A Safer Internet on Apple Devices

*March 14, 2016

It has come to my attention in updating this article that, in a year, many of the apps have changed drastically, so you can find a new updated post here.

I could likely spend an entire post talking about how incredibly ridiculous it would be for parents not to do what they can to monitor the Internet activity of their kids and teens. Statistically, 9 out of 10 children between the ages of 8 and 16 have viewed pornography on the Internet, and my assumption is that the one child who says he/she hasn't is probably lying about it. Here's the deal, if you have a device (computer, phone, tablet, TV, video game system) that connects to the Internet and is unprotected, and you have a kid over 8, you've likely got a porn addict under your roof. Porn is pervasive and can be freely viewed either on purpose or by accident with just one click. While it, sadly, might be foolish to believe that we can sanitize the Internet and completely prevent our kids from viewing pornographic content, as parents, we need to do everything we can to protect the innocence of our kids and have an accountability relationship with them. You can read more about the importance of accountability from a biblical perspective (both as kids and adults) in this article I wrote.

If you are an adult who wants to be accountable to someone for your online viewing habits, or if you're a parent who is more interested in having that kind of relationship with your kids (as opposed to simply blocking pornographic websites), an Apple device probably isn't your best choice. On a computer or Android device, there are a ton of great low-cost options that monitor your online viewing and report inappropriate websites to a trusted friend or parent, but on an iPhone or iPad, choosing to be accountable often means giving up some of the ease of Internet browsing. For the most part, this is because you'll need to shut down "Safari" in order to use a browser that has safe searching or accountability built into it. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't allow other browsers to operate the way that Safari does. Alternate browsers don't have all of the bells and whistles you'll find in Safari, and can sometimes be a tad buggy and less intuitive. For one example, outside of Safari, you'll be unable to click on a hyperlink in an email and have it automatically open in your browser. When using an alternate browser you would have to "long-tap" on the link to copy it and then paste it in the browser app's address bar. For a lot of people this limitation would be a deal breaker, so it might be reason enough to look at an Android device.

In this post, I've endeavored to let Apple users know about some options to create a safer Internet for themselves and their kids specifically on iPhones and iPads. As someone who has used accountability apps for years (my wife actually gets email reports if I view any website that's flagged as inappropriate), I have researched and used many of the options I list below. I really want to encourage you to ensure that devices that your kids use have some degree of monitoring set up on them. I also want to encourage you, as adults, to find someone you trust who you can be accountable to. It's as easy as approaching a friend (or spouse) and telling them that you've made a commitment to be accountable for all of your online viewing, asking them to be your accountability partner. You can have email reports sent to them so that if they spot something that looks questionable, they can challenge you on it and encourage you towards purity.

1. Apple's Built-In Restrictions

If you are using an Apple device that has ios7 or newer on it, you can restrict pornographic content. If you want to continue using Safari on your device, this is the only option available to you.
Go to Settings > General > Restrictions > Allowed Content > Websites and then select "Limit Adult Content". It is important that you set a Restrictions password that your kids don't have access to and can't easily guess. If you're an adult who wishes to have your access to adult sites blocked, it means having an accountability partner set the Restrictions password on your device so that you can't easily deactivate the filter. Under the Restrictions settings, you can disable the Restrictions password and then have your accountability partner re-enable it with a new one.

Cons: Apple's built-in settings only filter pornographic content, they don't include any kind of accountability feature that would email a parent or accountability partner with a list of questionable sites that were viewed. This is a great option if you have kids, but if you're an adult, a web filter may block things that aren't inappropriate (for example, a filter might block this blog because I talk about pornography, even though it doesn't contain any questionable content). I am also uncertain if the restrictions apply to ANY browser on the device or if they only apply to Safari. If I find this out, I'll update my post. In the meantime, in order to prevent another browser from being downloaded, go to General > Restrictions > and then under "Allowed Content" select "12+" (New browsers are always rated as 17+). Again, if you're an adult who wants to prevent your own access to porn, it means having your accountability partner set this restriction with a password that only they have access to.

2. Qustodio

This app acts as a content filter AND accountability app on iOS, and best of all, it has a FREE version that covers one user. On the website, you can set up a free account with a username and password and then install the safe browser on your Apple device. On the website you can select and name your device, choose an avatar, and select the extent of filtering you would like. You can choose for content to be blocked, you can choose an "alert" feature so that a list of questionable sites would be emailed to your accountability partner, or you can opt for both features. You can also choose to receive daily or weekly reports. If you're an adult wanting to use it for yourself, after it's set up, you would need to get your accountability partner to change the account email address and password so that only they have access to your browsing history and can receive reports. This app also has the ability to track the location of your device (on the Premium version), which might be handy if you have young kids, but you can also turn this option off. I've used this app on an old iPod running ios 6, and it does a pretty great job of monitoring and reporting. While Qustodio is free for one user on one device, you can upgrade to Premium for an annual cost (in March, 2016 a 1 year license for 5 devices was $33.95).

