Wednesday, 30 December 2015

iPhones provide better parental control options than Android smartphones

Apple iPhones have better parental control options than Android phones. With prevalent 
dangers to children and adolescents from various "misleading" online forums, 
parental control in smartphones has become a necessity.
Handing over such a device to a youngster comes with certain drawbacks, 
and parenting editor of Common Sense Media, Caroline Knorr says, "You're giving 
your kid a lot of power when you hand them a smartphone and kids' digital savvy 
often outstrips their judgement."
Monitoring every device, however, does not guarantee complete protection of a child. 
Knorr claims that it is equally important for parents to use phone restrictions to start 
a dialogue with their children about what is right and wrong.
She believes that by helping children earn the privilege to different features, once they understand the dangers and vulnerabilities of having an online presence, parents can 
better ensure the security of their children. A study published in 2014 supports Knorr's 
theories. It states that around 22% of seventh graders admitted to "sexting".
To determine how best to provide appropriate methods of protecting a child, an 
New York Times report outlines the difference between parental control options
 in iPhones and Android smartphones.
According to the report, iPhones have detailed parental control restrictions. While 
it may prove to be more time consuming to set up the feature, it ensures prevention of
 adult online content, monitors vault apps, blocks expensive in-app purchases and 
prevents data plan abuse.
Android phones, on the other hand are reportedly not as thorough. It only ensures that
children are restricted from downloading apps and purchasing in-app content. The latter
is only partly restricted, as a password can be used to download in-app content. 
The NYT report suggests that Android phones provide "incomplete solutions for a 
small number of restrictions".
The difference in parental control features between the two smartphone systems 
exists mainly due to the fact that Androids are independently installed onto 
devices by smartphone manufacturers. This restricts the system from providing an 
advanced level of protection. On the other hand, iPhone systems are installed by the manufacturer, thus allowing for more advanced parental control options.

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