Yes, your day-to-day life must involve editing, adapting, peeking at your settings on each device. It seems impossible, right? Regular people in casual conversations are frequently building in the “I hate tech” or “I don’t get it” excuse. Allow this perspective — We have been in the Information Age for 25+ Years. You’ll do great.
For those Google, Samsung, Android fans and especially good parents, be aware of a new feature called…
New Google Play Purchase Requests To Guardians
Bottom Line Up Front: Google already offers parents and guardians tools to restrict purchases their children make on Play Store using the family payment method. The company is now introducing an additional feature that will allow children to send a purchase request for the manager of the family account to approve when there is no present payment method.
Google Play has just rolled out a new feature that will allow children to ask for approval for both paid apps and in-app purchase when the family has not set up a payment’s method. Once the family manager gets this request through a notification or in their request queue, they can use their own payment method, including Google Play gift cards, to approve the request and make the purchase. The manager can look at these requests under pending and history tabs.
This method works best when users want to have full control over their children’s purchases and family spending. A user can see all apps and in-app purchases children are interacting with and decline the ones that you think are harmful or not necessary for whatever reason.
Google has introduced several changes in recent months to put better oversight on how children interact with its services. In October 2022, the company rolled out a redesigned Family Link app with highlights, controls and location tabs alongside granting it a web version. Last month, it announced policy tweaks for the Play Store, making the requirements for an app to be certified as a “kids” app stricter.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: The company first introduced Family Link in 2017 to allow parents to monitor and set limits on children’s screen time and app usage. It also allows guardians to lock children’s Android and Chromebook devices at a set “bedtime.” Google updated the parental control platform with pandemic-related features like the “always allowed” app for learning last year.)
Common Sense Media: Helping Make Informed Decisions
Bottom Line Up Front: Perhaps you find yourself struggling to keep up with the apps, games, and websites your kids are using? When I do not have time to dig into something right away, I really like Common Sense’s Parents’ Ultimate Guides as it helps keep users up to date and answer their questions about all the latest platforms and trends. Whether you are trying to figure out if a new app is safe for your teen or if a popular game includes blood and gore, these guides have users covered.
According to a survey of parents in the United States conducted in September 2022, besides time granted for homework and educational purposes, 38 percent of respondents reported allowing their children to use digital devices between one or two hours per day. In comparison, 30 percent of respondents reporting to allow their children between three and four hours of screen time per day, while eight percent of respondents reported allowing their children over six hours of daily screen time.
Younger users are just as interested in mobile apps as grownups, with current trends in device ownership providing the on-boarding occasion for children and teens to familiarize themselves with phone applications.
- In the United States, the number of children between eight and 11 years owning a smartphone has increased in recent years: in 2015, approximately 10 percent of 8-year-olds owned a smartphone, while in 2021 this number grew to 31 percent.
- While the ownership of a personal computer among U.S. children is strongly impacted by their family’s income, smartphones are more affordable and make their way to younger users more easily.
- In 2021, 68 percent and 69 percent of low-income and middle-income families reported their children having a smartphone, respectively.
All of the options available to our children can be daunting for parents to stay current and make informed decisions that are the best interest of their children especially when faced with prospect that child predators are constantly on the cutting edge of technology to target children. I would highly recommend checking out the resources at Common Sense Media. There are a plethora of resources available to parents to make informed decisions to include guides for different ages of children. The tools are there for you as parents so take a look and you can make a huge difference for your kids.
Conclusion
The resources listed above are something worth understanding as the threat landscape is constantly shifting and technology is saturating our lives more than at any time in human history.
My posts, newsletters and original articles are my way of giving back as I too am navigating this journey with all of you and not only have to stay informed but stand in the gap for those who do not have a voice.
I take the time to write because I care about all of you and want to equip you to stay safe, live well and stay motivated. Whether I am briefing the C-Suite, rolling on the street or operating out of a back seat, I promise you I will always bring the heat…