How to Set up iPad for Kids - 3 Must-Have Settings

Updated Dec 28,2018 | by Cody

Kids love to use iPad to learn new stuff and enjoyment. If you want to give your child an iPad or let him or her use your iPad, here are a few things you should consider to set up iPad for kids. You don’t want your kid(s) to get addicted to some iPad games or apps, a few iPad settings can avoid that.

If that does not get your attention, then consider this. As you know, some of the internet content can potentially be a little dangerous to children. Follow this guide to make your iPad kid-friendly and help them get the most amount of educational value without seeing any inappropriate content for kids. Of course, all these settings also applies to iPhone and iPod Touch.

If you are given a new or used iPad to a kid, I highly recommend you set up a new Apple ID for your kid. As you know, Apple IDs are used for iMessages, FaceTime calls, Find My iPhone, downloading music , apps,and more.

A separate account has many benefits.

• You can use Facetime to call them directly.

• Find the device if lost.

• Prevent them from running up your credit card.

• Lock the device remotely when needed.

To set up an Apple ID for kids, Go to Settings > [your name] > Family Sharing > Add Family Member > Create a Child Account > Next.

Then enter your kids birthday, after which you'll then need to enter their name and create their Apple ID.

Then You should enable AsK to Buy option, so they can't buy any content without your consent. And also enable Location Sharing option to be able to see your child's whereabouts.

With a child family sharing account, your child’s iPad can have the music or apps you purchased. You just head over to the Purchased tab within the Store to find apps, files, albums, and books.

Screen Time is a feature in iOS 12. If you are in iOS 11 or older version, you need to enable Restrictions, to do that, just go to Settings > General > Restrictions to enable it. In iOS 12, you can find the restrictions settings from Screen Time.

Step 1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone/iPad, then tap the Screen Time.

Step 2. The first time you open Screen Time, you will have the option to Set up as This is My Child’s iPad.

Step 3. Tap the Content & Privacy Restrictions. Then it will show you all these little switches along the right-hand side and you can turn on and off those specific functions.

For example, if you don’t want your child to look on the internet through Safari, so you can turn Safari off. Maybe you don't want your child to go to the iTunes Store, so you can turn off iTunes. You can turn off in-app purchases. This is huge for any of you who have had your kids get your device and just start purchasing and downloading stuff.

For apps. I recommend only allows apps with a certain age range. You can also turn only those ones from certain websites. Of course, you can also block adult content on iPad. As you go deeper, you will find more cool features here.

If you want to limit your kids' time on the iPad or if you want them to do an educational task on iPad first before they start playing games or whatever, you can use the Guided Access in Settings to help you.

To set that up, go Settings > General > Accessibility, and go down to near the bottom to turn on Guided Access. First, you want to set up a passcode. Don’t forget the passcode you set, otherwise, you may have trouble to recover or reset your iPad.

If you want to set a time limit, you can actually put an alarm on, so your child will know when the time is about to be up. You can enable Speak if needed.

Now you can open any app to enable Guided Access. For example, you want your kid to play the Alpha app for 1 hour before using anything else. you just open the app. when it is fully loaded, triple tap on the Home button to bring out Guided Access options. Just enter your Passcode to enable it. You can also tap on the Options to change the default options.

With this Guided Access set up, your kids can only access certain things when you want them to.

With all these settings, your kids should be safe to use your iPad and get educated. If you want even more controls, you can download app lockers from AppStore to lock certain apps with a passcode. That’s all about how to set up iPad for kids. Now it’s your turn, which of these settings are you going to try first?

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