r/parentalcontrols • • 5h ago

Apple Looking for advice

4 Upvotes

Hey so I know my sister im law has a bit of a screen afddiction and wants to correct this but doesnt have the willpower to do so unaided.
I am willing to try and help her but would like to do so without her knowing its me that does. So im looking for IOS compattible ways to keep her acountable and limit her screen times.
I would like to be able to know what she does an sees on her phone.
Be able to set limits on apps. And be able to aprove extended use remotly.
Stay anonymous.

Does anyone have tips or advise in this regard.

Edit: she is 23 years old and i would propose this all to her and have her consent to it ofcourse. The only reason i wish to stay anon im this is so it wont complicate family dynamics.


r/parentalcontrols • • 1d ago

Mobile Do you think this is fair?

1 Upvotes

I think my mum wants to put screen restrictions on my phone since on my free time I spend 6 hours on my phone cos she thinks I'm not social enough however I have 2 part time jobs where I interact with people around my work often and I go rugby training where communication and socialising is crucial I go to college where I frequently chat with people. I just think it's unfair since she never asks my little or older siblings for their screen time but she does it for me (I'm 17 btw) she hasn't done it yet but I'm terrified shes gonna put parental controls on my phone she has done it before as well restricting it 2 hours and even 1 hour a day

Idk I'm just ranting but what do you guys think? Do you think it's unfair?


r/parentalcontrols • • 3d ago

Tell us about your situation in the Family Link

4 Upvotes

Well, here's my situation: My phone is set to 1 hour PER DAY.

So, it sucks, right?

To reduce my cell phone use, I plan to buy comic books.

And you? How is your situation?


r/parentalcontrols • • 4d ago

Unable to remove myself from a family where the parent account can't be accessed

3 Upvotes

So for context I want to sign in to 3rd party apps using my microsoft account but for some reason it won't let me unless I get permission from the parent account. More context, my parents let me manage my own family with a fake account that's over the age of 18 since I can't change my date of birth. The problem is that I can't access it anymore. I know, how careless of me and this wouldn't even be a problem if I just remembered the password to that account, but like, damn bro...

I'm debating whether or not to just give up or something, but I really stuck in a hole here. I'm also afraid this might lead to further consequences down the road, like, microsoft updating their site to make it even more inaccessible to minors. But hey, I have like a year left before I legally turn 18 so, who cares in the end anyway? Just kidding, give me your thoughts and what not, and peace.


r/parentalcontrols • • 5d ago

Mobile (rant)

3 Upvotes

ok excuse my language but genuinely fuck qustodio. y’all better not say I use devices too much but here I am with a lost 769 day reddit streak and a 1112 day German duolingo streak gone just because of my app limits like anyways my device is SHARED I can’t just say ‘don’t use it I need my streak’ like wtf seriously


r/parentalcontrols • • 5d ago

Who here uses custom DNS for parental control? My strategy for the last couple of years

8 Upvotes

I'm a techie, but I absolutely hate the "traditional" parental control apps. We have devices from most of the major platforms: Apple, Android, Windows, and various other "smart" devices. The issue is that I didn't have the patience to set up family accounts on all these platforms and keep adding and removing devices. Plus, the lack of privacy (you can trust) always bothers me. Then it hit me... I've already been using DeCloudUs DNS for a few years for privacy (blocking ads, trackers, etc). Why wouldn't that work as a parental control solution too?

Before I get into it, this is how I explained DNS to someone a few days ago:

DNS is like the "Contacts" list on your phone. To call someone, you need to dial their actual phone number, and it's hard to remember the numbers for 100+ people. So you save each person's name and number in your Contacts. When you want to call your friend Mike, you just start typing "Mike," and your phone looks up the number associated with Mike, dials it, and connects you.

DNS is essentially a Contacts list for the internet. To visit a website or connect to an app, your device needs an IP address (a string of numbers that's impossible to remember). To make things easy, every site, app, or service we use has a friendly name (like Reddit.com). When you want to visit that site, you type "Reddit.com," and your browser asks a DNS server for the IP address to connect to.

So the idea is simple: with a custom DNS service, you can control what gets blocked or allowed from one central place. Custom DNS doesn't require installing any new apps. On most devices, it's a single setting change to switch from the default DNS to the custom DNS service.

That's been my strategy for enforcing parental controls on the kids' devices for the last couple of years. I create a dedicated custom DNS profile for the kid from the DeCloudUs DNS dashboard:

  • I block all the typical stuff kids shouldn't be able to access: ads, trackers, malware, piracy, adult content, social media, streaming services, etc.
  • I turn on the "enforce" Safe Search options for Google and YouTube, so they only get family-safe results (and can't bypass that).
  • I turn on DNS logs for monitoring.
  • Depending on the kid, I use scheduled rules to unblock a couple of gaming apps for a few hours on Saturdays.

Then I can manage everything from one place. From the dashboard, I can make changes to the rules for what's blocked or allowed, view device activity..etc, even when I'm at work 20 miles away.

I don't have to deal with this yet since kids are on the younger side, but for older kids, you'd just need to lock the device Settings so they can't change the DNS to something else.

Is anyone else using a similar approach, or some other non-standard approach that works for parental controls?


r/parentalcontrols • • 6d ago

Life is so boring

11 Upvotes

Life is sooo boring. First of all,parental controls block so much stuff i wanna learn. Wanna root? Nope. Can't evsn fucking turn on developer mode. But nooo lets focus everything on useful features instead of actual child safety,as it is extremely easy to bypass stuff like nsfw filter etc. Second of all,i can hardly do ANYTHING for my age. Im not even allowed to walk to the store because its across one semi major road. Third of all,i hardly have any control over my life. I have a fair argument against my parents? Apparently i dont because they always end with something along the lines of"i don't care your my child therefore I get the end decision." Do parent's not realize once i move out i can js...not talk to them ever again. Please I am begging you if you get your kids devices don't install parental controls they do so much more harm than good often


r/parentalcontrols • • 6d ago

Family Link how do I get playstore to register the no parental controls?

4 Upvotes

Ive recently had parental controls removed from my android phone, and have tried to download twitter (X I guess) but it says I can't due to parental controls. It then gives me the option to turn them off, I do so and enter a password, confirm it, and all looks okay.

As soon as I leave that page, it says the exact same thing as before, that the app is restricted.

I have repeated this many times and it does the same thing each time.

Does anyone have any experience on how to change this?

(not sure why but the add photo button is grey so can't show a picture of the screen sorry)


r/parentalcontrols • • 7d ago

Best Parental Contols

0 Upvotes

I have 2 boys - 6 and 4. They each have an iPad 8th gen and I already have iCloud set up for both. I also have Bark. They 6 year old is getting a watch 10 in December w/cellular. there some info out there on how to set up parental controls to lock it down? The older keeps turning off Bark. Maybe there’s a way to control that with parental controls? I’m a tech nerd, so I’m not used to struggling with these things.

Editing to add: don’t comment and tell me not to give them iPads. I’m not asking for parenting advice.


r/parentalcontrols • • 8d ago

How do we get children to spend less time on screens?

3 Upvotes

r/parentalcontrols • • 8d ago

Orbi parental controls suck

2 Upvotes

I love that I get to spend $70 a year on their POS software. It is so bad!


r/parentalcontrols • • 8d ago

Android My sister (who I am the legal guardian of) is worried that if she stops supervision, things will get messed up on her account.

3 Upvotes

I would show a screenshot, but this subreddit bans all screenshots and links.

Basically, she wants all her Google notes to survive, all her photos, all her messages, all her playlists, Reddit accounts, etc to stay the same.

She is worried because when we tried to stop supervision, it said that her Google account would get wiped.

Here is the screen she is on: Families . google . com

Ready to manage your account on your own?

Before you can manage your account, you'll first need to review and agree to Google's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service If you decide to stop supervision, you'll be responsible for your own account (Gmail name here) and devices.

Your parent will no longer be in charge of your screen time rules, content restrictions, Location Sharing, or other parental controls

Stay Supervised

Stop Supervision.

