Kid Proof Your iPad in 5 Minutes

A few months ago I had an unexpected charge show up on my credit card statement. It was only for a couple of dollars, but it threw me in a bit of a panic. I thought someone had stolen my identity. It turns out it that it was only my toddler who accidently purchased extra coins for a game she was playing on my iPad. I was relieved that is all that had happened, but I knew it was time to get serious about kid-proofing my devices.
Apple does have some security measures in place, but it takes some digging and time to find and use them. For many people, it is just too overwhelming to do. However, in just a few short steps, you can kid proof your iPad or iPhone in less than 5 minutes, and have peace of mind that your child is not venturing where she shouldn’t be.

Turn off Wi-Fi
The first and easiest thing you can do for added security is to turn off the Wi-Fi. For most apps your child does not need access to the internet. Sure you need it If you are streaming a video, but for most of the games you have installed they can play without Wi-Fi access. This will keep them off any questionable sites and help keep them safe.

How to turn off Wi-Fi: Click on Settings,
1. Click on Settings
2. Select Wi-Fi
3. Slide to “OFF”

Guided Access
This is probably one of the coolest tools on your device. Guided Access pretty much does just that – it guides your child to have access to only those apps you want him to be able to utilize. It does awesome things like allowing you to lock the iPad while being in a single app, and controlling what features you want your child to have access to.

It’s easy to enable Guided Access on your pad.
1. Click on Settings
2. Select the “General” section
3. Scroll down on the right hand side and open “Accessibility.” Once this section is open you’ll see a “Learning” section.
4. Select “Guided Access”
5. Switch this on and set a 4 digit pass code (make sure it’s something the kids won’t figure out)

Once you have Guided Access enabled, you will need to do one last step before handing it over to your kids. Open the app they are going to be playing. Press the home button three times and then press “start” in the upper right hand corner when the prompt pops up. Now you can hand over the tablet to your little one. They cannot exit the app until the pass code you set earlier is entered in. This also works great for toddlers who want to stay in a particular app, but love to press that home button. Which makes you have to open the app for them over and over again.

Restrictions
If you have older kids, and you trust them to have a little more freedom on the iPad, you can simply add restrictions. You can restrict them from deleting apps, making in-app purchases, and even turning the volume up.

To Set Restrictions:
1. Go to “Settings”
2. Select “General” section
3. Open “Restrictions”
4. Select “Enable Restrictions”

From this point you can scroll down through the list and choose which areas you want to restrict for your child. Now your child cannot access anything you have restricted without entering in the pass code first.