Comments on: iPhone 101: How To Set Up Parental Controls on Your iPhone

By: TC

TC — Sun, 20 May 2012 04:09:54 +0000

Exactly! You haven't missed anything! Even disabling Safari you can circumvent if the users knows how, and access it anyway... Wished I had seen this site two months ago, I would have NEVER agreed to get my son this iPhone... Just the mere act of having one changed him completely.... I guess I will be sitting next to him until Apple resolves this.

By: TC

TC — Sun, 20 May 2012 04:00:07 +0000

Totally agree! So disappointing to discover that this issue has not been addressed by Apple! with the increasing amount of young kids acquiring these technological advances its wild, and so many more parents promoting such phenomenon.... Unfortunately our society is one which leads to such premature exposure... but we have known this already... premature or not, what are the inventors of such technological advances doing about it? They better do something Fast I hope! For how much longer do I have to sit by my son's side every time he uses his new iphone to make sure he's not exposed to any inappropriate material! Or continue to stress our relationship by having him think I don't trust him? Or am I missing something already in place? If not, Apple please help!

By: Sally P

Sally P — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:28:52 +0000

I have read some of the above comments and I am left in a state of confusion! I have disabled safari as the article suggests but then as someone above suggested, I searched for safari and was in straight away! Have I missed something?

By: Preteen parent

Preteen parent — Fri, 18 May 2012 08:43:32 +0000

I have searched on my sons iPhone for ways to block inappropriate content. Can't find a way. Discouraging. However, I told him I get an email that tells me every website he's been to once a week. I obviously do not get this, but for now I think he believes me.... Let's hope anyway! And maybe by the time he realizes it's not the truth, there will be something I can do to block the explicit and inappropriate content that is all too easy to access.

By: iPhone Guy

iPhone Guy — Wed, 09 May 2012 05:10:44 +0000

The only way to completely block every avenue for any sort of graphic content on the iPhone is to disable Safari, youtube, disable installing apps, don't have any other apps installed except for those that are required by apple. The ones you can't disable basically. Then download a browser like covenant eyes or xwatch, which are accountability browsers, not content filters. This is a big difference! The former will email your accountability partners once a week if you have visited any questionable sites. Don't trust the filters, they WONT work for someone who is looking for graphic content. Basically no other apps can be downloaded, because there are always back doors into built in web browsers in most ALL apps that will completely circumvent all of this. The iPhone will basically only be used then for its cell phone, iPod, text messaging, email, camera, notes, misc. utilites, and a web browser that is reporting questionable material. To the app fiend, this may be pretty limited, but with all of these apps, you can do pretty much anything. You can check your facebook or post through twitter through your reporting web browser. Just don't search anything questionable. Trust me, if you must have an iPhone and you are worried about questionable content, this is the ONLY way to do it at the moment.

By: Jon

Jon — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:21:37 +0000

Agreed.

By: computer monitoring

computer monitoring — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 22:10:51 +0000

Are you searching for an application program that will keep close track of your family or spouse on the computer, Youngsters may get in all types of trouble on the web, and husbands and wives can have an affair over the net also. You can find all sorts of programs on the web that can provide you with real-time reporting in regards to what they actually do, I hope this can help.

By: Pappy

Pappy — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:53:19 +0000

Not if they use wifi which is everywhere

By: Algebraofthought

Algebraofthought — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 17:52:00 +0000

Covenant Eyes and other filtering software companies make an Internet browser for the iPhone. If you restrict Safari, this would force the user to go through the filter you setup for Internet access.

By: Dashahervey

Dashahervey — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 22:45:00 +0000

I think you all need to be aware that unless you disable safari your children will not be safe. The restrictions are extremely basic. Try it. Set the restrictions and then type in something graphic. It still pops up. You have to disable safari and by an app that is child safe. I even went to the Apple store and they said there is nothing they can do on Safari for internet safety. They are working on this. I also paid ATT for parent monitoring...still doesn't work.

By: n8isjack

n8isjack — Mon, 02 May 2011 04:58:50 +0000

My kid doesn't need the world. They don't need an iPhone. So they are going to get an iphone with safari and 'add apps' locked. If they want new apps they'll have to come to me. When their older and can buy their own, then they can make their own decisions. But this combination of restrictions appears to be a guaranteed deadlock against bad online content.

By: gregmemsevids

gregmemsevids — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:53:14 +0000

Comrades, why so much emotion?

By: Eddie2ash

Eddie2ash — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:10:24 +0000

I've installed Covenant Eyes browser and had my pastor restrict Safari. Browser is unstable but activity shows on report. What I'm learning is that app like Twitter allows access to loads of porn that doesnt flow through the browser thus xircumventing accountability reporting. Can specific apps be blocked if they haven't been installed?

