parental controls

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on parental controls:

How to track your kids’ live location with Wondershare FamiSafe

By

Wondershare FamiSafe helps you keep track of your kids.
Wondershare FamiSafe helps you keep track of your kids.
Photo: Artem Podrez@Pexels

This parental control app post is presented by Wondershare.

Do you know what your kids are doing right now? These days, parents typically keep a pretty close eye on their children’s whereabouts and activities. And technology can help you do an even better job of it, thanks to apps like Wondershare FamiSafe.

FamiSafe lets you control kids’ screen time, detect inappropriate content on their devices, and track their locations in real time. In this article, we’ll cover FamiSafe’s benefits with a focus on live location tracking. Because if you don’t know where they are, you can’t keep them safe.

AdGuard is an ad blocker, a VPN and a security app in one — and this deal makes it a steal!

By

Make your internet a safe place for $30.
This unbeatable deal gets you a lifetime subscription to AdGuard for just $30 -- with a bonus!
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

AdGuard combines a potent ad blocker with the best privacy and security features of a virtual private network and a parental-control app. And right now, you can get a lifetime subscription to the AdGuard Family Plan for only $30. Plus, to make this deal even sweeter, it comes with $20 in store credit to spend on other Cult of Mac Deals!

So, basically, 10 bucks for a lifetime of ad-free web browsing with additional privacy and security benefits (and $20 to spend on something else to make your life more joyful and carefree).

Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9’s powerful solutions secure your Mac

By

Mac Premium Bundle X9 protects your computer from online threats with five apps.
Mac Premium Bundle X9 safeguards your precious computer.
Image: Intego

This Mac security post is presented by Intego.

Macs have a reputation for being less vulnerable than PCs to online threats like malware and viruses, but your machine is certainly not invulnerable. Far from it, actually. It can pay to invest in a suite of security apps like those in Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 to protect your Mac from a variety of online threats.

How to lock your Netflix profile with a PIN

By

netflix.logo
Netflix just added a bunch of new profile and parental controls.
Photo: Brad Gibson / Cult of Mac

Netflix finally made it possible to keep your personal profile private from other people using your account with a new update today that lets users create individual pins.

The new feature is part of a larger update that improves on parental controls, allowing content to be filtered based on age and other criteria. If you have kids and don’t want them to have access to your profile and the content on it, or you just got a roommate who always messes up your “Continue Watching” queue, you’ll find the new pin feature to be extra useful.

Peek-a-View lets you safely limit the photos someone can see [Review]

By

Peek-a-View lets you limit a photo album to be view-only.
Peek-a-View lets you limit a photo album to be view-only.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

If you’ve ever found yourself showing other people pictures on your phone, you’ve probably also been trying to micromanage what they can and can’t see. And, if you’re a parent of a young kid, it’s likely that you’ve let your child look through a photo album on your device. In that case, you’ve certainly been worried about their ability to delete or accidentally modify an image.

There are ways to limit what a person — or child — can or can’t get to on your device through the Guided Access settings in iOS. But nothing is as simple as using a new iOS app called Peek-a-View to lock down your photos.

Feds quiz parental control app maker in Apple antitrust investigation

By

Mobicip
Mobicip created screen time limits before Apple did.
Photo: Mobicip

The U.S. Justice Department is reaching out to parental app control companies that may have been affected by Apple’s allegedly anti-competitive App Store practices.

Reuters reported this morning that Suren Ramasubbu, the chief executive developer of Mobicip, was interviewed by US investigators. Mobicip, which allows parents to control what kids access on their iPhones, was kicked out of the App Store last year because it failed to meet new app requirements.

Apple promises to fix big bug in iOS 13’s new parental controls feature

By

iOS-13-Communication-Limits
Communication Limits doesn't work as intended.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

iOS 13.3 dropped this week, bringing a brand-new parental controls feature called Communication Limits. But it comes with a serious flaw that allows kids to bypass any rules set by adults.

