How to Setup and Use iPad Parental Controls?

Part 1. How to Setup iPad Restrictions?

Step 1: Go to Settings>General>Restrictions. Then look for the “Enable Restrictions” tab and click on it.

Step 2: You will be asked to put in a 4-digit passcode and then enter it for a second time. You must make sure that this is a number that you will remember and one that the children cannot guess; do not use birthdays, since they will get those. Parental control s for iPad need to be secure since children are technologically savvy nowadays.

Part 2. How to Restrict Content on iPad?

iPads that have iOS 7 and above are able to filter the content that a child will have access to when using the device. This is a useful parental control iPad feature since it ensures that appropriate content is all that your child gets to see, read or listen to.

Step 1. Go to Settings>General>Restrictions, and once again tap on the “Enable Restrictions” tab. After putting in the passcode, you will get a list of all the content that is allowed on the device.

Step 2. Scroll down to any of the content that you would like to restrict and then click on it. Look at “Websites” tab as an example.

Step 3. You can decide to limit All Websites, Limit Adult Content, or Specific Websites Only, where you will have to manually put in the web address of the websites to restrict.

Part 3. How to Restrict Apps on iPad?

Step 1. Go to Settings>General>Restrictions, and once again tap on the “Enable Restrictions” tab. After putting in the passcode, you will get a list of all the content that is allowed on the device. On the list, go to the “Apps” tab so you can see all the apps that are on the iPad.

Step 2. Next to each tab, there is a toggle button; click on the buttons for apps that you want to restrict to toggle them “Off”.

Step 3. Go Further and restrict apps according to age ratings. They are all enabled by default so simply tap on the rating to disable it.

Part 4. How to Set Time Limits with Guided Access?

Guided Access is a feature that is fund on iOS; “Time Limit” was added to Guided Access as one of the iPad parental controls that limit how much time a child can spend on the device. Here is how to go about setting up this feature.

Step 1. Enable Guided Access by going to Settings>General>Accessibility. Under “Learning”, enable the “Guided Access” tab.

Step 2. On The Guided Access Page, toggle it on and then set a passcode for the time limit. You can also use the “Touch ID” option so you can use your fingerprint if you do not want to have a passcode.

Step 3. Tap on Time Limits option, and then set up the time limit sounds. This lets a sound play when the time limit is over. You can also have the time limit spoken, when you enable the “Speak” option. If 30 seconds are left, the iPad will speak, letting you know that 30 seconds are remaining.

Step 4. Now you can set a time limit for an app, by clicking on the “Home” button three times, and the Guided Access will be enabled. On the bottom left corner, you will be able to set the time the device should be on. Click on the “Done” and tap the “Start” option and the iPad will go into the Guided Access mode for the time that you have set.

Part 5. Three Best iPad Parental Control Apps

There are third party apps that are used to set iPad parental controls and limit the apps content and websites that children can get access to. Here are three of the best.

5.1 Spyzie

Spyzie is another iPad parental control utility that keeps children away from harmful content. Here are some of the key features.

• Monitor whatsapp – you can monitor how you kid use whatsapp on the iPad.
• Read text messages – you can see all messages that the child is receiving and sending
• View & download photos – you can view and download photos stored on the iPad.
• Monitor Internet activity – you can find out which websites the child is visiting
• Apps – you can check the apps installed on your child's iPad.

Pros of Spyzie

• Variety of features – Spyzie has a very comprehensive set of features allowing you to control and monitor how the child uses the iPad
• No need to jailbreak the monitored iPad.

Cons of Spyzie

• Not able to read instant messages from all major SNS apps.

Price: $9.99 per month

5.2 Mobicip

Mobicip is a one of the third party parental controls for iPad apps. You can sign up for a free Mobicip account once the app is installed. The key features include

• Different content filtering levels – you can filter the content based on a child’s age. You can choose the Monitor, Strict, Moderate or Mature levels. With Monitor, content will not be filtered, but a record of online activity will be logged.
• Time Limits – You can set the day and time that activity on the iPad will be limited. The limits that you set will be used for the whole week.

Pros of Mobicip

• Configure and manage online activity
• You can put child profiles on several devices
• The content filter is very powerful
• You can schedule Internet Access for the whole week

Cons of Mobicip

• There are no real-time parental notifications of use
• You cannot set the limit on Internet use
• The initial configuration can be difficult

Price: Free for Basic Editions and $39.99/year for Premium Edition

5.3 uknowkids

uKnowkids is another parental control iPad app that is quickly gaining popularity. Here are some of the main features

• Easy to start – you online need your credit card data to start a trial of the app
• Email notifications – should your child go to risky sites, you get a notification of this activity via email
• Online Launchpad – you can see the tracking data on any Internet enabled device or computer
• Activity feed – you can get a feed from all tracked sources.
• Social network scans – uKnowkids will track your child’s activity on all social network sites
• Family locator – this feature uses GPS tracking to let you know where the child is at any given moment

Pros of uKnowkids

• Very comprehensive iOS support
• Social media tracking and also tracking of device use
• Notification of risky sites visited, and also shows where the child is
• It can find hidden social media account

Cons of uKnowkids

• The GPS feature can be difficult to use at times.

Price: $10 per month or $100 per year