Programmable Logic DesignLine Blog
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JohnDoeveloper
Buy them an erector set.
Anthony Underwood
For young children it may be better to invest in something more age appropriate ...
How to protect kids using iPods/iPads?
Clive Maxfield
11/5/2012 5:12 PM EST
My friend Richard the roving pastor popped into my office a few minutes ago. Actually, Richard is a Corporate Chaplin, which means he spends his days visiting different companies in the area, just being there if anyone needs him.
While we were chatting, Richard said "Max, I have a technical question to ask you." Well, you can imagine my delight at being given a chance to shine. Thus, it was unfortunate that Richard asked a question to which I don’t know the answer (sad face).
Richard has three young daughters and he wants to protect them from the negative influences one can find on the Internet. In the past, when the kids were using the family PC, Richard installed Net Nanny (www.netnanny.com), which – he says – worked perfectly for his needs.
Actually, I just took a stroll around the Net Nanny site and it does look jolly good. They point out that most parental control software vendors attempt to make a list of all web sites in the world, categorize each one based on its content, and then use the list to determine if a web site should be allowed or blocked. The problem is that 50,000+ new websites are added to the Internet each day, which means things can easily fall through the cracks.
In order to address this, the Net Nanny software performs its categorization in real-time, as you surf. This means the content on any given web page is categorized as you browse without relying on a list, so your family is protected even when new content is added just seconds before.
But now we come to Richard's question. His girls now use iPod Touch and iPad devices, which they carry around with them to their friend's houses and suchlike. So what Richard is looking for is a way to lock these devices down so as to protect his girls from stumbling across something that would be best left un-stumbled across, if you see what I mean.
Now, I'm not an expert in this area, but I was rather hoping that someone reading this blog might know the answer. Have you looked into this yourself? Are you aware of some iPod/iPad app or browser add-in Richard can use?
If you found this article to be of interest, visit Programmable Logic Designline where – in addition to my Max's Cool Beans blogs – you will find the latest and greatest design, technology, product, and news articles with regard to programmable logic devices of every flavor and size (FPGAs, CPLDs, CSSPs, PSoCs...).
Also, you can obtain a highlights update delivered directly to your inbox by signing up for my weekly newsletter – just Click Here to request this newsletter using the Manage Newsletters tab (if you aren't already a member you'll be asked to register, but it's free and painless so don't let that stop you [grin]).
While we were chatting, Richard said "Max, I have a technical question to ask you." Well, you can imagine my delight at being given a chance to shine. Thus, it was unfortunate that Richard asked a question to which I don’t know the answer (sad face).
Richard has three young daughters and he wants to protect them from the negative influences one can find on the Internet. In the past, when the kids were using the family PC, Richard installed Net Nanny (www.netnanny.com), which – he says – worked perfectly for his needs.
Actually, I just took a stroll around the Net Nanny site and it does look jolly good. They point out that most parental control software vendors attempt to make a list of all web sites in the world, categorize each one based on its content, and then use the list to determine if a web site should be allowed or blocked. The problem is that 50,000+ new websites are added to the Internet each day, which means things can easily fall through the cracks.
In order to address this, the Net Nanny software performs its categorization in real-time, as you surf. This means the content on any given web page is categorized as you browse without relying on a list, so your family is protected even when new content is added just seconds before.
But now we come to Richard's question. His girls now use iPod Touch and iPad devices, which they carry around with them to their friend's houses and suchlike. So what Richard is looking for is a way to lock these devices down so as to protect his girls from stumbling across something that would be best left un-stumbled across, if you see what I mean.
Now, I'm not an expert in this area, but I was rather hoping that someone reading this blog might know the answer. Have you looked into this yourself? Are you aware of some iPod/iPad app or browser add-in Richard can use?
If you found this article to be of interest, visit Programmable Logic Designline where – in addition to my Max's Cool Beans blogs – you will find the latest and greatest design, technology, product, and news articles with regard to programmable logic devices of every flavor and size (FPGAs, CPLDs, CSSPs, PSoCs...).
Also, you can obtain a highlights update delivered directly to your inbox by signing up for my weekly newsletter – just Click Here to request this newsletter using the Manage Newsletters tab (if you aren't already a member you'll be asked to register, but it's free and painless so don't let that stop you [grin]).
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Duane Benson
11/6/2012 11:48 PM EST
This has always been a big concern of mine. I'd like to keep my kids safe, but I also want to keep them intellectually safe, as in I want them to be able to use the tools they need. I took two approaches. First, I vowed to keep ahead of my kids in this area of technical literacy. That was not easy to do and I may have finally lost that now that my oldest is in college.
The other approach I took was to educate my kids and teach them how to use technology responsibly. This is a pretty risky method, because kids don't always use their education the way us parents would like, but so far, I think it has worked.
I suppose I won't really know if it worked until the kids are in their 30's, finally telling stories of the things they got away with.
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David Brown
11/9/2012 9:11 AM EST
That is the best way to be a good parent - educate your kids, and trust them. (There are occasional exceptions, as always.) Protect them from accidents and things outside their control, but your job is to teach them to keep themselves safe - not to "nanny" them until they leave home.
