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Post by tallgirl on Feb 23, 2016 2:00:40 GMT
A few days ago I posted looking for an app to control my kids screen time and got some suggestions (thanks!) but none of them have been suitable so far.
What I want to do is allow my kids to use their iPads all day at school - then limit them to one hour of screen time at home. I am not as concerned about blocking mature content etc. as I am about limiting their screen time, but all the apps I have seen so far block their time at school/allow it at home rather than what I am trying to do, which is essentially the opposite.
Has anyone found an app like the one I am describing?
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Post by hop2 on Feb 23, 2016 2:09:33 GMT
I can do that on my kids PC with Norton family. You can go in and tailor which hours of the day they can get on in half hour increments. Like I can go in and open up 9:00am- 3:00 pm and block out the rest of the day. Then give an opening 7pm-8pm or something. I can also limit total hours of the day so if he had school for 6.5 hours I could a lot 7.5 total hours per day.
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Post by tallgirl on Feb 23, 2016 2:19:33 GMT
I can do that on my kids PC with Norton family. You can go in and tailor which hours of the day they can get on in half hour increments. Like I can go in and open up 9:00am- 3:00 pm and block out the rest of the day. Then give an opening 7pm-8pm or something. I can also limit total hours of the day so if he had school for 6.5 hours I could a lot 7.5 total hours per day. Interesting! Could you say, keep it open from 9 am - 3 pm and then allocate 1 hour between 3 pm - 9 pm? That's what I am trying to do. I am frustrated by how hard it's been to find this. |
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Post by hop2 on Feb 23, 2016 2:32:58 GMT
Not sure. But you could leave it open 9-9 with 7 total hours and check thier usage on your phone at 3 and subtract any hours they tried to save.
you can go in and change it at anytime from your phone or computer from anywhere. Thing is I'm not sure if it works things other than PCs and laptops we just collected all the hand helds after school.
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Post by beaglemom on Feb 23, 2016 5:10:33 GMT
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 23, 2016 5:38:21 GMT
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Post by Momma2peanut on Feb 23, 2016 6:02:34 GMT
We have one called Our Pact. You can set up chunks of time to block out, so you can block access during the night, then during the parts of the evening that you don't want them to have access. You can also have a different schedule for each day of the week so that you are able to change it for the weekend. There is also the option to grant access for incriments of time, so if you want them to be able to use their iPad for a certain reason you can switch to that option from the regular schedule and then go back, we have been loving this one! Hope that one works for you!  |
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Post by Momma2peanut on Feb 23, 2016 6:04:26 GMT
Forgot to mention, Our Pact is an app on our phones that we use to control their iPads. My husband and I each have it and can both make changes.
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Post by tallgirl on Feb 23, 2016 13:28:08 GMT
Circle does look cool. Can you use it outside of the US? (I'm in Canada). I admit the steep price tag has put me off, especially given our lousy exchange rate right now, but it's nice that it's a one time thing because most of the other controls have a monthly fee.
Does Our Pact report on how the kids spend their time? Right now I have got a free trial of Screen Time running, and though it says it reports on app usage, it really doesn't. Though this is less important to me than total time spent on their devices, it might be kind of cool to see how they're spending their time now and then.
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Post by anxiousmom on Feb 23, 2016 13:38:28 GMT
Circle does look cool. Can you use it outside of the US? (I'm in Canada). I admit the steep price tag has put me off, especially given our lousy exchange rate right now, but it's nice that it's a one time thing because most of the other controls have a monthly fee. Does Our Pact report on how the kids spend their time? Right now I have got a free trial of Screen Time running, and though it says it reports on app usage, it really doesn't. Though this is less important to me than total time spent on their devices, it might be kind of cool to see how they're spending their time now and then. Please forgive me for the question I am getting ready to ask because I think that it will sound a lot more snotty than I mean it to-but why can't you just take away the devises? If the intent is regulate their use, wouldn't having them hand them over or put them away do the same thing as the app you are looking for? My kids are older (17 and 20) so when they were younger and we had to navigate all these issues in the early days of apps, I just made them put the devises away and declared afternoons a no screen zone (and that included tvs.) Again, I get that it is likely that I am missing a point that is different even in just the five or six years that my younger son was in elementary school and middle school (things change SO fast) but sometimes old school still works? (But, in the interest of full disclosure-that son is a senior in high school now and I have zero rules that govern the use of any of his devises-phone, ipad, or computer-beyond none at the table and the person in front of you gets first dibs on your attention.) |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 23, 2016 16:09:51 GMT
I would think it would be helpful for kids who are old enough to be home after school on their own, but when a parent/parents are still at work. With the Circle thing, it looks like you can turn certain devices on or off (or limit the places kids can go online) without affecting other devices. So say you wanted your kids to not spend their after school hours before you get home playing video games on the X-box but do want to give them access to certain websites on a tablet to do homework, etc. I could see where that could be useful.
