Phenquestions
The Internet is full of horror stories of children running up huge mobile phone bills. Whenever this happens, blame needs to be divided between parents, the companies that produce these games and apps, and providers.
Things like these don't happen nearly as often when parental control apps are installed on mobile devices. It does not really matter if they are installed on a parent's device (which gets handed over to children), or if it is installed directly on the child's own device.
The core idea behind parental control apps on Android and other mobile operating systems is to block access to certain features, apps and functionality on the device.
Kids Place is a free application for Android that gives parents control over what is accessible when a child uses the device.
The application itself is fairly easy to configure. First thing you do is set a four-digit pin that protects the underlying phone environment. Without it, it becomes impossible to switch to the main interface which means in turn that children are restricted to the Kids Place environment that you can configure extensively.
If you want, you can add a recovery email to the app which helps you regain access to the device should you forget the four-digit pin.
The settings the app provides list several options to control access to apps and other functionality.
- Manage Apps - Select the installed apps -- system and manually installed -- that you want your child have access to. You may select any app using the menu, for instance the phone dialer, the clock, games or the camera.
- Parental Controls - Allow or disallow certain features Android offers. For instance, block the marketplace or Internet connections, disallow phone calls, make sure Kids Place is started on a device reboot or lock the volume of the device.
- Timer - Configure time limits and daily schedules. You need to download another application for that from the same developer which is also free. You may set a daily time limit of one hour for instance, or prevent access at night or specific hours.
- Plugins - Enable plugins to extend the apps' functionality further. You may for instance enable remote control functionality to add applications or modify settings remotely using the features provided by plugins.
Verdict
Kids Place is an easy to use parental control software. While it requires time for the initial setup and afterwards when new apps or games are added to the device, it offers a free and secure environment for children ensuring that they stay safe while using the phone and don't get exposed to features that cost extra money or may endanger them.
Obviously, the protection is only as good as the pin that you select and the decisions you make during configuration. If you enable Internet and a game that supports in-app purchases, you may still end up with a huge phone bill at the end of the month.
There is also the chance that you limit functionality too much. For instance, if you block phone options as it prevents even emergency calls from being made.