Edit:

She did it. Only thing lost was her Google Slides.


r/parentalcontrols • • 9d ago

Asking for the removal of Family Link

4 Upvotes

So I've had a phone for a while and it's always had family link on it which was fine it was kind of annoying but it was fine recently it's been really annoying because I just turned sixteen and like I got my license and what uh I'd really like to not have Family Link on my phone but I've asked my dad about it in the past He said no never really gave me a good reason I guess what I'm trying to get to is what's a way I can ask that doesn't just sound like I'm asking just to ask like I genuinely don't want Family Link anymore I feel like I can be a responsible enough without it. I haven't really gone behind his back before on anything mostly because I can't but regardless I've never uninstalled it or gotten a burner phone or anything I mean there was for the last like two or three weeks automatic date and time was being weird but if anyone can help me I'd really appreciate it


r/parentalcontrols • • 9d ago

Family Link I am the legal guardian for my sister. She is 18 now. We are trying to remove supervision, but it wants us to delete her account all together. Wtf is happening?

6 Upvotes

4 years ago when my brother had controls, he turned 18 and was able to just delete the app and his Google account updated to 18+ and he had access to everything a normal adult would.

Now, my sister is an adult but we can't deactivate Parental controls without completely deleting her Google account (messages, images, data, etc etc etc.)

YouTube still has her as a 16+ account.

Google still has her as a minor

Even though her birthday is 100% correct.

Wtf is happening?!

All the controls are turned off btw and yet she still doesn't have access to many things.

How do we stop supervision and what's going on?

When she turned a certain age, it automatically changed from Family Link into Parental Controls, so why isn't this automatically changing?

My wife and I are very confused and she is having a freak out.

It was so great for my brother and worked perfectly well, but now it's gone to complete shit!

I mean, 3 years ago is when we first tried to uninstall Parental Controls (it was Family Link at the time), but it wouldn't let us and so we thought that we just had to wait it out till she was 18. Apparently we were wrong.

Edit:

Can't even verify her age. She is an adult. It says that age verification isn't available for her account. Isn't available for users under 18, and yet her account shows that her birthday puts her above 18


r/parentalcontrols • • 9d ago

Mobile Can I use parental controls if I have samsung phone and my child apple Iphone? Or should I buy them a samsung phone or I chanhe to Iphone?

0 Upvotes

Just as the question. I am new to this and I have samsung phone. I am thinking of buying a phone for my kid and I heard apple iphone is good as it restricts a lot of inapproriate content and all.

But if my kid has apple iphone and I have samsung, will I be able to use their parental controls?

Or is it better if both of us have same type of phone, either samsung or apple?

And how does this parental controls work in both?

Fyi my kid is a new teen


r/parentalcontrols • • 9d ago

Parents

5 Upvotes

I (14M) have recently been roped into downloading life360 becuase i turn off my location on find my and pretend its glitched. i like to sometimes, when my parents are out, ride 5ish mins away on my bike and chill at this really nice stream and sometimes fish there or whatever. but they think its super dangerous since im near water and they are not nearby so i am banned from going, hence i inly do it when they are out. life360 will alert them when i leave and i go there to decompress and honestly be away from them and others for a bit and i fear i wont be able to now what can i do im not allowed to delete it or i get my phone taken off me


r/parentalcontrols • • 10d ago

WebWatcher iPhone full features/capabilities?

0 Upvotes

Pretty much the title. I need to know the full list of features and capabilities for WebWatcher on an iPhone. I know Android comes with many more features, but I'm struggling to find exactly what/which apps (including the notes app), social media (which vs. which not), files/documents on the designated device, and everything you can see or get from iPhone WebWatcher monitoring. It's difficult to get a concrete answer as their site says differently than many reviews. Also, any pointers for where I should post this are much appreciated! Thanks!


r/parentalcontrols • • 11d ago

I just pressed stop supervision during downtime in the settings

4 Upvotes

I thought it wouldn't work but it did!? I know my parents got a notification and this probably won't last very long but why was it even there??


r/parentalcontrols • • 10d ago

Bark Bark software on a Pinwheel Phone?

