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Hello Sunnyside! After teaching in Southeast Portland for 25 years, I founded Mindful Media in 2020 to help parents create healthy technology habits with their families. I’m also the mom of a teenager, so I know just how difficult it is to parent in the screen age. I’m happy to share a Mindful Media Tech Tip with you!
Let’s talk about “starter phones”—an idea that has been getting more traction lately. A “starter phone” is like a learner’s permit, a stepping stone for kids and tweens so they can have a more gradual introduction to smartphone ownership. Many of us are wishing that our kids and tweens could have a way to communicate with friends and family without the worry of handing them a device that allows them to instantly download addictive apps – gaming, social media, porn and AI companions.
There are several good “starter phone” options out there. Some of them are Gabb, Troomi and Pinwheel. However, these phones can be expensive, require difficult set-up, and are often not supported by the common cellular networks.
For families who use iPhones, there’s an easy starter phone solution that isn’t getting enough press. It’s called Assistive Access. (Not to be confused with “Guided Access”.) Originally designed to make iPhones friendlier and safer for folks with cognitive disabilities, Assistive Access offers a perfect way to set up a starter phone so that it has exactly what you want on it and nothing that you don’t. Best of all, even the most tech savvy kids and tweens can’t circumvent it.
On my website (mindful-media.net), go to the “Solutions” page and scroll to the bottom. Click on “Parental Controls That Actually Work” to learn how to set up Assistive Access.
Benefits of Assistive Access:
• You can pass an old iPhone on to your child, instead of having to buy a
new, expensive starter phone from Gabb or Pinwheel. As long as your old
iPhone runs iOS 17 or later, it has Assistive Access.
• You get to decide exactly what goes on the phone, so it grows with your child. You can start by making it a phone that just calls and texts (or just calls). When your child is older, you can add other apps as you see fit, and eventually remove Assistive Access all together.
• No confusing Parent Portal. No tricky setup. It’s the easiest parental control I’ve ever used.
• It works with whatever cell phone carrier you have.
• Unlike starter phones like Gabb, you can try it on your own iPhone first, and see if you like it. If you don’t, you haven’t spent a dime.
• An iPhone using Assistive Access looks just like any other iPhone so
there’s usually less pushback from kids about “not fitting in” like there is with a flip phone.
• Assistive Access can be used on its own, or used along with the iPhone Parental Controls.
• You can also use Assistive Access on iPads that run iOS17 or later.
Tips:
• To make sure your child can’t remove Assistive Access, set the passcode
when they’re not with you.
• Pick a passcode that they can’t guess no matter how hard they try. I like to
use the last 4 digits of my childhood best friend’s phone number.
• You can buy a refurbished, inexpensive iPhone on backmarket.com. (Just
make sure it runs iOS 17 or later). This is where we bought my son’s first
phone, which was great because he dropped it in the toilet the first week!
Have a question or a topic you’d like the next Tech Tip to cover? Email me at: [email protected].
