Living with a toddler is like watching a rogue country develop
weapons of mass destruction. One day, you think your 1-year-old couldn't
possibly enrich uranium on his own, and the next he's learned how to
pull your iPod out of the nightstand drawer, turn the TV off while
you're watching it or grab your $500 tablet off your desk and bang it on
the floor.
Recently, a 14-month old in Oregon bought a vintage car on eBay when
she took her father's phone and tapped a button in the app. While my son
hasn't done any online shopping yet, he managed to turn off my wife's
desktop computer by crawling over and hitting the power button. Children
will only continue to express more interest in technology, but you can
take steps to protect your gear from the hands and mind of a preschool
pillager. Here are six ways to toddler-proof your gadgets:
1. Disable the Power Button
Whether you have a laptop that lives on your desk or a desktop tower
that sits on the floor, it's easy for your little one to press the power
button. Before you know it, your PC's shutting down and you're losing
unsaved work. In Windows 7, 8 or 8.1, you can disable the power button
by selecting Power Options in the Windows Control Panel. Then click
"Choose what the power buttons do" and select "Do Nothing" next to the
power button option.
Mac OS X doesn't have power button disabling built in, but a
third-party application called PowerBlock allows you to customize what
the power button does. However, you must have a working knowledge of
AppleScript.
2. Use a Power Strip Cover
Even if your power button is disabled, your child can still turn off
your computer by flipping a switch on your power strip or pulling out a
wire. She can also electrocute herself that way, damaging a lot more
than just your data. Fortunately, products like the Safety 1st Power
Strip Cover or Mommy's Helper Power Strip Safety Cover can over over all
the outlets and the switch. For under $10, this is probably one of the
best investments you can make.
3. Set a PIN or a Password on All Your Devices
Those children may be part of your family, but when it comes to your
gadgets, you must treat them like pick pockets in a subway station. If a
thief grabs your Galaxy S4, you'll want it to be locked so that he
can't get in and start reading your email or accessing your online
banking tools. By the same token, you should set a password on all your
devices — from your tablet to your desktop PC — even if they never leave
your home.
Use a strong password or long PIN rather than an unlock pattern,
because even a 1-year-old can guess that. To enable password protection
on an Android device, go to settings->Security->Lock Screen and
select Password or PIN. On iOS devices, tap
Settings>General>Passcode Lock. You can then choose a simple PIN
or longer passcode.
Don't forget to lock your devices as soon as you walk away from them.
On phones and tablets, you can usually lock by hitting the power
button. In Windows, Window key + L will force the next person who
touches the machine to log in.
4. Sign Out of Shopping Services
It's easy to understand why a toddler in Oregon was able to bid for a
car and win using the eBay app on her father's phone. Unfortunately,
eBay for mobile keeps you signed in to your account, even after you
close the app and re-open it. Amazon does the same, meaning that your
toddler could accidentally ordering anything, including a
$153,000 pet hair dryer, without your knowledge
You can protect your shopping accounts on mobile by actively signing
out when you are done and, in the case of eBay, by making sure that your
PayPal account doesn't have the "Keep me Signed In" box checked.
5. Use a Rugged Case
Even though I keep a password on my phone, there's still plenty of
opportunity for my son to destroy it. Any time I put the phone down on a
table or lay it down next to me on the couch, he can run over, grab it
and start banging it against the wood floor — just to see what kind of
sound it makes.
Fortunately, there are many rugged phone and tablet cases that can
take a licking and keep on ticking. Lifeproof, Ballistic and Otterbox
all make extremely sturdy cases that can withstand a serious fall or
even a dunking. For example, the $80 Ballistic Hydra case for the iPhone
5 can survive an 8-foot drop or 30 minutes under water.
6. Set Up Parental Controls
If you are going to let your child use your smartphone, tablet or
laptop, you'll want to enable parental controls so that she doesn't open
applications or visits sites you wouldn't want her to see. Every
operating system has different child-protection options. In iOS, you can
find the restrictions menu under Settings->General. On Android, you
may prefer to install a child-friendly environment such as Kytephone,
which only shows certain apps.
Windows 8 and 8.1 allow you to create restricted child accounts, and
Windows Phone has a special Kids Corner environment that houses only
apps you approve. Both
Amazon Kindle Fire and
Nook HD
tablets also provide restricted modes for kids. Amazon's Kindle
FreeTime feature lets you select appropriate content and apps, as well
as set usage time limits for your child.