Apple says a workaround is available, and it is working on a fix that will be included in a future software update.

iOS 13.3 inches closer to launch with new beta

By

screen time management
iOS 13.3 brings new features to Screentime.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple developers received a fresh batch of new betas for the first time in over two weeks today with new builds of iOS 13.3, tvOS 13.3 and watchOS 6.1.1.

The new iOS 13.3 beta adds a bunch of new bug fixes and performance improvements to go with a couple new feature additions in Screentime for parents.

iOS 13.3 finally lets parents set limits on texting, FaceTime and more

By

Screen Time Communication Limits
Screen Time Communication Limits is a boon to digital parenting.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Parents will soon be able to limit when their children use an iPhone or iPad to talk to their friends, thanks to a long-awaited new Screen Time feature. Communication Limits were supposed to come earlier, they debuted in the first iOS 13.3 beta that launched today.

How to stop your kids from wasting their lives on Apple Arcade

By

screen time apple arcade
Say Sayonara to arguments with your kids.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

New subscription gaming service Apple Arcade is here1, and it looks like an incredible deal. For just $5 per month, everyone in your family gets unlimited access to dozens of exclusive games (with a free month-long trial to check it out). Even better for parents, there are no in-app purchases in Apple Arcade, so your kids won’t be begging you to buy more coins or whatever every five minutes.

However, they can still spend way too much time on games when they should be out playing with kilometer-zero, organic wooden toys, or pretending that old washing machine delivery box is a panic room. Thankfully, Apple’s own Screen Time feature already works with Apple Arcade, so you can restrict access to any and all games.

This tool ensures your kids use their iPhones safely

By

Take control of your kids' devices with FamiSafe.
Take control of your kids' devices with FamiSafe.
Photo: Tim Gouw/Unsplash CC

This post is presented by Wondershare.

It’s 2019, so kids are practically born with a smartphone in their hands. The ability to communicate and access information anywhere is mostly a great thing. But for parents, there are plenty of reasons to be concerned about the content their kids are consuming, or the amount of time they’re spending staring at a screen.

However, with the right app, you can make sure your youngsters stay away from risky videos and websites. In fact, you can even use children’s mobile devices to enhance their safety.

Apple says parental control apps were removed for privacy and security reasons

By

Woman in China temporarily goes blind in one eye after smartphone overuse
Apple introduced its own Screen Time tools with iOS 12.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple has responded to a New York Times report, claiming that it has removed various parental control apps from the App Store. Apple allegedly removed apps which offered similar features to its own Screen Time tool.

In response, Apple confirms that it did remove “several” such apps — but says that this was done due to privacy and security risks.

How to block any website on iPhone and iPad

By

Block websites on iPhone and iPad
Stay OUT!
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

There are probably good reasons to block a website on your own iPhone or iPad, but really, why not just avoid typing its URL? It’s far more likely that you’ll want to block a website on somebody else’s device, probably a child’s. Or perhaps you don’t want your kids to accidentally hit all your bookmarks to porn and gambling sites when they use your iPhone.

Whatever your reasons, here’s how to block any website on your iPhone or iPad.

T-Mobile FamilyMode brings parental control over every device in the house

By

T-Mobile FamilyMode Home Base
The T-Mobile FamilyMode app and Home Base promise control over every Internet-connected device in your house.
Photo: T-Mobile

Parental controls are a hot item. Apple is building them into iOS 12, kid-friendly apps have them, and T-Mobile just unveiled its solution: Family Mode.

This includes iOS and Android apps than can limit what children do online. And the Family Mode Home Base connects to the home Wi-Fi router and lets parents put restrictions on every device in the house.

