How to Set up an IPhone for a Kid
Getting ready to get your hands on the new iPhone 8? If you don’t want to throw away or sell your old one , why not give it to your descendants? It’s better than buying them a new device that they might lose or break, and you can keep track of what they’re doing if you take proper precautions . You cannot protect your child from all unwanted sites or images on the Internet, but you can definitely point them in the right direction with some restrictions and rules.
Make a backup, wipe it down
You give your phone to someone who is not you, which means that you have to delete everything that is you from the phone. Back up your device , retrieve all of your photos, and remove any security features (such as Find My iPhone) that might prevent you from performing a factory reset. Before wiping your iOS device, make sure your child has an Apple ID (more on this below) that you can use to sign in to the factory reset smartphone.
On iOS, tap your name in the Settings app, then tap iCloud and turn off Find My iPhone. After that, you can completely reboot your device. Go to Settings> General> Reset and click Erase All Content and Settings. When you reset your phone to no account state, you can sign in using your child’s Apple ID.
Welcome to the family (account) baby
Before handing over the cleaned phone to your child, he or she will need some kind of account to use the iOS device. If your child is under 13 or does not yet have an email address, you will need to create an Apple ID for him or her . The Family Sharing service on your own iOS device makes this pretty painless, so set it up before starting the reset process.
Tap your name in the Settings app. Then go to Family Sharing> Add a Family Member and click Create Apple ID for Child at the bottom of the page. Provide information such as their name and birthday, as well as billing information (you can use your account’s billing service), then create an Apple ID and password for them, preferably saving them in a password manager in case you (or your child) forget.
Your own email address will be used to verify your account. With this Apple ID, your child now has a fully functional email address that they can use to sign in to Apple devices or to the iCloud web interface . You can also grant yourself access to your child’s location at any time (and give them access to yours) through the Apple Find My Friends app.
Set some limits
If your child didn’t spend the weekly bitcoin allowance in 2011, they probably don’t have any money. This will not prevent them from making purchases , whether through the App Store or the in-game purchase system. Apple’s surcharge service was discontinued in 2016, but if you don’t want to make an ongoing appointment to “buy a baby gift card” on the first of every month, you can use your own card to manage purchases.
Visit Settings> General> Restrictions, then tap Enable Restrictions. You will need to create a Restrictions Access Code used to change or disable the specified restrictions. You can change the password (maybe not use their birthday as your password) by disabling and re-enabling Restrictions. If you forget your restriction password, you need to completely erase the device to remove the restrictions, so keep the password in a manager or some other safe place.
Depending on what you want your child to access, you can block access to almost all services on the iPhone, including this new email address they just got. Just want them to talk and text you? After installing the necessary “educational” apps, you can prevent them from installing or uninstalling apps (the dog can’t eat your Duolingo work yet), make in-app purchases, or use apps like Safari, Siri, FaceTime, or Air. Fall, among other things. If you would prefer them to make purchases that were debited from your account, you can do so while maintaining control over your bank balance. Enable the Ask to Buy option, which warns you when your brainchild wants to make a bad financial choice and allows you to approve or reject it.
If you object to your child consuming any media available for sale, consider enabling a content rating cap. Enabling Content Rating Limits allows you to control what related content your child sees when viewed in the App Store, the Podcasts app, or any other marketplace your child turns to.
Restrictions also help prevent applications from accessing more information than you would like. You can prevent apps from accessing contacts, location data, and anything else you don’t want your child to share with anyone. There’s also a volume limiter for safe headphone listening (which, frankly, everyone should use).
Create ground rules
You know the kids. Give them an inch and they’ll walk a mile (or at least a quarter of a mile and then get tired). You can trust your offspring enough to give them complete leeway over their iOS device, but laying down ground rules for when and where to use it is key to making sure their smartphone use is healthy and doesn’t end up hurting their emotional well-being. … Of course, it depends on whether your child is old enough to use a smartphone.
Setting times when phones are not allowed, such as before bedtime or dinner, can prevent teens from looking at devices for hours on end – a habit associated with a reduction in the total time spent sleeping and an increase in the time it takes to fall asleep among infants and toddlers … … In short, keep it as low as possible.
Get a case
I know this is an old phone, but you are giving it to your child . Cover it with a cover, preferably with large, thick buttons on the side and a rounded part that protects it from destruction when landing face down. (He’ll land face down. Often.) In addition to teaching them the value of responsibility, you’ll be glad he doesn’t split into a million pieces right before your fun family outing .