When Kirstie Allsopp revealed that she had smashed her children’s iPads after they were caught playing the popular games Fortnite and PUBG it’s fair to say the response on social media was considerable.
Parents either riled against Allsopp’s apparent disregard for £800 worth of technology while others expressed their shared frustration in tackling the gaming phenomenon that has got kids hooked.
In fact the backlash was so great that Allsopp has now deactivated her Twitter account. Thankfully, there is another way of stopping your kids play Fortnite and no, it doesn’t involve smashing their iPad to bits.
All iPads and iPhones have parental controls called Restrictions. These allow you to set a PIN number which then locks your children from accessing certain games, buying in-app purchases or even just setting the volume too high.
Turning it on is really simple and as long as you keep the PIN to yourself it should prove to be an invaluable tool in helping manage your children’s screen time.
How to set restrictions on your iPad:
On your child’s iPad, head to Settings and then within General you’ll see a setting called Restrictions.
Note: When iOS 12 launches Restrictions will be found within a new section called Screen Time. It’s exactly the same functionality it has just been moved.
Once you’re within Restrictions tap on Enable Restrictions at the top and you’ll be prompted to enter in a four-digit PIN number. You’ll be asked to enter it twice and then you’ll have access to the full range of the iPad’s parental controls.
Note: It goes without saying that the whole system is based around your kids not knowing the PIN so above all make sure it can’t be guessed and if needs be change it once every few months.
Now if you want to stop your kids playing Fortnite or PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) you’ll need to scroll down to where it says Apps.
You’ll now have the option to set a maximum age-rating on the apps and games that your kids can play. Fortnite has an age rating of 12+ while PUBG has an age rating of 17+. To disable access to both simply make sure that neither have ticks next to them.
Press the Home Button and you’ll see that Fortnite, PUBG and any other game or app with a rating of 12+ or above will have disappeared. To make them reappear simply head back to Restrictions and tap Allow All Apps.
It really is that straightforward.