All of my 5 children now have some kind of iDevice.  Yes, even the 2 year old is now the proud owner of a hand-me-down ipod touch from her older brother who is getting a hand-me-down phone from Mom.  She just got a new 4s.  Just so we’re clear, he will not be getting phone service any time soon but the 3GS will act as a fine replacement for his second generation iPod touch.

With all these kids having access to iPods, not only did I need to protect them from content, but I needed to protect the wallet from spending too much and from making unintended purchases.

The first thing we do is have all the 4 younger kids share an iTunes account with me.  This way we can share games across devices.  If one child gets an iTunes gift card, the others can benefit since once someone makes a purchase everyone can load it on their device.  This has saved a ton of money so “Bravo!” to Apple for this policy.

Next, we want to avoid the unintended purchase.  You may have heard about parents letting kids use their smart phones or iPod touches and then seeing bills for in-app purchases coming in from Apple later on.  This would NOT be a fun surprise.

Apple’s iOS (after version 4.3) does allow for your to take some pretty simple steps to protect you and your kids from making purchases without your permission.

Here is how I do it -

1.  Open up the Settings app.

2.  Tap on General

3. Tap on Restrictions

4. Tap on Enable Restrictions. After you perform this step, you will have to enter a pass code.  Write it down somewhere safe or make absolutely sure you will remember it – because you will need it to make any adjustments later.  I use KeePass password safe for many of my own passwords.  It’s open source (free) and has many great features.

5. Disable In-App Purchases by tapping and making sure that the slider says “Off”.

Optional Step: On Require Password, tap on that and set the value to “Immediately”.  This will keep kids from installing an app immediately after you load one for them unless they know the iTunes password.

I currently still allow the 15 minute timeout on my kids’ iPod touch devices – the two 6 year olds and my 4 year old know that they should not make any app store purchases without Dad or Mom knowing.  The in-app purchase thing is a little more difficult to explain to them since many of the games embed the purchases as part of the game play and for a child it can be confusing when trying to figure out what is play money versus what is real money.

This restriction will stop ALL in app purchases – this may not sit well with some folks but that’s how we’re running things here for now.

If you have kids, how do you handle this situation?

Lance

If the computer breaks, the network won’t connect or a cell phone is acting funny, the family calls me. I’ve worked in and around technology development for nearly 20 years. I’m a tech, information and football fanatic with a short attention span who is always trying out new things and sharing information about them with others. In my “free” time, I enjoy drawing, photography, writing, watching anime and spending time with my family. Follow me on Twitter | Facebook

Website - More Posts

More than 350,000 people worldwide use Facebook as a way to get and stay connected with friends, post your pictures, play games and generally divert yourself from that ever-growing to-do list. But did you know that you can use Facebook to actually tackle that to-do list when it comes to your promoting your business? Yes, it’s true: Facebook is a valuable marketing tool for your business if you know how to make it work for you.

If you want to market to repeat customers in an easy and already-popular way, Facebook is the way to go. Twenty percent of fans will return to a Facebook page repeatedly. If you can capitalize on that and keep your fans coming back for more, you’ll be a success.

The truth of the matter is, Facebook marketing is not particularly difficult, ones you understand a few things. And once you become really proficient at it, you’ll be able to get more and more fans to your page all the time.
Play on human nature to increase your Facebook marketing efforts’ effectiveness. Remember that people like to feel like they are getting a bonus. Entice people to visit your page by offering them a prize or a discount just for visiting your page. You’ll start to see an increase in your fans pretty quickly! Facebook is a great way for you to not only communicate with your fans but also for them to communicate with you. Read your fans’ comments and address them, both good and bad, or run the risk of having your Facebook marketing efforts flounder. Be interactive with your fans and you’ll see your efforts pay off. Opportunities abound with Facebook marketing. Don’t rest on your laurels, even when you start to see your fan base growing. Give your fans something to talk about and respond to what they are saying. Keep people talking about your business and you’ll continue to stay top-of-mind with them. That’s key to a successful business. Here’s the good news: Facebook offers several ways for you to market your page. These include sending messages, posting videos, and even distributing links to your page. Take good advantage of these tools and you’ll stay in all-important contact with your fans. By staying in contact with your fans you’ll keep their interest. Lose your fans’ interest and you’ll lose business. Let uSocial.net help you on the road to successful Facebook marketing. They have the knowledge, tools and expertise to help you on your Facebook marketing journey. Need to learn more about effective Facebook marketing? Check out this site about Facebook marketing and learn everything you need to know.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Facebook Workshop (slideshare.net)
• Things Facebook is Great For (blisstree.com)

Guest

Contributing authors on the cutting edge of technology reporting.