If iPads were meant for kids

Jun 6, 2018

Back in April, Dave DeLong posted an interesting article explaining why iPads, in his opinion, were not meant for kids. I must admit, he had some really strong points.
At WWDC, Apple seems to have acknowledged some of his concerns:

Dave:

If iPads were meant for kids, then there would be a way to limit how long they can use an iPad. They’d get reminders when they have 15 … 10 … 5 … 1 minute left of usage time, and then the device would lock

Apple:

App limits: Set the amount of time you and your kids can spend each day on specific apps and websites.

Dave:

If iPads were meant for kids, then there would be a way for parents to remotely monitor how the kids are using their iPads. I’d have a dashboard view of how long they’re spending in each app, and when they last used it, so I can verify that when they say the spent 15 minutes doing their homework in Lexia, they aren’t trying to hide that they were really playing Angry Birds.

Apple:

Activity reports: Get reports weekly or check Today View anytime to see app usage, notifications, and device pickups.

Dave:

If iPads were meant for kids, then there would be a way to make the iPad turn off when it’s bed time and not turn on again until morning. Because my son likes to sneak in to our room and take his iPad back from wherever we’ve stashed it, and then stay up until nearly midnight playing Angry Birds.

Apple:

Downtime: Set a specific time, like bedtime, when apps and notifications are blocked. You can choose which apps are on and off limits.

These features a great and surely are a step forward in the direction Dave was suggesting, but many more issues he had pointed out were not yet addressed. Seen the attention Apple has given to the issue, I surely hope these are just the first steps in the right direction.

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