All articles tagged with #parental controls
Wirecutter offers 10 practical strategies for limiting kids' screen time, including device-level parental controls, screen-time apps, removing YouTube, tightening home-network controls with a router and optional firewall, creating age-appropriate streaming profiles, locking TV apps, leaning on single-use devices, and visible timers or Guided Access on iPhone to reduce friction and promote healthier tech habits.
OpenAI is rolling out ChatGPT for Teens (ages 13–17) with stronger safeguards, content filters around suicide, self-harm, romance and other restricted topics, plus features like quiet hours and safety alerts. The teen version is designed to guide learning rather than provide easy answers, uses age assurance to route under-18 users to teen mode, and requires parental opt-in for certain controls, aiming to promote healthy, age-appropriate AI use in schools and homes.
League of Legends patch 26.14 adds opt-in parental controls to help parents manage their child’s social interactions, purchases, and playtime. Features include viewing/editing friend lists, turning text/voice chat on or off, blocking incoming requests, and visibility into 18+ accounts that messaged your child within 30 days; purchase and playtime limits are platform-specific (Riot platform purchases and PC playtime are handled in-game, others must be managed separately). The tools are optional and aimed at increasing child safety, with potential for future features.
The article highlights five often-overlooked router features: a guest network to share internet safely, parental controls to schedule and restrict access, USB-connected storage (NAS) and printer sharing, network-wide ad blocking via DNS changes, and options to extend coverage using a repeater or turning an old router into an access point—though availability depends on model.
9to5Mac reports that Apple’s iOS 27 adds Assistive Access, a feature that lets you convert an iPhone into a controlled, kid-friendly device by selecting allowed apps, arranging a grid of large tiles, and even blocking web browsing by omitting Safari, enabling a strong parental-control style dumb-phone setup.
At WWDC, Apple rolled out expanded child accounts with customizable screen time and a feature to block violent images in messages, framing the tools as parental safeguards in a broader fight over online safety regs; Apple said developers share responsibility for age-appropriate experiences, highlighted APIs for parental approvals, and noted it has lobbied against strict age verification while citing ongoing regulatory debates with Meta and others.
Android Central argues Android could benefit by copying five iOS 27 features: granular Time Allowances for parental controls; a native automation app akin to Shortcuts; Siri Mode integrated into the Camera app for on‑device actions; Spatial Reframing to alter a photo's perspective after capture; and Image Playground with Private Cloud Compute for advanced AI image generation—urging Google to upgrade parental controls, unify AI features, and deliver system‑level automation to rival Apple's ecosystem.
Apple unveiled a redesigned Screen Time across iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 with stronger parental controls: parents can limit who kids can talk to in Messages, restrict apps/content, and use category-based time allowances (Entertainment, Games, Social Media) plus an 'Ask to Browse' option; guided by pediatric recommendations, the updates provide a starting point for time limits that can be adjusted while emphasizing on-device privacy.
Samsung announces the Galaxy Tab A11+ Kids Edition for $349.99, an 11-inch Android tablet built for safe learning with built-in parental controls, a durable case, Crayo-pen stylus, 6GB RAM/128GB storage, a 7,040mAh battery with 25W charging, and seven years of OS and security updates, shipping in the US with trade-in deals.
Wirecutter reviews Tin Can, a $100 screen-free, Wi‑Fi–enabled landline for kids that lets callers through only approved contacts via an app, with optional 911 and a $10/month Party Line or a free Can 2Can plan for Tin Can–to–Tin Can calls. Setup is quick and it’s praised for helping kids build real conversation skills and independence, but users report occasional connectivity glitches and a wait for new units amid competition from other kid-focused phones.
YouTube is rolling out a zero-minute Shorts option under Time management, effectively adding friction that can hide Shorts from the Home feed when set to 0 minutes. It’s not a full kill switch — Shorts can still appear in subscriptions and be accessed via direct links — but the feature makes it harder to doom-scroll. To enable, go to Profile > Settings > Time management and set the Shorts limit to 0 minutes; the rollout is underway and targeted at parental controls before expanding to everyone.
AdGuard's Family Plan is on sale for a lifetime subscription at $15.97 (regularly $169.99), letting you block ads, limit trackers, and protect multiple devices with parental controls—plus ongoing updates with no recurring fees.
Nintendo released firmware version 22.0.0 for Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch, introducing Handheld Mode Boost to let compatible games run as if docked, plus GameChat enhancements (friend invites, notes synced with the Nintendo Switch App), language updates, video scrubbing improvements in News/eShop, expanded Automatic Uploads data types, storage-type breakdown, enhanced Airplane Mode controls, and Parental Controls notifications, along with general system stability improvements.
From June, PEGI will rate games that include paid random items (loot boxes) at PEGI 16, with related rules covering in-game purchases, time- or quantity-limited offers, online communication, and incentives to revisit (such as daily quests). NFTs-linked purchases can be rated 18; if spending controls are off by default, a game could be rated 7 for in‑game purchases. The changes aim to reflect online risks and parental controls, align PEGI with Germany’s USK, and may shift ratings for upcoming titles, following industry consultation and regulatory trends.
Meta’s Instagram will begin proactively notifying parents when teens using Instagram’s Teen Accounts search for suicide or self-harm terms, starting next week in the UK, US, Australia and Canada with other regions to follow; alerts may come via email, text, WhatsApp or in-app and will include resources to guide difficult conversations. It’s the first time Meta has issued proactive parent alerts for teen searches rather than simply blocking content, drawing mixed reactions: supporters say it aids protection, while critics warn it could alarm families or gloss over underlying platform risks. Meta says alerts accompany expert resources and notes it already hides self-harm content and will extend similar alerts to AI chatbot interactions in coming months amid wider scrutiny of youth safety online.