We got great feedback from our first app review in the inaugural edition of Ascent on the built-in feature of iOS called “Do Not Disturb”—which you can set automatically, or manually, to ensure that you don’t receive any chirps, dings, bells, whistles or buzzes during times that you’re wanting to focus on your family. Another fantastic built-in option on the iPhone is “Restrictions.” We’ve got four boys, and we fall to the fascist side of using technology in the house. (By the way, did you know that Steve Jobs didn’t allow his kids to play on the iPad?) Right now there’s only one boy that has an iPhone, but it doesn’t have cell service, which basically makes it an iPod Touch. A great feature to help protect your kids is called “Restrictions.” You’ll find restrictions in your settings menu under the “general” tab. Once activated, you can do things like remove Safari, restrict the purchase or download of apps, control the usage of FaceTime, set content ratings for games, songs, movies and so much more. By entering a passcode, it allows you, the parent, to set some boundaries on their devices. We’ve found it to be tremendously effective in the Sears house.
