A common question that I hear is “does it matter if I get an Apple iOS (iPhone/iPad) or Google Android when it comes to securing our children’s devices?”. The short answer is. . . yep, you guessed it —it depends! Let me explain as this is one of those topics that have multiple variables which need to be considered carefully before you start your purchases. Let’s layout a few of these to begin to clear this up a bit.
Do I know, or have time to get to know all this tech gear?
First, and foremost, you need to be familiar with the devices that you give your child? Particularly if you’re going to be able to effectively monitor their digital lives and walk with them on their digital journey. Consider starting with the principle of “buy what you know or get to know what you buy”.
Don’t get me wrong, you don’t have to be an ‘expert’ on any given devices, but you should have a basic understanding of the fundamental settings such as device passcodes, software updates, security & privacy settings, parental controls, along with a basic understanding of how to use the device. This may take a bit of research, exploration or, at best, even owning that same device yourself.
Should I mix technologies?
If you’re a keep-it-simple type of person, then I’d strongly recommend that you standardize and simplify on a single tech ecosystem. What do I mean by this? In the most simplest form, it may be buying all Apple iPhones or all Android phones. Ultimately, we should avoid a crazy mix of technologies just because we come across a few good deals. I’ve had to tell my son to bring more than one phone or laptop back to a friend who decided to bless us with a used tech device because he/she no longer uses it. Mixing too many new technologies only leads to added stress of learning (and keeping up with) multiple device operating systems and then, subsequently, chasing the differences in parental controls, new features, updates, compatible apps, and integration (how they work with each other -or not). This can get quite overwhelming if you’re not careful. Not to mention, there are very tangible benefits to having a single (or consolidated) ecosystem.
On the other hand, I try not to get overly legalistic about this; I’ve made exceptions with some of my children who are passionate about technology as a possible career. In fact, I’ve used this as motivation to have one of my boys research configurations that would provide similar controls to other devices in our home. Also, keep in mind that this doesn’t mean that every piece of technology in your home should match vendors e.g. routers, WiFi, wearables, etc., but it might. . . so, just keep this as a top consideration in your overall planning and purchasing efforts.
Does the technology do what you need it to do?
Consider what risks you’re trying to address and make sure that your technology has a way of meeting that need. Otherwise, you may find yourself with some really exciting and shiny tech devices without a way to actually meet your family’s needs. A great example (that I ran into) is that Apple iOS (iPhones, iPads) does web content filtering as a built in parental control (restricts known adult or explicit web sites). Whereas, Google Android does not yet have this capability natively (requires a 3rd party app). This means that to get that same control on an Android, you will have to find other means (e.g. Home router filtering, DNS, 3rd party apps, etc.). More specifically, I have teenagers as well as tweens and toddlers, so having a web content filter that only works on my home router’s WiFi will not be an effective control as my teens have cellular data plans on their phones that circumvent this control. This means that a cellular data plan provides internet on a phone even when not connected to a home WiFi.
I have a family budget, so cost matters!
Of course, cost is absolutely a consideration for every family and will affect your overall tech strategy. It’s no secret that Apple devices tend to be limited to premium, higher-priced products whereas Android tends to run on multiple phone manufacturers (e.g. Samsung, HTC, Motorola, Acer, etc.), and thus allows for lower-cost alternatives. This is one of the primary reasons that Android has such a larger population, globally, than iPhones. If this affects your ability to cover all of your needs, then get creative:
- Spend more time in the day-to-day reviewing your child’s devices, web history, apps, etc. and use findings as teaching opportunities rather than condemnation.
- Over communicate; building strong foundations of awareness and communicating the adverse affects of explicit/adult content and online behavior is a necessity.
- Use what you have and minimize exposure where possible. Ex. limit or restrict data plans, enable WiFi content filtering built-in to your router.
- Find lower cost add-on / 3rd party solutions that address only the specific risks that you’re concerned with.
- Set limits on screen time and device usage.
As you can see, this isn’t simply black or white, but rather more about a focus on the right thought process that’s important. Rather than trying to force a single, prescriptive plan let’s instead walk through a series of considerations which are ultimately factored into our overall tech strategy and purchasing decisions. Happy shopping!
MARK SCALIA 