iPhone parental controls

 Mobicip recommends www.iautism.info for App reviews that support children with autism and parents that have children with autism. According to their site, "the purpose of this blog is to work in this direction by collecting information related to the use of visual and tactile technology such as the iPhone, the iPod touch and the iPad for people with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorders)."

They ask and share, "Can cell phones and touch-type devices like the iPhone, the iPod touch or the iPad be used to enhance learning, communication and entertainment for people with ASD? Seeing the first worldwide experiences, the feeling is YES!, and even in a very notable way."

The iAutism blog was born on September 11, 2010 from the hands of Francesc Sistach and Susana Vila, parents of Sara, a beautiful girl with autism. The founders share, "for some years now there have been a few specific apps for people with autism (as well as for people with Down’s Syndrome, etc.) based on the iPhone and the iPod touch, many of which are beginning to appear now for the iPad. In addition, there are thousands of educational and entertainment apps, some better adapted than others for people with various disorders. In any case, as with any “new technology”, it will be good to study this thoroughly, to see how to integrate it into the environment of the person with ASD, to test it, and to help their creators to improve it."

We completely agree with iAutism.info about the importance of mobile education and we applaud them for taking the time to educate readers about helpful apps for children with autism and learning disorders.

It is never too late to say "Thank you" to our loyal fans, schools, students and online education bloggers. When you get a break, take the time to read the following articles about keeping online education safe and secure on mobile devices (iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad), Windows PCs, and Ubuntu Linux netbooks, laptops, tablets or desktops. You might notice that some of these authors do not mention Mobicip Web filter HOWEVER these articles touch upon the problem  we solve and we are happy to share in order to keep the Internet safe and secure.

1. Parental Control on Smartphone

2. Mobile Malware Crisis? Not So Fast

3. How are you monitoring internet when kids play on your phone?

4. Tech Journal: Making the Web Safe for Your Kids

5. KinderTown Launches Educational App Store For Parents

6. Kids and technology: The new rules of online safety

7. Committee proposes purchasing iPads for teachers, every high school student

8. ERFAE members get student demonstration of tablet computers

9. How to share one Mac with your family

Jean, from Deepthoughtsbyjean.wordpress.com, recently posted a great blog titled: "Parental Control Resources for iPod, iPhone, iPad, PC and Mac".  She shares that she just got a new iPhone for her birthday (her first smart phone ever!) and her daughter inherited her iPod touch.  

Jean's immediate question was: "Are there any parental control options available on these devices?" And so her research began. 

For child Internet safety tips and advice, we recommend you read the complete blog here: http://deepthoughtsbyjean.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/parental-control-resources/

Moms With Apps recently published an article, titled: "Promo Codes: What are they and how do they work?" that Mobicip CEO and founder, Suren Ramasubbu, gladly contributed to.  He is credited in the article and we are happy to feature a section of the article on the blog, please read the rest of the article on Moms With Apps.

"This week we explain promo codes and how they are redeemed in the iTunes App Store. After noticing how many of our Facebook fans are interested in promo codes to trial free apps, it seems necessary to explain what they are and why they are helpful. Special thanks to Suren from Mobicip, Madhavi from MazeArt, Jill from SmartyShortz, Jayne from Let’s Bead Friends, and Julie from Snow Globe Maker  for providing content for this post. Readers, please let us know if you have more questions so we can keep the article relevant and useful.

What is a promo code? A promo code is a special code that can be used to download a particular app for free in iTunes. It looks something like this: WJH3KW3A9EFR. Developers receive an allotment of promo codes for every app they launch.  They send these codes to bloggers, reporters, and users who are reviewing or testing their products. Codes expire after four weeks from the time they are requested by the developer, so it is important to use them promptly. Also, each promo code is unique and can be used only once.

Why should I care? Promo codes enable you to download an app for free. Most apps are pretty inexpensive, but as your app library grows, having access to a free download can help expand your selection while getting to know new apps and developers."

Please read the rest of the article on Moms With Apps.

HealthNewsDigest.com recently published an article, titled: "Tips on Child Mobile Internet Safety" that our proud CEO and founder, Suren Ramasubbu, gladly wrote.  To ensure that your mobile kids are safely surfing the mobile web, read the article to learn the 10 tips to keep your child safe online.  We are happy to feature the first three tips on our blog, however please read the rest of the child mobile internet safety tips on HealthNewsDigest.com.

