How to be Mean Using Technology: A Tutorial on Making Your Kid Stay on the Same Old Boring App No Matter How Many Foot Selfies She's Already Posted to Facebook and Snapchat: | Do Try This at Home: How to be Mean Using Technology: A Tutorial on Making Your Kid Stay on the Same Old Boring App No Matter How Many Foot Selfies She's Already Posted to Facebook and Snapchat:

Wednesday, September 03, 2014

How to be Mean Using Technology: A Tutorial on Making Your Kid Stay on the Same Old Boring App No Matter How Many Foot Selfies She's Already Posted to Facebook and Snapchat:

Some of you may already be aware that The Boonga is quite comfortable with technology. That would probably be because she sent you a foot selfie. Or two. Or twelve...


Although not ALL of them are foot-selfies.  Some of them are quite respectable, as selfies go:


The point is, she sometimes tells me she wants to "pay emmoh" (play on the Elmo App), and I agree, setting the timer for a reasonable 10 or 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, she starts her phone rampage by disabling the timer and follows up with spamming the known universe with pictures of her foot.

Somewhere on the internets I found the secret to only letting her use ONE APP at a time!


It was hard enough to find that I decided to write instructions for when I forget how.  And also in case anyone else wants to know.  Sorry children of readers, but it's pretty easy:

Go to "Settings":



Then press "General":

Then "accessibility":

From there you have to scroll down kind of a long way.  Like, I thought I was on the wrong screen.  But it's there, under the balance for left and right audio volume balance.  Whoever put it that far down the screen was serious about his or her audio and was NOT the proud owner of a technology savvy toddler I'm guessing.


Then you just move the little switch thingy-me-bobber from off to on, let it guide you through entering a password, and then watch your child's utter despair as "Emmoh" refuses to grant access to the many wonders of the virtual world.



I had to turn the "Accessibility Shortcut" on (slide over to green) on the iPad, but not when I did it on my iPhone, so that part may or may not be optional.

For whatever reason, Older Gal took not just one, but TWO videos of The Boonga's anguish as I reacted in equal or greater heartache (It's HEARTBREAKING and DIFFICULT to set limits, but so very worth it):



I'm sure the internet users of the world will be falling all over themselves thanking me for the general reduction in foot-selfies.  Until The Boonga figures out my password, that is.

 Good luck parents (and teachers) of the world!!!!

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21 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for the screen shots to make it easy to find :)
This will be so useful in my future (you know, when I have kids who like foot selfies).

The Ceol Mors said...

This is a very helpful post. Now I feel like I need to actually put some apps on my phone to thwart Kitty with. :) The Boonga has very cute toes. Its okay to share that cuteness with the world.

Jill said...

FUNNY Julie V & Cid!!!!!!

Cid, I finally caved while waiting for The Sweet Pea to get out of a doctor's appointment. The Boonga was DESTROYING the waiting room and I impulsively confined her to one chair, telling her she couldn't get up until The Sweet Pea got out of her appointment.

I suddenly realized that it could be HOURS for all I knew and figured if I was going to hand the kid my phone, she might as well have an educational app to use.

Meanwhile the hospital's internet was so lousy (or Sprint was so lousy) that by the time I got done arguing with the App store, The Sweet Pea was out of her appointment!!!

MarkD60 said...

Cute selfies!

Jill said...

Thanks Mark!

Fairytales and Fitness said...

So funny how children are so "into" technology at younger and younger ages. It is good and sad all at the same time. As a teacher I had mixed feelings about this as I could never compete with whatever those kids are doing or playing on their phones!

Lara Neves said...

So this reminds me of the time when Sophia was probably the same age as The Boonga and she took photos with my phone of me getting out of the shower and SENT THEM TO MY MOTHER! At least it was my mom who got the text. And it wasn't even a smart phone, so no guided access.

This is good information, though. I am tucking it away should I need it.

Jill said...

Right Fairytales and Fitness? It's a mixed blessing for certain.

Lara, did you blog about that? I want to say that I remember it somehow. :-)

Julie S said...

Ooh that is a cool tip. I wonder. if Android phones have a similar option.

Julie @ Velvet-rose.net

Unknown said...

We did the opposite... we took FaceTime off the menu so my 2 year old wouldn't dial my sister 10 times an hour daily.

Leslie said...


WOW! I didn't even know about this. Great tutorial. Checking in from TWB. Love finding new blogs.

Jill said...

I don't know Julie! It was as very hard thing to "search" for - I finally put out a call for help to Facebook!!!!

Jena - The great thing is, this keeps them from doing that too!!!!!

Thanks Leslie!

franklyentertaining said...

I'm wondering about Android too. Until that time I go old school and just take the phone away!

MrsAshleyEm said...

I use this and LOVE it!

Anonymous said...

That is great info. Thanks for sharing

Jill said...

frainkleyentertaining - My problem is that I already have 458 pictures to delete before I really realize she has the phone! :-)

Right MrsAshleyEm?!?!?

Lewis Lane - Hope it can help!

MusingsofanAverageMom said...

Wow thanks for the tutorial! Now I won't get my phone back from my kids to find two less apps then they started with.

Jill said...

Right Kristen?!?!? This is BIG NEWS!!!!! :-)

Anonymous said...

Hey, that's pretty useful! Thanks!

Creative K Kids said...

I never knew that! Thanks for the tip! I'm so sorry I'm pinning so late. We had a co-host that had to drop out, and I'm finally getting to her links! Pinning from the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party!

Jenny Evans said...

Wow, what a great thing to know! Now I can stop my 3-year-old from destroying her older sibling's Minecraft worlds while I'm in the shower and she's supposed to be playing her Preschool ABC game. My older children thank you.

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