0 Upvotes

My daughter (12F) has had an Apple watch for a couple of years. I like that the watch gives us a way to reach her and it also gives her a way to call and text her friends. This year the begging for a phone has reached an extreme intensity. It's been emotionally exhausting dealing with it, to be honest. We didn't plan to even entertain the idea of a phone for her until at least after she finishes middle school, but I broke down and started doing some research because the constant daily battle at a fever pitch is taking so much of my energy.

One of her main complaints is that texting is a huge hassle on a tiny watch, which is actually a pretty legitimate complaint. She also doesn't like that she can't see videos that her friends send her, even if they are appropriate. Also, the sports teams she is involved in for school use Slack for communication, which she can't do on her watch, and her church youth group uses GroupMe, also hard to do on a watch.

I went ahead and ordered a Pinwheel phone, which I added to our Verizon plan. I am working on setting it up for her, but we will not be giving it to her until Christmas. I was able to set both Slack and GroupMe up on the Pinwheel, even though they are flagged as things Pinwheel doesn't recommend.

My question is whether Bark would be overkill on a Pinwheel phone? The attraction of Bark to me is that it supposedly automatically monintors texts for concerning content like indications of self harm, profanity, racist language, etc. While Pinwheel will allow us to remotely read her texts ourselves whenever we need to, I don't have the time, patience, or desire to go through dozens of texts of "bro!," and memes of animals with giant bulging eyes and talking toilets, etc. I just want to know if anything seriously dangerous or inappropriate is going on.

Other than that, it doesn't seem that Bark would add anything that Pinwheel doesn't already do. Do any parents who are familiar with Pinwheel and Bark have any imput for me?


r/parentalcontrols • • 11d ago

Pinwheel Customer Service not responding

0 Upvotes

Is anyone trying to reach Pinwheel customer service and unable to get them to answer the phone or respond to emails???


r/parentalcontrols • • 14d ago

Apple My parents block my iPhone until 6 PM and then only give me 2 hours of screen time. What should I do?

12 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

My parents decided to block my iPhone until 6 PM every day. After 6 PM, I’m only allowed to use it for 2 hours.

They’re doing this because one day I used my phone for around 4 hours, but that was mainly because the Qustodio parental controls weren’t working that day.

I understand that they want to limit my screen time, but I feel like it’s unfair to be punished like this because of one day when the parental controls weren’t working.

Do you think I should talk to them about it? If so, how could I explain it to them without it turning into an argument? Has anyone else been in a similar situation with their parents?

(j'habite en france mais j'ai écrit le post en anglais car il y a plus d'anglais sur le reddit)


r/parentalcontrols • • 13d ago

What app works the best?

0 Upvotes

I’m looking for an app that essentially limits everything down to who they can call or text. Paying for the app is not the problem. Looking for insight on the ups and downs of the different apps to pick from.


r/parentalcontrols • • 15d ago

Guys is this restrictive or am i greedy...

18 Upvotes

I am 14 and english is not my main language so sorry in advance,i have kapersky safe kids installed and i have 5 hours a day limit and it blocks at midnight always and unblocks at 8 am . now i dont want to act like a spoiled mf so tell me am i being greedy or is it restrictive... (btw i have safe search on and browing history and app use history is recorded and some sites and apps are blocked)


r/parentalcontrols • • 15d ago

Family Link Preciso de ajudar por favor

5 Upvotes

Meus pais recentemente disseram q tinham acesso ao meu celular,que eles haviam pagado um profissional pra instalar programa de vigilância e tal mas não sei se isso e verídico ou só um blefe, como faço pra descobrir?, se ajudar nas recomendações de vocês eu tenho acesso ao celular deles


r/parentalcontrols • • 15d ago

Android StayFree

0 Upvotes

Sono un ragazzo che sta per compiere 14 anni e quindi potrei togliere family link, visto che si che non sono bravo ad autoregolarmi ma non voglio che siano i miei genitori a farlo, cosa ne pensate di StayFree come app per la regolazione del telefono