Child mobile Internet safety tip #1: Safari could be a safari of unfiltered content.
As great as Safari is at displaying sites (as long as they don’t use Flash), it has no web filtering parental controls. None. Zip. Zilch. If your kids want to chat on PredatorsRUs.com, Safari will let them. First and foremost, change the iPod’s Safari browser to one that allows web filtering.

Child mobile Internet safety tip #2: Invest in a leading online content filtering service.
Services like Mobicip (http://www.mobicip.com/) have won Parent's Choice awards and are used by school districts across the country to filter dangerous online content. There are a number of child-safe iPod browsers on the market. Read the reviews and choose the best-rated child-safe iPod browser in your youngster’s age range.

Child mobile Internet safety tip #3: Use the iPod’s basic parental controls.
Once you have installed the child-safe iPod browser, disable Safari. But be warned, kids are clever. If kids don’t like using a child-safe iPod browser, they will simply download another browser. Here’s how you stop them.

Please read the rest of the article on HealthNewsDigest.com.

Dynamic internet filtering service enables Erie 1 Board of Cooperative Educational Services to roll out iPod Touch devices to students in the component districts and schools, putting parents and educators at ease.

Thousand Oaks, CA - Mobicip.com, the leading internet safety and parental control service for mobile devices like the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, partnered with the Erie 1 Board of Cooperative Educational Services, a regional public education service organization in Buffalo, NY, to safely equip iPod Touch devices with content filtering for home use in public and private schools in the region.

BOCES is an acronym for Board of Cooperative Educational Services, a regional public education service organization. Established in 1948 by the state legislature, a BOCES provides quality, cost-effective educational services to school districts in New York State. Erie 1 BOCES serves 20 component school districts surrounding the city of Buffalo.

The Erie 1 BOCES has launched a 1:1 program pilot where administrators in 16 public school districts and 15 private schools are given a school-provisioned iPod Touch. The unique program not only allows the school administrators to use the iPod Touch in school, but also allows the device to be taken off campus to continue to be able to access and perform a variety of administrative tasks. Through the iPod Touch pilot, school and district administrators were able to explore and experience the Internet, App Store, music, videos and podcasts, with safe school-generated and approved content to gain first-hand insight about the appropriateness and practicality of integrating mobile devices in the classroom.

Mobicip’s internet safety and parental control service allows educators to embrace new technology while ensuring a safe learning and secure learning environment. “We are thrilled with the Mobicip application,” says Jenny Conklin, Erie 1 BOCES Professional Developer, who is in charge of the program pilot. “The superintendents in the school districts have been very impressed with the simple, easy to use web interface that allows them to monitor the Internet activity by users and customize the filtering settings. The Mobicip team has been very helpful and supportive as we went through a trial period and decided to use Mobicip for this pilot program.”

After a careful review of available online security options, Erie 1 BOCES selected Mobicip's Safe Browser app and web-based monitoring service for this pilot due to the high quality of the app and Internet filter. Mobicip’s service ensures CIPA-compliance, supports school acceptable use policy, and is an eRate eligible vendor.

"Mobicip.com was launched with a vision to serve the needs of mobile learning in K-12 education. We have been amazed by the rapid adoption of the iPod Touch in schools, and more so by the innovative uses that educators have come up with for the device and applications like Mobicip," says Suren Ramasubbu, Founder and CEO of Mobicip.com. "Mobicip's service is being used by thousands of parents around the world, and the fact that it has been selected for use in this pilot at Erie 1 BOCES is a testament to its capabilities."

The Safe Browser app is available on the iPhone App Store, and the service is available at www.Mobicip.com. The full press release is available at www.Mobicip.com/press.

About Mobicip Web Filtering and Dynamic Parental Control Software
Mobicip is a powerful internet filtering and parental control software designed specifically to work with mobile devices.  Parents and Educators use Mobicip’s custom web filtering so kids and teens can use the Internet safely, securely and specific to their age, interests and parent/educator requirements.  The Safe Browser iPhone app is the most popular parental control app on the iPhone App store.  Learn more about Mobicip at www.Mobicip.com.
 

