In the 2000s parents worried that their child spent days on end behind a monitor screen and visited non-child sites. The current decade poses more complex challenges. Dependence and dangerous angles of the Internet, which were relevant the same five or ten years ago, are still relevant, but with the development of new technologies, another headache has been added - mobile gadgets.
And if earlier it was possible to push the child out into the street and have no doubt that he was running around with friends somewhere and not watching cartoons, then today's realities cannot give such a guarantee. The modern mobile market does not tire of supplying us with tablets and smartphones, so the child can easily sit somewhere on a bench and continue to search “Naruto” or “Smesharikov” instead of chasing the ball on the football field. And it’s good if it is limited to cartoons, and not something worse.
Let’s try to figure out how to set parental control on mobile devices running the Android platform and which utility to use to make gadgets the safest in the hands of children.
Basic operating system features
Tablets and smartphones running Android version 4.3 and higher already have built-in capabilities that can limit children's access to unwanted information. In order to enable parental control on Android, just create a new profile in the Users menu, where you can specify the necessary restrictions.
Parents in this case can independently block access to the list of "dangerous" applications, as well as prohibit any in-game purchases. The child has the opportunity to customize the appearance of the screen, play games, view photo and video materials. If the need for data protection is gone, then the functionality is easily disabled by simply deleting the profile - keep this in mind before removing parental control.
This method of protection can be called the least effective, so it is better to use third-party applications that operate more selectively and accurately.
Play pad
Parental controls on Android can be set using the Play Pad utility. It allows you to distribute all available software in the operating system into four categories that you can work with separately.
Categories:
- games;
- knowledge base;
- development;
- other software.
Parental controls on a tablet or smartphone can be set for each of these categories, as well as for individual applications. Moreover, protection can be set both at the onset of a certain time (sleep, lessons), and in duration.
Parental controls on the Android from Play Pad provide complete statistics on the use of the gadget, so mom or dad will know what their child is interested in. In addition, the software is equipped with a search function, that is, parents can always track the movement of their beloved child.
Xoolo App Kids: Parental control
This software, by and large, is more a launcher than a separate application. Therefore, for the correct operation, it is necessary to assign the program to autorun so that the parental control on Android starts to operate with the appearance of the boot logo.
At the first start, parents will need to come up with a four-digit code that is needed to work with the menu and other application settings. The purpose of this software is to carry out parental control on Android by hiding absolutely all installed programs. Mom and Dad will decide for themselves which applications can be given access to their child.
Timeway
Unlike previous programs, which are mainly focused on preschool children, this software is suitable for monitoring school-age children who actively use both a smartphone and a tablet. A feature of this application is the mandatory installation both on the child’s gadget and on any device of the parent, from which, in fact, the very control will be carried out.
Using TimeEway and using remote access, you can set limits and criteria for the inactivity of a tablet or smartphone, indicate restrictions on the use of each individual program, and send instructions (in full screen) when to take a break.
Software Features
In addition, if an urgent need arises, you can instantly and completely disable all the functions of a mobile gadget. Also, parents have the opportunity to track the location of their offspring on Google Maps and collect detailed statistics regarding the use of the device. You can turn off protection, as well as enable it with “one button”, the main thing is to block access to the TimeAway application itself on the child’s gadget, otherwise a smart child will simply delete or hide the program and you can’t do anything remotely - you’ll have to personally do anything reinstall. Keep this in mind before removing parental control on a child’s gadget.