Ten Minutes, Big Impact: Together we can help Apple enhance our children’s online protections
Dear Parents of iPhone/iPad users,
Are you confused or frustrated by Apple’s built-in parental controls? Do you have Family Sharing and basic ScreenTime limits in place that do not work as planned?
It’s easy. It’s free.
Read through the below and then choose to either call AppleCare OR send a pre-written email to Apple’s feedback department.
What’s not working with Parental Controls:
Quick summary: As digital parenting pioneers, we are following Apple’s instructions, yet something is amiss. I have a list of recommendations for Apple to better protect families and support healthy child development and mental health. However, today, I want to bring attention to an amazing feature on iPhones/iPads with unresolved and significant design flaws. Specifically, the “Ask-to-Buy” setup of Family Sharing requires the child to obtain a parent/guardian’s permission to download a new app from the App Store.
Sounds great, yet the system often does not stay enabled and when it does work, the permission cannot be changed or temporarily suspended by the parent. Once permission is granted, it’s there forever; unlike most other parenting choices, it’s permanent permission for the child regardless of the impact on their life or if the parent simply changes their mind in order to create a learning experience for the child (e.g., “time-out”).
You are not alone. Let’s join together and help Apple to protect their most vulnerable customers—our kids. I am following Apple’s repeated suggestion that we (their customers) give them direct feedback.
Together, we can make an impact. This will take 5 to 10 minutes of your time
Please share this with other likeminded parents and parenting groups.
Here’s what to do:
- Update the software on your Apple devices.
- Call AppleCare (1-877-275-2273) and ask them to troubleshoot and have them document your feedback.
- OR, copy and paste the below “comment” (feel free to edit) into Apple’s Feedback Form
Feedback Form–>https://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone
As a parent and Apple customer, I once again request that you improve the Ask-to-Buy system of Family Sharing/ScreenTime. There are numerous bugs in the program as this feature does not stay enabled—especially when other family members (with separate Apple IDs) have access to the selected app through the App Store. Additionally, I am requesting the ability for parents/guardians to temporarily disable or delete specific apps for their children, similar to a “virtual timeout” feature. Modifying ‘Downtime’ to select apps to be temporarily disabled should be a basic part of the system. Please address these longstanding flaws so families can restore their trust in your innovative support of mental health, child development, and education. #iPhoneFeedback #iParent101help #MentalHealthAwareness
Companies DO take notice when customer feedback spikes on certain topics – that is our mission.
4. Final Step: If you are so inclined, take another 30 seconds on this survey so I can track the response. And, of course, please consider sharing this post with your own community to maximize the impact.
Survey–> https://forms.gle/7ZeRCpk9zeair8Fs5
Who am I and why do I want us to take this action together?
For those who do not know me, I am Dr. Adam Pletter (Child/Adolescent Clinical Psychologist). I created iParent101.com to help fellow parents in the digital age.
We all know what is at stake as we weigh the enormous benefits and perils of raising children in the digital world; unsupervised digital access for kids has been correlated with sleep deprivation, increased reports of clinical anxiety, depression, poor concentration, cyberharassment, predatory dangers, sextortion, and more. As the US Surgeon General recently warned, ‘This is the defining issue of our time… youth mental health.”
Let’s see if we can make enough noise to get the attention of those thoughtful decision-makers at Apple once more.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Adam Pletter, Psy.D.
Child/Adolescent Clinical Psychologist
Founder iParent101.com
