How to protect your cherubs when they use an iPhone or an iPad? This is the question that Apple wanted to answer by showing the different cogs of its family mode.
On the occasion of “Safer Internet Day” (Internet Sans Fear in France), which will be held this Tuesday, February 7, Apple would like to remind you of the operation of its tools dedicated to the safety of children using an iPhone, an iPad or a Mac. . Enough to highlight a flight of overly convincing features for worried parents.
The principle is simple, when you configure one of these devices that will be used by a child, you have the option of linking it to your Apple account via the Family device. On their iPhone, the parent can have access to various settings and suggested restrictions adapted to the age of the child.
Family Sharing and Screen Time
Since iOS 16, the family sharing function, which allows families to enjoy Apple services (iCloud+, Apple Music, Apple TV+, etc.) has been modernized. Parents can approve or disapprove the purchase and download of apps, control the time spent on the device, including according to the categories of applications. For example, it is possible to say that games should be limited to 45 minutes, but that educational applications can be used without restriction. The advantage of this categorization is that if the child downloads a new game, for example, it will be encompassed by the category and the filter will be applied automatically.
The firm this Cupertino insists on another asset: the possibility of accessing children’s screen time, with the same weekly reports as for each user. We can therefore see the time spent on each app, but also the number of notifications. It is possible to change some settings on the fly.
Download and Notifications
App download may also be subject to security settings. Parents can select an age range, which means that the child will not be able to download apps beyond the chosen age. If the child wants to download an app of his age, he may also have to ask the parents for permission. Then, they will receive a notification with a link to the App Store sheet to make their decision.
The philosophy of the device is that each time a setting is changed by a parent, whether it is to close access to a game or to reduce the notifications of an app, the child is notified. in good and due form. Once an application has been made inaccessible, the child still has the option of coming back to it for a minute to “finish what he started” without asking permission. If he wants more time, he can ask his parents.
Protection against nudity
Last layer of security put forward by Apple for children, and we are touching here on an excessively sensitive subject, the “Communications Security” feature. Clearly, this is a feature disabled by default, but available on child accounts that are part of a Family Sharing group. This feature allows the Messages application to analyze, on the device, whether the child “receives or attempts to send photos that may contain nudity”. The Apple people who showed us the device heavily insisted that Apple had no access to the data and that it was an on-device analysis.
In the event of content suspected of containing nudity, the image will obviously be grayed out and if the child tries to access it, choices are offered to him, including the possibility of notifying an adult.
For those who would like to deepen these settings dedicated to families, Apple organizes training sessions in the Apple stores entitled “Your children and their devices”. Lasting 60 minutes, they allow you to learn how to use all the aforementioned functions. To register, go to https://apple.co/safer-internet-fr.
Do you use Google News (News in France)? You can follow your favorite media. Follow Frandroid on Google News (and Numerama).