When they are younger, you are with them whenever they are using the internet. As they get older, you teach them how to use it safely, you teach them about "good" sites and "bad" sites, and what to do if they accidentally get to a "bad" site. And you gradually move more into the background.
As they get older, you get less involved in what they are doing on the internet (but make occasional spot-checks), and your discussions and lessons about "good" and "bad" cover new topics for older kids.
And sure, they will stretch the boundaries on occasion. You want to have enough control to stop things getting too far - but "experimenting" is an essential part of growing up.
It's not really very different from other "risky" activities in a kid's life as they grow up, such as cycling, driving, alchohol, going out with friends, etc.
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Work to Ride comma Ride to Work
11/7/2012 2:48 PM EST
If they are old enough to be carrying around an iPad then they are old enough to be responsible for the content they access. If they are not old enough for the content, then perhaps they shouldn't be given an iAnything.
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Max the Magnificent
11/7/2012 2:51 PM EST
Seriously? I know lots of 10-year-olds who have iPads, but I wouldn;t wan tthem going to a lot of places on the Internet...
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Work to Ride comma Ride to Work
11/7/2012 5:25 PM EST
Then seriously they shouldn't have access to them. That's my point.
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Max the Magnificent
11/7/2012 5:28 PM EST
So on that basis parents shouldn't let kids use PCs either?
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Work to Ride comma Ride to Work
11/8/2012 2:17 PM EST
Call me a Luddite, but it's high time kids learned how to play with things without transistors. I've seen far too many young people who are computer and technology saavy but are dumb as rocks. They have no clue as to the real world because they have not experienced it first hand. PC usage needs to controlled closely.
If you want to know where I am coming from, John Rosemond writes an excellent column on common(?)-sense parenting. He basically turns all the psycho-babble parenting techniques on their head. I encourage you to read his work. We as a society have done the last two generations of children a terrible disservice.
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David Brown
11/9/2012 8:57 AM EST
Parents should not let kids use PCs unsupervised until they are old enough to use them safely. And "safe" in this context means that they are responsible about what they read, watch, write and publish on the internet, that they treat other people's data responsibly and respectfully, that they understand how to avoid malware, and that they understand clear rules about what they can and cannot do on the PC.
Until that is in place, then the kid should not have access to a PC, Pad, "smart" telephone, or similar devices without supervision.
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Earl54
11/9/2012 4:23 PM EST
A PC for children's use can (and should) be parked in a "public" area such as a family room, where parents and siblings are roaming. No privacy? Yep, that's the idea. I want to know what you're doing. iStuff is too portable to young ones. Once they have been taught responsibility and gained sufficient trust (agreeing with a comment above) then the strings can be loosened and the iGadgets can be theirs. "All my friends have them" isn't good enough. As parents, our job is to occasionally be the meany that protects and teaches the child.
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GeLy-MyOtherRideIsABMWS1000RRScooter
11/13/2012 2:14 PM EST
Your kidding right? My 4 yr old has been playing/carrying my iPad since she was two.
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ost
11/12/2012 3:30 AM EST
My two young girls aged 2 and 4, loves to watch kids stuff on youtube. Mostly this works out fine, as they get suggestions for other kid stuff to watch. This is very helpful to get the kids to learn letters, reading and singing (well, mostly in english. There isnt so much fun in our native language)
But Ive learned to be careful. Once youtube linked to episodes of "happy tree friends" where I had to brutally remove the pad and flag as inappropriate (if you don't know the series, have a peek, its pretty ugly cartoon stuff) Tbh, I don't know how a 2year old would react to this, but the tiniest thing like this wobbling space clock in this episode of professor Baltazar at 5:35 made her really scared this weekend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5vWROwKmZU
Of course you can't prevent kids from being scared, you just need to be there to explain whats going on.
And then of course, as they get older, there are other challenges..
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GeLy-MyOtherRideIsABMWS1000RRScooter
11/13/2012 2:21 PM EST
Perhaps, YouTube should allow viwers to rate the videos and then build a filter on the player. There's far more education/entertainment on YouTube than the 'bad stuff'. If you don't allow your 'kids' on it, then they'll missed out. My four year old is learning spanish on YouTube.
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Work to Ride comma Ride to Work
11/13/2012 2:36 PM EST
I assume you are responding to me. No, I am not kidding. I do, and have allowed my kids access to all this. Just not unfettered access. Far be from me to tell one how to raise their progeny, but if that's what you want for your child, fine. My concerns are for children who are not well rounded and I'm not referring to their physique which of course can be seriously compromised due to a lack of 'play'. There is plenty of time in life for people to get into computers, the Internet and all that. There just needs to be a healthy balance, and parents are the ones responsible for setting limits, ensuring balance. I certainly hope your four year old turns out to be a well-adjusted productive citizen. That's what we all want for our kids. My youngest of four children is now a junior in high school. I know a little about what happens in the teenage years. Brace yourself.
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Anthony Underwood
3/4/2013 1:11 AM EST
For young children it may be better to invest in something more age appropriate that can be adapted as the children mature. The Nabi Tablet is an example. It has a password protected parent-mode (fully funtioning tablet) and a child-mode (approved content only).
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JohnDoeveloper
5/15/2013 5:15 PM EDT
Buy them an erector set.
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