How to Restrict Content on iPad

Chris Page July 14, 2013 in iPad - 2 Minutes

iPad content restrictions enable parents to control what kind of content their children can enjoy while using the tablet. Restricting content is probably an underused featured – not only in iOS, but across all operating systems and devices that offer it – but it can have a really big impact on how much time your children ‘waste’ with the iPad. Want your kids to go out more?Restrict games and movies. Enabling iPad content restrictions is simple. Follow the simple steps below for how to restrict content on iPad. Note that they work not only for the iPad, but for all devices using iOS.

Tap your way to Settings from the homescreen.
Tap General > Restrictions
Enable Restrictions
Create a 4-digit passcode that will let you create and modify restrictions. Do not share this passcode with your kids or your restrictions will be useless. Use a passcode different from the other passcodes you use on your device.
Disable access to apps. You’ll see a fairly long list of apps that can be hidden from your kids so that they cannot access it. Use the slider to disable the ones you don’t want your kids to use.
Turn off in-app purchases so that your kids won’t be able to buy in-app content in games and apps for which you might have to pay tens, hundreds, or even thousands of dollars.
Use a ratings system if you want, depending on your country of residence and the age of your children.
Turn off access to explicit content for music, podcasts, movies, and TV. This feature is, sadly, not too effective because it applies only to content bought from the iTunes Store. Your device won’t be able to figure out whether the other content you have is explicit or not.

iPad content restrictions are certainly useful, especially when it comes to preventing in-app purchases or disabling access to certain apps. But the fact is that if your children want to see porn on your iPad, they will probably find a way to do it, unless you disable all video playback apps. A more effective approach to making sure that your kids don’t devour ‘rotten’ content is to simply keep an eye on them.