How to restrict what your kids can watch on YouTube

By

youtube restrictions
Some things are definitely adults-only.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Kids on YouTube are like rats at a food dispenser. Tap, tap, tap, next video please. But unlike the rats, which get “rewarded” with an electric shock or worse, kids just end up surfing the Up Next links until they end up seeing a rat getting shocked, or worse. A more pompous writer would point out here that it’s a parent’s job to monitor their child’s YouTube activity, but actual parents know this isn’t particularly realistic. So how do you stop your kids watching the wrong thing? Let’s see:

How to use age restrictions to protect your kids from adult apps and movies

By

age restrictions
Children were restricted differently in the past.
Photo: Alisha Vargas/Flickr CC

The iPad and iPhone can be great learning tools for kids, just the same as they are for adults (only with more clowns and talking animals). But even if you don’t want to fully lock-down your iPad to restrict what your kids can do, you might want to stop then from downloading adult-oriented apps. That includes violent games, scary books, and dirty movies.

Verizon Smart Family app gives parents new tools

By

Verizon Smart Family
The Verizon Smart Family app is designed to make you a better digital parent.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Verizon’s new service lets parents limit their children’s’ screen time, monitor who they’re texting (and how often), and track their location. 

The Smart Family program also includes content filters, and can even tell a parent how much battery life their child’s phone has left.

How to keep your kids safe on the App Store

By

Parental Controls
Parental Control.
Photo: Alisha Vargas/Flickr CC

Kids love iPhones and iPad, but kids are also experts at doing the exact opposite of what you want them to do. That’s why Apple has built parental controls into iOS, so you can limit the mischief your kids can get up to, and even get notifications if they try to spend your money. Let’s see how you can make the App Store safe for your kids, how to choose what apps they can use, and how to control their in-app purchases.

Circle with Disney is a near-flawless parental control system [Reviews]

By

circle-disney-header
Someone didn't quite think through that Circle is mostly square.
Photo: Circle

I recall at WWDC 2011 when Steve Jobs introduced iCloud he talked about how up until that point, managing and syncing content across devices was driving everybody nuts. You’d take one photo on one device and would have to plug it in and sync it to another device, which would then offer up some of its own photos and meanwhile none of them are even on the third device yet. It truly was an insane world. But in 2016, the new Circle with Disney aims to solve a surprisingly similar problem.

Managing content across devices has gotten much easier, yet managing the people who use those devices has not. Circle is a brand-new product from Disney that wants to unify your family’s entire online experience. It allows you to set time limits for individual family members, block websites based on your child’s age, and even pause Internet access entirely when it’s time to log off.

How to keep kids from checking out bad stuff on Apple TV

By

Keep your kids from watching, buying, or playing anything you don't want them to on Apple TV.
Keep your kids from watching, buying, or playing anything you don't want them to on Apple TV.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Not every Apple TV is in a household full of self-realized adults. Apple knows this and has set up some restrictions, similar to the parental controls on iOS.

That way, you can make sure that your kids aren’t purchasing anything (or playing/watching anything) without your consent.

Here’s how to set it all up on your Apple TV.

Make your Mac safer for your kids

By

Parental control 1
Keep your kids safe with these handy tips!

Keeping your kids safe on your computer is one of the more important things you can focus on as a parent. Mac OS X has a great tool built right in to do just that: Parental Controls.

It’s fairly easy to set up Parental Controls on Mac, but if you need a quick hand at making them work for you, our video will walk you through the process.

Manage Parental Controls For Your Kids’ Mac Remotely [OS X Tips]

By

Remote Parental Controls

Parental controls are a wonderful thing, letting you filter internet content, restrict your kids to certain apps, and even keep them from accessing the Mac during times they should be sleeping or doing homework.

Did you know, then, that you can manage the Parental Controls in OS X from another Mac on your network? This means that you can make changes and add or remove restrictions on the fly from your own Mac, rather than having to brave the bedroom of, say, a grumpy and smelly pre-teen daughter who might not be overjoyed to see you messing about on “her” computer. I mean, hypothetically.

Here’s how to set up your child’s Mac to be able to do this.