The Wired Homeschool

If you own an iOS device of any kind (iPod/iPad/iPhone) you’ve probably got iTunes installed on on your home computer.  iTunes is Apple’s portal to managing content (music, videos, apps, books) on all their devices.  Whether you’re using iTunes on OS X or Windows, there are valuable tools at your disposal for managing the content you allow your children to download, view, and purchase.

In part one of this series on iTunes and iOS, I’ll be covering allowances.  Specifically, how you can give your child a monthly iTunes allowance and prevent them from draining your checking account with purchases. Future topics in this series will include iOS restrictions and iTunes parental controls.

Prerequisites

1. Install the latest version of iTunes on your computer.
2. You need an iTunes Store account (Apple ID) with a credit card associated with it. If you don’t have one, create a new account.
3. You will need to create an Apple ID for your child. That means they need an email address. If your child isn’t ready for email then create a GMail, Yahoo Mail, or Hotmail acount and forward it to your own email address.

Setup an iTunes Allowance Account

1. Open iTunes and got to the Store.
2. Click “Buy iTunes Gifts” from the Quick Links section on the right.
3. Click “Set up an allowance now” (you may need to scroll down).
4. Enter the requested information on the page.
5. Enter your password when/if requested.

Configure the iOS Device

1. Open the App Store on your iOS device.
2. Tap “Featured” at the bottom and scroll down.
3. Tap Sign In.
4. Enter the Apple ID with the monthly allowance.

Additional Considerations

1. When setting up an allowance, you are agreeing to give your child between $10-$50 per month to spend in iTunes. You may consider a one-time gift card as an alternative.
2. You should consider enabling content restrictions on the device and in iTunes (these topics will be covered in future podcasts).
3. No system is fool-proof so check what your kids are doing with their iOS device regularly.

Other things mentioned in this podcast

The Hunger Games – A Homeschool Dad’s Movie Review
Taming the Techno-Beast Review
App Review – Angry Birds Space

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Music: Poofy Reel by Kevin Macleod.

The Wired Homeschool is a proud member of the Tech Podcast Network. For more family-friendly tech podcasts visit techpodcasts.com