc.
In my opinion, just give the web browser a very short time limit to where they can look something up but not just wander into the weeds and you’re fine.
I don’t pay a dime.
The Cleanbrowsing DNS has public DNS over TLS, the subscribtion is when you need more control over the DNS.
It’s not obvious from the site as they want to earn money.
tbh 7 years old is to young. better to get her a dumb phone instead.
why?.
even with all the parental software. kids are not 100% safe.
yes the guys here could do the job of censoring the web… but even they couldnt do 100%…
so yeah, its a big NOPE! thats a mistake waiting to happen from me.
@HEXiT
I live more than 60 miles from them, so i don’t really have a choice in the matter.
As they’ve already decided to give her a smartphone i’d rather just find a way to minimize the damage if possible.
@freed00m
That’s fair, i’ll keep it in mind when the time comes.
I also love confusing marketing.
@Mark-D-Stroyer
The time limit actually seems like a nice idea actually.
I don’t think my mother is going to like having to approve the apps or anything like that sadly, and i don’t even live nearby so i can’t really do it either.
We’re talking about people that barely know what internet is, sadly.
then theres not a lot you can do…
if you put software on that the parents cant work then it will be zero help as they will turn it off.
which means locking it down like its a server in norad isnt an option as like i said “um dis hard, nope, click.”
all you can really do and this one sux as an uncle older brother, is let her parents learn the hard way.
after all its them that she will be ignoring at the dinner table.
It’s a bit harder to emotionally disconnect from the whole thing as she’s my sister, the age difference is huge as i’m over 30 though.
But i might just have to “get with the times” as i’ve been told when i’ve spoken to them about this.
I’ll still look around if there is a passive solution to the whole app issue, though.
sorry bud, thought you meant your sisters kid… my bad.
Np, she’s also been mistaken as my kid sometimes, even though i dont have any kids.
It’s Google’s cloud, you can do all the approval an management literally wherever, you don’t need to handle the actual device.
Weii, i don’t currently have a smartphone, and my future smartphone will me degoogled and such.
And i’d rather the parents she’s living with is controlling her phone use rather than me as well.
It’s a bit of an annoying situation if i’m honest.
Agree with most above here… Any expectations of a “set and forget” solution will fall apart within a month or two.
As with all things parenting, it is a balancing act and giving the child an all-but-unlocked smartphone is like the digital equivalent of sending your kid downtown on the subway to get their dress cleaned by your favorite dry cleaners firm. Maybe it will be allright, but is it really worth that risk?
And yeah, I know you are not the person that needs to be convinced. I agree your parents are being ignorant borderline to the point of negligence. But there really is nothing to do here, sadly… Unless you want to call Child Services, and let’s be honest, even if you do that, and even if the child services understand the implications, it’s quite possible no actions will be taken there either and now you will be on an even worse footing with your parents.
So, just give them the rope to hang themselves with here. 