Cons: As with all accountability/filtering apps, it means that you must disable Safari and use their own web browser that has a few limitations. The Qustodio browser doesn't have the ability to open up multiple browser tabs and while you CAN bookmark pages, it doesn't have any option within the app to access or browse your history. Another issue is that when you select and name your device, you have to choose from several cartoon child avatars. It's fine if you're setting it up for a child, but if you're setting it up as an adult to be accountable to another adult, it's unnecessarily childish. The avatar is only listed beside your device in the Qustodio settings, so only your accountability partner could view it. If using the Qustodio browser, you will have to ensure that your accountability partner is the only one with your device's restrictions password and that your "Allowable Content" is set at 12+ so you can't download alternate browsers.

3. X3Watch

X3watch (created by xxxChurch) is a well-known accountability app for PC, iOS and Android devices. While mobile device users once had to pay a small one-time fee for the app, it is now free on iOS. The free version offers no web filtering, but is purely an accountability app that sends an email to a friend/spouse which lists questionable websites and reports whether you tried to circumvent the app. The Pro version is $6.99 per month or $64.99 a year, which you may not feel is necessary, but if you like the extra features like instant email alerts and web blocking along with accountability, the Pro version is half of the cost of options like Covenant Eyes (see below). I used to plug X3Watch a lot with my students and friends. As a pastor, I always found it hard to "sell" the importance of accountability when it meant subscribing monthly or annually at a hefty price. While I appreciate similar services that require a subscription, I will always side more with free or low-cost options, and X3Watch certainly offers this.

Cons: Like all other alternate browsers, you will need to disable Safari and restrict the ability to install other browsers to use this app. One of the biggest factors that would keep me from wholeheartedly recommending the app today is that, if you read their App Store reviews, you'll see a string of disappointed users who complain of problems with the built-in browser crashing and not getting responses from tech support. I've actually experienced these problems myself in the past. Because I haven't used this app for a couple of years, I haven't had any experience with it on an iOS device running iOS 7 or 8, but the browser doesn't work all that well on older devices (like my iPod running iOS 6). My best advice is that if accountability is what you're looking for, give the free version a test drive.

4. Covenant Eyes

Covenant Eyes has a pretty awesome reputation for providing web filtering and accountability. They also have a great twitter feed that offers resources and blog posts that I've followed for years.

Cons: Their service is just far too expensive for me to recommend. Because of the high cost, I've never used the browser (like other options, you need to disable Safari and use their own web browser) and can't really speak to how well it works as an alternate to Safari.  Currently, subscription prices are $9/month for a single user or $13.99/month for a family. I get it, they need to stay funded so that they can keep up with changes in technology, but for families that can't afford the expenditure or students who don't have an income of their own, this service is a hard sell. I would be much more prone to recommend them if an annual subscription was cheaper or if you could make a one-time purchase with no subscription.

5. Accountable 2 You

This app doesn't feature any web filtering, but reports all of your online activity to an accountability partner. On the plus side, the price is definitely more reasonable than Covenant Eyes with a subscription cost of $5/month which covers an unlimited number of devices. I have read a few positive reviews of the app working well, but haven't had any experience using it myself. "Accountable 2 You" offers a 10 day free trial so that you can test the browser to see if it's worth paying for.

Cons: The iOS browser doesn't have great customer reviews on iTunes (to be honest, I don't think I've seen any safe browser or accountability app on iTunes with a 5 star rating). Like other apps, to use Accountable 2 You, you'll need to disable Safari to use their own web browser.

6. Net Nanny

Net Nanny offers both filtering and accountability options for a one-time cost of $5 per iOS device. The price is certainly right, and Net Nanny has a pretty solid reputation, having been around for years.

Cons: Like some of the other options above, the Net Nanny browser doesn't have glowing customer reviews on iTunes and requires you to disable Safari. They don't offer a free trial on iOS devices, so there is the potential risk at purchasing a dud, although $5 won't make a huge dent in your wallet. For me, one of the biggest drawbacks is that the name of the app is a tad childish. While they market themselves as a way for adults to be accountable online, having and using a browser called "Net Nanny" could be potentially embarrassing.

7. Mobicip

Mobicip has made some great improvements to their look over the years. Both their website and app have a real professional feel to them. The free version only provides web filtering through their "safe browser" app. To get accountability options, you would need to pay $39.99 per year for the Premium version which covers up to 5 devices. The service is quite affordable, and you can ask them for a a free trial of their Premium version to give it a try, but the trial didn't give me enough experience with the app for me to be able to solidly recommend it. I'm also uncertain as to whether you can disengage the filter and only utilize the accountability feature on the app. I will say that it's browser features are better than the Qustodio app, so Mobicip is definitely worth giving a try.