By: Sergie

Sergie — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 06:49:00 +0000

@Sker

I 100% agree with you. There is no app or option out there than can monitor internet access on the whole iphone and apple has done a very poor job at this. At least they can have it so that in Restrictions you can turn off "Clearing Browser History". I would love a browser that stores web history and sends it to a specific email address every week so that no website is lost through the cracks (because honestly filtered browsers can always be circumvented with niche porn websites that have not been blacklisted).

By: Shannon

Shannon — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 00:14:13 +0000

I resently bought an iPhone for my 15 year old daughter. She has always been responcible and I never expect her to look up ANYTHING she shouldn't. But I wanted to check and see if it would block things from Coming up, and it did. Porn sites, pictures (explict) and other things young men and women shouln't see were blocked. Thanks for the Help!!

By: Kelli

Kelli — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 21:26:46 +0000

I was considering getting an iPhone for my daughter. Like others said, the point of the iphone is to be able to use web & apps. So, not being able to filter via ratings, or SOMETHING, is irresponsible. It's not even thinking your child would seek out porno. Currently, porno is seeking out people. Anyone with hopes of getting someone to pay! Until Apple addresses this issue the way it should be addresses, I won't be buying any iphones for my family!

By: Fran

Fran — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 21:40:02 +0000

I tried the parental controls w my 3gs v4.1 and I tried to search for safari to reinstall, not possible... I am thinking of upgrading to the iPhone 4 and giving mine to my daughter with no phone service. She would essentially have an iPod touch since she would be able to use the wi-fi... This discussion was helpful and definitively put me at ease with her restrictions.

By: Tan Ah Kow

Tan Ah Kow — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 08:29:43 +0000

I enabled the restriction as described above. I tested my kid and immediately when he found the safari browers missing, entered a search for it, located it and got it up and running immediately. No fuss, no trouble. So much for the built in restriction which is utterly useless.

By: Sker

Sker — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:24:30 +0000

Ineffective and unacceptable...

Disabling Safari and using Mobicip (or equivalent "safe" browsing software) will block most novice users but the porn addict or the hormone crazed teen with average or better technical knowledge WILL be able to circumvent this EASILY.

Most free applications and several paid have links to either their main web site or to commercial web sites. If they have to go through Safari, this is fine, however most of these apps have browsers of their own WHICH ARE INDEPENDENT OF SAFARI or the "safe" browsers. If there are links to Google or Facebook, Twitter, My Space etc., they have their gateway to anything.

The novice won't find these. The person in control of their hormones won't use them but it's bad juju for someone who's trying to 12-step a porn addiction or is a teen, it's not good enough.

I've found the "safe" browsers on the iPhone typically block too much of the good stuff and not enough of the bad. Sometimes this can be fixed manually by creating safe and blocked sites so it's not completely unreasonable.

I believe other smart phones, although less safe to begin, can have Net Nanny or other better apps installed which, I believe (no personal experience) will block/restrict ALL internet access.

If someone knows how to block what I described above, I'd LOVE to hear about it. If there are apps for a jailbroken iPhone, that might be the way to go.

So far, my experience with the iPhone indicates it's rated R and setting it to G, PG or PG-13 is nearly impossible. Frankly, I think Apple has been irresponsible on this point. (I'd like to use other language which is rated R towards the brains behind this thinking if I thought it would do anyone any good.)

Finally, the answer of disabling Safari and, in their opinion, cutting off the web is impractical and unacceptable. Why would anyone get an iPhone to be blocked from the internet altogether. The AT&T data plan is mandatory as far as I'm aware and internet access is pretty much the whole point of that.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 23:09:58 +0000

My experience with the filter browsers has been less than stellar. It would be nice if either Apple allowed them access like safari or they would program them to be like safari.

Too many things blocked by the new browsers outside of what is or is not selected for restriction.

By: Joel

Joel — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:42:58 +0000

Apple has done a stunningly poor job in this area. OSX at least has some rudimentary parental controls at the app and content level. Forcing a user to "restrict access" by completely disabling Safari, or the camera or any other iPhone app, is, in a word, lame.

By: mobicip

mobicip — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:04:04 +0000

Jeremy

Thanks for the post. FYI there is a better alternative to disabling Safari completely. Parents can install a parental control browser app designed for kids. Check out the Mobicip Safe Browser.

This Google Knol describes the setup in detail - http://tinyurl.com/cvm8m2.

Hope this helps.