By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Apple launches new Families page. Heres why parents will want to log on
9c844fe7fa908e2bb0dc88c760a17e77306e3b8e40402ddd72c6cdf9973aa9a3
Apple unveiled a new page on its website Thursday called Families, which collects all information about the companys family features and parental controls. - photo by Herb Scribner
Apple has built a new page on its website that helps families access all parental controls in one place.

The new page, which was unveiled on Thursday, is called Families. The page collects all information about the companys family features and parental controls.

The page includes details about an Ask to Buy tool, which requires parents to accept or deny app purchases made on their phone, as well as instructions on how parents can block their children from seeing adult content on iOS devices.

You know your kids better than anyone. Thats why weve put a lot of thought into helping parents choose what their kids can do with their devices, the website states.

As The Verge reported, the website also shares options on how to access health, privacy and family sharing information.

While none of these features are new, the page does pull all of Apples safety and privacy features into one place, according to The Verge.

Apple previously announced in January that it would add new features to help protect children while using iOS devices, according to the Deseret News.

We have new features and enhancements planned for the future, to add functionality and make these tools even more robust, the company said in a news release.

The company made that announcement after two shareholders penned an open letter to Apple about how the company needed to take a stance against phone addiction.

The shareholders, California State Teachers' Retirement System and Jana Partners, who own about $2 billion combined in Apple stock, said Apple should play a defining role in signaling to the industry that paying special attention to the health and development of the next generation is both good business and the right thing to do," the letter read.

The open letter called on Apple to improve its parental controls.

It would defy common sense to argue that this level of usage, by children whose brains are still developing, is not having at least some impact, or that the maker of such a powerful product has no role to play in helping parents to ensure it is being used optimally, the letter read.

In response, Apple said in a statement sent to CNNMoney that it was committed to meeting and exceeding our customers' expectations, especially when it comes to protecting kids.

Apple still has room to grow to catch up to competitors. According to Axios, Amazon has arguably done more to create kid-friendly environments within their mobile devices by allowing parents to create separate profiles for children and its FreeTime Unlimited service that bundles approved apps and videos.

Similarly, Microsoft had a Kids Corner mode for parents to use on their now-defunct Windows Phone, and Google has similarly explored expanding parental controls on Android devices, Axios reported.
Sign up for our E-Newsletters
How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
ce406c66b9871a104ac24256a687e4821d75680dcfc89d9e5398939543f7f88f
A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
Latest Obituaries