Cons: If you're just wanting a safe browser, using the iOS built-in web filtering would be a better option. If you're interested in accountability, it's quite affordable, but I would recommend trying out the free version and then asking for a free trial of their Premium version to see how well you like the app before shelling out the $40.

8. Lion Accountability Browser

New to 2016 is the Lion Accountability Browser. Currently it's only available for iPhones or iPods running ios 8 and up, but will also be available for iPads in Spring, 2016. The app is currently on sale on iTunes at a very reasonable one-time cost of $5.99 per device, although there is no free trial to test it out for yourself before buying. They are promoting the app as being extremely simple to set up and use with no subscription fees, upgrades, or in-app purchases, and no sign-up forms or registration. Simply purchase and download the app and set up as many accountability partners as you wish. The reason the developers created this browser was because they saw a need in the market for an accountability app that didn't suffer from poor performance. I have not given it a try myself, so only time (and reviews) will tell if they have succeeded in this regard.

Cons: Like in the cases above, you would need to set up your device to use Lion by disabling Safari and restricting the ability to download other browsers. This is particularly important because the app doesn't alert accountability partners if the app is disabled (but it will notify partners if they are removed from receiving notifications in Spring 2016).
 

Your Feedback

If you use one of these, or a different accountability app or safe browser for your Apple device, I would love to hear your experience with it. Please leave a comment and tell me what you think. Also, if you found this post to be helpful, it would be great to hear from you. I will periodically make updates to this post so that it's an ongoing resource to you.

Is Church an Elective for You and Your Family?

Is Church an Elective for You and Your Family?

I read a pretty fantastic blog post that asked the question, "What happens when parents and kids see youth group simply as an elective". I highly recommend reading it, as I think it highlights a growing concern.
  

Hebrews 10:25 says, "Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord’s coming is getting closer". (CEV)

There used to be a time when getting together as the church was a non-negotiable. It was something cemented in our schedules. These days, however, I think there's a lot of truth in this statement:

"Church, youth group, and actually any spiritual discipline are firmly on the bottom of the pecking order.  This means that if homework, sports, vacation, being tired, practice, fill in the blank, don't conflict then, both students and their parents might consider attending some gathered Christian event like church or youth group".

As a pastor, I don't want to see people regularly being a part of the church or youth group because I get paid according to the size of the crowd. No, it's because we live in a world that is jam-packed with things that pull us away from a healthy relationship with God. The support and encouragement that we receive from a Christian community, is, according to the writer of Hebrews, something we can't live without.

The one place where I find myself disagreeing with the above blog post, is that in it, the author says that, "Most Christian adults...can take months or years off of church and fellowship and still have a mostly intact faith". I don't know about you, but in over 13 years of pastoral ministry, I don't think I ever met anyone with that kind of attendance record who I would describe as a growing, thriving Christian. The simple truth is that, when we meet together as the church, we foster friendships with people who we can encourage, challenge and be accountable to. It's a place where we come together to receive solid Bible-based teaching and are prompted to actually apply it to our lives. It's a place where we can worship God together like a crowd cheering on their team at a hockey game. It's a place where we can be prayed for and where we can pray for others. It's a place where we can serve and help others get introduced to Jesus.

In the Old Testament, God asked the people of Israel to not shave their beards and to stay away from bacon as a sign that they were different. Today, simply the act of getting up in the morning and heading to church makes a statement. It screams out loudly to your neighbors, your co-workers, and your pillow that God is important to you.

Your commitment to being a part of the church also communicates something important to your kids. Children, teens and young adults are immersed in a culture that largely cares nothing about knowing or following Jesus. Let's face it, they need all of the help and support that they can get. When we, as parents, treat church as an elective, how can we expect our kids to make any kind of solid commitment? When kids and teens aren't a part of church community, they begin to feel distant and lose their sense of belonging. When those social and spiritual ties are broken, it can be almost impossible to repair them. I've often encouraged teens that, before they leave high school, they need to make a commitment that no matter where they go to college or university, no matter how much a job is willing to pay them, they need to be unwaveringly committed to Christian community. I wish I could say that those words sink in to even half of those teens.

Parents, I want to encourage you, make meeting together as the church a HABIT for your family. Make it a non-negotiable. Talk to your kids about why you go to church on Sunday mornings when most of your neighbors are sleeping in. Model for your kids what it means to be a growing, serving, Jesus-follower. Don't be so quick to allow sports, homework, or a job trump the spiritual health of your children and teenagers.

See you on Sunday!