To wish I'd never bought my children Ipads?

don’t let them have free access to YouTube!!

Restricting Internet is easy.
You go into parental controls and have them request access to sites. So you approve on a site by site basis what you are happy for them to get into.
I'd approve things like BBC Website, Lego, I think my oldest went through a stint of watching rocket launches on NASA's website.

Agree with others to take them away and say they’re broken. My kids are older and don’t have iPads (we’re not perfect, they do have a Switch and watch TV). I’ve also deleted YouTube from the family TV as they started watching football skills videos (fine) but then moved on to stupid OTT Americans making trampolines in their houses and screaming a lot. At six they will soon forget about it.

You can restrict access on YouTube/internet but it's not easy. My IT tech husband found it hard!
My 9 year old has apps we've approved and channels we have subscribed to on YouTube but no Google access.

My DD is a fair bit older. She’s allowed to watch proper programmes eg on Netflix but no YouTube. Allowed to play computer games but only if with her friends.

you are the parent. remove the tablets from them... its very simply really!

Op a few people are mentions Family Link, Family Link is an Android app.

There is something similar on Apple but I'm not sure what it is. I'm sure if you Google you will find it.

Ipads and tablets can be very good a few bad apps and social media give them a bad name.

Just take them away, and sell them.

Use the money for a special family outing, or activity classes, or to buy non-digital things instead. Board games, jigsaws, books, art and craft materials, lego, bicycles, a pool or climbing frame if you have a garden, etc.

Be upfront. Explain the tablets are maybe not good so for developing brains, and involve them in what to do with the time and money instead.

Maybe people should just follow Claudia Winkleman’s approach ;)

D

Forgot to say OP that if you want to keep some access to YT then I’d suggest deleting it off their iPads but having another device that they can watch stuff on but that you have control over. For example my kids can watch limited YT on our TV which makes it much easier for me to have sight over what exactly they are watching. My 10 year old has been watching videos about his upcoming school residential and like you said there is educational stuff on there.

Also in case you don’t do this already, keep the iPads out of their bedrooms. I used to charge them in their bedrooms overnight, they are locked down so can’t access anything at all before 7am, so I didn’t see the harm. I then discovered through the parental controls that my 7 year old was waking up in the early hours and checking if he could use it yet! I thought he was sleeping through, so that was a shock to me. Keeping devices out of their rooms also forms habits for when they get older.

I’m not judging you but would very much agree with anyone saying just take them away. I am baffled why anyone would buy their young child an iPad. An hour a day?? Blimey. That’s an hour not spent playing/being creative. These kind of devices are so addictive. Please think about the level of kindness stimulation you are hardwiring your children’s plastic little brains to expect. Just remove them. No drama from you. They’ll kick off for a bit but then they’ll forget

Parent restrictions catches Jack shit.

I still don’t want my kids watching girls licking pens suggestively and giggling and going on about makeup and hot guys. And ‘ooooh Bethany, your butt looks amaze in those tight jeans’ etc. parental restrictions blocks none of that shit with young girls just being silly and suggestive and OTT. Totally not suitable for 5-10yr olds to be watching.

Why on earth would it make any economic sense to trade in two brand new tablets for a second hand one??

They are twins they are going to want to be on them at the same time. And possibly play against each other on certain apps.

Read it again - Twice a week!! Not every day Saturday and Sunday only and it’s my iPad not hers

she plays with toys and does arts and crafts and is outside loads.

Kids cannot self regulate.
Husband bought an iPad for our 8 year old, and she was SO addicted she could not stop, would override any security, kept finding it etc… in the end, we just sold it!
Much better to provide arts and crafts etc try BakerRoss.com x

You’re the parent. Just take them away. At 6 mine were getting dolls and Lego for Christmas.

Get family link OP and use YouTube kids instead of YouTube.
With family link you can set the time, so 15 minutes and then it locks the tablet and it can't be used.
On YouTube kids you can stop automatic play, ie so it won't just keep playing videos, they will have to select the next video to watch.

I think age 6 is far too young for iPads. What were you thinking? Maybe limit use to weekends only, but you’ll now need to replace time spent with alternative activities and that might be a mighty hard job now…

What did you think would happen?

So many judgmental people on here.

Op I can totally see why you've bought ipads. They are handy things to have, esp if schools are using Sumdog, Hit the Button or other apps.

You just need to sort the parental controls.
There is a Kids Tube as well as YouTube. Set it up limit it and remove YouTube.

Yes at 6 Ceebbiees will be getting babyish. Move them onto CBBC.

I guess if you set there KidsTubes and like certain things the algorithms will show similar.

Your 4 year old is already using an iPad everyday for ages.

this to me is far too much, but that’s my opinion.

why Does she need an iPad to entertain her while you dry her hair or tidy away dinner?

what’s wrong with playing with actual toys, colouring, reading etc? You might already do that, but a 4 year old shouldn’t need an iPad every day

it’s good for little brains to be bored… it allows their brains essential thinking time

I agree with you about much of youtube, am appalled by some of the stuff there. However there are some good things, even educational, music, etc. I've found helpful videos when I am stuck trying to do something. As adults we can be discerning and just go for what we really like or need, ignoring the rest. I wouldn't allow small children to have access to it but it really is not all bad.

I think you are getting an unnecessarily hard time on here op.

My 7 and 10 year olds were bought old iPads by their dad/grandparents last year. In all honesty I wish I had never agreed to it. They have caused more problems than they solve. Since then I have become aware and done more and more research about the problems screens can cause, and I’m not just talking about the recent tv show. I banned YouTube a few months ago. I’ve always used the parental controls to restrict their screen time and I’m cutting it down more and more. However, I’ve found the parental controls glitchy and unreliable (and I’m tech savvy!) so watch out for this.

You can’t do anything about what’s already happened. Decide what you want to happen next. If you don’t want them to have YouTube then tell them the app is going and delete it. My two complained for a couple of days and then forgot about it. It’s ok to admit you’ve made a mistake, just think about how you want to move forward. I’m a single parent which is tricky at times. I’m sure having twins is hard work too. Now we know better we can do better. We aren’t the first generation of parents to struggle with this kind of thing. My parents bought me a tamagotchi when I was 10, they had to take it away because I was addicted.

I would not let them have any iPad time before school at all. An hour after school sounds reasonable.

I’ve literally just got my kids iPads - as in yesterday. They’ve had limited access to their brothers for a while and I let my six year old watch it whilst I get his younger brother down and until his bedtime so I can watch something other than Dennis the menace in the evenings. So mostly selfish.

Mine have not begged for a tablet. I find that odd in itself.