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Post by tallgirl on Feb 23, 2016 18:17:10 GMT
Circle does look cool. Can you use it outside of the US? (I'm in Canada). I admit the steep price tag has put me off, especially given our lousy exchange rate right now, but it's nice that it's a one time thing because most of the other controls have a monthly fee. Does Our Pact report on how the kids spend their time? Right now I have got a free trial of Screen Time running, and though it says it reports on app usage, it really doesn't. Though this is less important to me than total time spent on their devices, it might be kind of cool to see how they're spending their time now and then. Please forgive me for the question I am getting ready to ask because I think that it will sound a lot more snotty than I mean it to-but why can't you just take away the devises? If the intent is regulate their use, wouldn't having them hand them over or put them away do the same thing as the app you are looking for? My kids are older (17 and 20) so when they were younger and we had to navigate all these issues in the early days of apps, I just made them put the devises away and declared afternoons a no screen zone (and that included tvs.) Again, I get that it is likely that I am missing a point that is different even in just the five or six years that my younger son was in elementary school and middle school (things change SO fast) but sometimes old school still works? (But, in the interest of full disclosure-that son is a senior in high school now and I have zero rules that govern the use of any of his devises-phone, ipad, or computer-beyond none at the table and the person in front of you gets first dibs on your attention.) Your question made me stop and think, and I guess it comes down to a few things. I don't have a problem with my kids spending 'some' time on devices. The way they use them tends to be ten minutes at a time here or there moreso than an hour of straight screen time. So I'd rather let them keep the devices so they can grab them when they want them, rather than taking them away. They use them to text friends to go out to play and that kind of thing, and that is what I actually want to encourage! I would also like to get them thinking about prioritizing what they do on them. I know all too well you can get sucked into watching too many YouTube videos in a row, and suddenly realize you never got around to doing your online banking or whatever it is that you came online to do in the first place. I think having a countdown timer will help to guide them into making better choices (important stuff first, less important stuff only comes later). And I guess I just don't want to hover if I don't have to. Both my kids like to spend some alone time in their rooms, and if they've been up there for an hour then I don't want to make a show of taking away their devices if they really spent most of that time reading a book. Basically I think using an app will allow them to use the devices in a bit more independent manner (my kids are 8 and 10).
My son is in after school care this year but will be home alone after school next year, and I also like the idea of ensuring he's not on his screen for two hours straight each night after school, even when I am not there to enforce it.
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Post by Momma2peanut on Feb 24, 2016 1:31:39 GMT
Circle does look cool. Can you use it outside of the US? (I'm in Canada). I admit the steep price tag has put me off, especially given our lousy exchange rate right now, but it's nice that it's a one time thing because most of the other controls have a monthly fee. Does Our Pact report on how the kids spend their time? Right now I have got a free trial of Screen Time running, and though it says it reports on app usage, it really doesn't. Though this is less important to me than total time spent on their devices, it might be kind of cool to see how they're spending their time now and then. I don't think it has the option to track what they are doing while on it. I haven't seen that in the options but it is definitely great for the time limiting part! |
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Post by kluski on Feb 24, 2016 2:00:33 GMT
I find this very interesting. I used to take dd's devices however she really does use them for homework. It's the constant snapchats and instant messages she gets while doing homework that I would like to block. I'm not opposed to half an hour to an hour an evening to talk with friends but the non stop is starting to really bug me. Also, I used to take her devices at bedtime but now she uses them for an alarm. I know I could just buy an alarm clock but it seems I can also just cut off access to her apps! Fwiw, she is just about 15 and a straight A student who plays sports. All around good kid, I just feel like the messaging needs to be controlled.
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Post by beaglemom on Feb 24, 2016 20:50:09 GMT
I'm pretty sure that circle lets you block specific stuff as well. I want it to keep me of Facebook!
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Post by kluski on Feb 26, 2016 3:04:52 GMT
Does circle have a monthly fee?
Are there other suggestions? I feel like I've heard you can go thru your provider but I don't want all service cut off to all devices. Just Instagram and snapchat and imessage on one device.
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