This video shows how you can use Mobicip's Premium Web Monitor to keep an eye on your kids or students Internet activity on the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad.
 

Mobicip Safe Browser was ranked #3 on the Babble Top 50 iPhone App for Moms list!  Mobicip was also ranked #1 in the Creative and Practical category.  Babble is the fastest growing website for moms, with over 4 millions moms visiting the hippest parenting site in the US every month. Here is a link to the review: http://www.babble.com/mom/parenting-top-50/50-best-iphone-apps-for-moms-safe-browser/ 

You can also read the review below:

"The Safe Browser from Mobicip gives you an alternative to Safari on your iPhone. It’s a fabulous way to monitor and restrict what your children are allowed to access on the internet via the phone. You can select a filtering level based on your child’s age, and each filtering level allows different types of content to come through the browser. The Elementary School level is the most restrictive, High School the least. The app uses real-time filtering in a way that doesn’t noticeably slow down the internet response time. Safe Browser comes with preset bookmarks to kid-friendly websites and your children can add in additional bookmarks of their own. They can perform Google searches, but the results are restricted by the safety filters that you have established. These features are all included in the price of the app. For an additional $9.99 a year, you can upgrade to a premium subscription, letting you control the Safe Browser restrictions through a website and monitor multiple users on multiple devices. You can blacklist certain websites and whitelist (permit) others. The premium subscription provides reports on the different users you are monitoring. You can see how long they were on the internet, what websites they visited, which ones were blocked and why they were blocked. Safe Browser gives you the ability to protect your children from the nasty side of the internet."

Suren Ramasubbu, mobile Internet safety expert and CEO of Mobicip.com, the leader in Internet filtering and parental controls for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad shared the following about protecting your children's privacy online:

“While Apple and Google provide some of the most innovative tools for improving education and communication, they recently declined to participate in the Congressional hearing on children’s web privacy. With these 2 major players showing a lack of interest in protecting children's privacy online, it's more important than ever for parents and educators to be proactive and have the tools necessary to enable children to surf the web safely. As the web quickly becomes more mobile and accessible with the iPhone and iPod Touch, and now the iPad, parents will surely need help protecting their children from the new wave of Internet hazards stemming from mobility. Both parents and educators must take advantage of mobile Internet safety solutions that allow them to track usage, filter content, and ensure kids and teens can use the Internet safely and securely while on the go.”

Suren Ramasubbu, mobile Internet safety expert and CEO of Mobicip.com, the leader in Internet filtering and parental controls for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad shared the following about iPad's popularity:

“Apple’s iPad is selling faster than the iPhone and industry experts project that it will have sold 1.5 million units by June. While the iPad is a revolutionary device that will surely transform how kids and teens interact with the Internet and enhance the social and educational benefits of the Web, parents and educators need to be aware of the hazards that young people can encounter online. The potential perils especially affect young children and teens, who start using mobile devices much earlier than their parents, who need to know how to ensure that their kids learn safe and responsible use of all mobile devices.  With Apple’s iPad quickly becoming the fastest selling consumer product, parents of today’s mobile kids need to encourage positive dialogue about Internet safety. This includes taking advantage of mobile Internet safety solutions designed to ensure kids and teens are securely and responsibly using their iPhones – and now iPads -  wherever they go.”

Ann Jeanette Patton, a Comal Independent School District Teacher and an ELL and exploratory Spanish teacher at Mountain Valley Middle School in Canyon Lake, TX, gave a spontaneous and unsolicited testimonial about Mobicip's safe browser app!  Ms. Patton has over 30 years of teaching experience and we appreciate her taking the time to share the importance of educational institutions taking responsibility of their iPod Touches and iPhones educational programs so their students can safely use their mobile devices to learn.  Mobicip’s dynamic content filtering allows kids and teens to safely learn, love and use the mobile web - anytime, anywhere.

Ms. Patton shares: “I would like to comment on the importance of a restricted internet service, not parental controls, but Institutional controls on what students can get access to. Had we not had a restricted internet service like Mobicip, I wouldn’t have allowed them in the room as a tool, because of the monitoring that would have had to have occurred and plus they couldn’t have taken them (iPod's) home. So, I very much strongly affirm that Mobicip is an integral part of this process."