Menu
Amazon adds remote access feature to FreeTime parental controls
This piece of news may be a welcome one for Amazon users who have kids -- the tech giant is rolling out a new update for its Parent Dashboard in Amazon FreeTime that should allow parents to better manage their kid’s mobile usage, remotely from their smartphone, tablet, or even personal computer.
More than half a decade old now, the FreeTime Unlimited service from Amazon has set an example for others with regards to the proper way of marrying children friendly content with profiles that can be personalized and more importantly, parental controls. Now, moms and dads not only can track and manage their child’s mobile usage, but also set time restrictions and learning goals every day, as well as monitor handset activity, while of course, granting kids the opportunity to enjoy access age appropriate content in the form of video clips, mobile apps, games, and even books.
It was last year when Amazon had first launched the Parent Dashboard, which parents can take full advantage of when it comes to managing their child’s mobile usage. Another cool thing about the Parent Dashboard feature is that it allows grown ups to initiate conversations with their kid, especially with regards to what their child is watching or reading while using their mobile device. And because the Parent Dashboard comes with tools for generating reports of a kid’s daily mobile usage, and activity history (which videos were viewed, which apps were used, which games were played, and which books were read), it lets moms and dads have a better grasp of what types of media their kid is consuming.
While it is true that every parent would want to know what his child is doing while using smartphones and tablet devices at all times, this is actually easier said than done, and not always that simple. Amazon had commissioned a study conducted by Kelton Global Research, and the results of that research effort indicated that while practically all of the parents (97 percent) are currently managing their child’s mobile usage, a full three fourths of these parents do not like the idea of having to hover over their child each and every time.
Thankfully, Amazon has found a way to deal with this -- it now lets parents configure the parental controls by remote access from the online Parent Dashboard. This way, they can manage their kid’s mobile usage without visible interference. Conveniently, the parental controls are made identical to those found on the kid’s device. Moreover, parents are also free to remotely update the list of content that can be accessed by their kid, and even lock or unlock the handset for a limited period of time.
Related posts: