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This is because software engineers never actually use devices that have parental controls enabled. Most parents either don’t enable the controls, or never use d

This is because software engineers never actually use devices that have parental controls enabled. Most parents either don’t enable the controls, or never use devices while those controls are active. It’s a user experience that is not tested in real world conditions very much. And the people that do experience it, children, obviously don’t want it enabled whether it works or not. They’re not going to go reporting bugs, lol! What parents consider bugs are actually features for the children. Only the kind of adult that wrote this blog post actually uses devices that have parental controls enabled, and sees how they actually work. The author suggests that companies should make their parental controls work to stave off government regulation. I think there’s actually a midway solution. I don’t want to see a government put its hand on the wheel and do the controls themselves. Instead, the government should regulate the companies and use the force of law to get them to make their parental controls work. Create a standard for parental control features that must be offered, tested, and working. If a platform doesn’t have the controls available that actually work, then you can’t sell it. If a government tells Apple it can’t sell iPhones until it fixes these problems with screen time, or that Nintendo can’t sell switches until it fixes their issues, then you can be damn sure they’ll be fixed within the week.

tradertef 3y ago
>>Only the kind of adult that wrote this blog post actually uses devices that have parental controls enabled, and sees how they actually work. It seems he is 21 years old :)
hotnfresh 3y ago
> This is because software engineers never actually use devices that have parental controls enabled. Yeah, it’s super-obvious. In many cases they’ve put work into implementing crap that’s useless without a lot more work to add more features… or they could have done something much simpler and it’d at least be a lot better than what they’ve actually done.
- VincentEvans 3y ago
  After apple moved iphone power button from the top to the side of the device - most times i try to turn off my phone one-handed - i take a screenshot instead. My camera roll is full of screenshots of my lock screen and occasional random website. I was going to say - do they use their own devices? But if they don’t - what do they use? I mean it’s an iphone…
  - lotsofpulp 3y ago
    Perhaps it was a tradeoff they consciously made to benefit elsewhere in the design.
    - VincentEvans 3y ago
      Considering how much this change annoys me - it’d make me feel better if I could tell what that benefit was. Same goes for removing the home physical button. I hear they are coming for the physical mute toggle next.
  - nine_k 3y ago
    Cynically: you should not want to switch off your device, at least not often, so this function is deprioritized. If you want it off for reasons other than long-term storage, something in the design is lacking.
    - TeMPOraL 3y ago
      Software this complex needs regular reboots to clear caches and resource leaks. Also many venues like cinemas, theaters or planetariums require you to turn the phone off for the duration of the performance. Also you may need to save battery, e.g. on a long trip with no way to charge the phone.
      - medstrom 3y ago
        Where has someone asked you to turn it off? IME, cinemas/theaters would at most ask you to enable airplane mode or silent mode and to not use the phone, but turning it off is an unnecessary step. To save battery on a long trip, I combine airplane mode with low-power mode. Then my iPhone 8's battery level does not move.
pyuser583 3y ago
Simply requiring the parental control API to be open to third parties is enough. I use third party controls, it they’re just a VPN (on Apple devices). Severe limits there.
nirui 3y ago
> This is because software engineers never actually use devices that have parental controls enabled Well, I do. Back when I was ~13 years-old I tried to block one of my parent from visiting gambling sites with the parental control feature in Internet Explorer ~6 so they can't download virus, and I do have Software Engineer in my job title. Unless of course by "software engineers" you specifically mean the period of life after one been granted with that title, then in that case you won. Of course, my parental control efforts never worked. As many security researchers has suggested in many different ways, it is hard to deploy security if the attacker can touch the hardware. One's parent can just pay someone to reinstall the OS, removing every trace of your security measures along with all the projects that you've saved on that computer. In addition to that, the parent could also administer a reasonable dose of beating enough to convince you to not deploy any similar measures on the newly installed pirated OS ever again, and given the fact that the OS is already preloaded with adware and viruses, there is no point of doing that anyways, so you give up with them.
- medstrom 3y ago
  Love that story! Parental controls: for controlling your parent. I guess in that mode, it would additionally have to disguise itself or just pretend network errors, so the child does not get a beating.
  - Nullabillity 3y ago
    In a sane society, beating your kids is an express one-way ticket to being an ex-parent.
    - medstrom 3y ago
      Yes of course, but sub in any other kind of punishment then.

tradertef 3y ago

>>Only the kind of adult that wrote this blog post actually uses devices that have parental controls enabled, and sees how they actually work. It seems he is 21 years old :)

hotnfresh 3y ago

> This is because software engineers never actually use devices that have parental controls enabled. Yeah, it’s super-obvious. In many cases they’ve put work into implementing crap that’s useless without a lot more work to add more features… or they could have done something much simpler and it’d at least be a lot better than what they’ve actually done.

VincentEvans 3y ago
After apple moved iphone power button from the top to the side of the device - most times i try to turn off my phone one-handed - i take a screenshot instead. My camera roll is full of screenshots of my lock screen and occasional random website. I was going to say - do they use their own devices? But if they don’t - what do they use? I mean it’s an iphone…
- lotsofpulp 3y ago
  Perhaps it was a tradeoff they consciously made to benefit elsewhere in the design.
  - VincentEvans 3y ago
    Considering how much this change annoys me - it’d make me feel better if I could tell what that benefit was. Same goes for removing the home physical button. I hear they are coming for the physical mute toggle next.
- nine_k 3y ago
  Cynically: you should not want to switch off your device, at least not often, so this function is deprioritized. If you want it off for reasons other than long-term storage, something in the design is lacking.
  - TeMPOraL 3y ago
    Software this complex needs regular reboots to clear caches and resource leaks. Also many venues like cinemas, theaters or planetariums require you to turn the phone off for the duration of the performance. Also you may need to save battery, e.g. on a long trip with no way to charge the phone.
    - medstrom 3y ago
      Where has someone asked you to turn it off? IME, cinemas/theaters would at most ask you to enable airplane mode or silent mode and to not use the phone, but turning it off is an unnecessary step. To save battery on a long trip, I combine airplane mode with low-power mode. Then my iPhone 8's battery level does not move.

pyuser583 3y ago

Simply requiring the parental control API to be open to third parties is enough. I use third party controls, it they’re just a VPN (on Apple devices). Severe limits there.

nirui 3y ago

> This is because software engineers never actually use devices that have parental controls enabled Well, I do. Back when I was ~13 years-old I tried to block one of my parent from visiting gambling sites with the parental control feature in Internet Explorer ~6 so they can't download virus, and I do have Software Engineer in my job title. Unless of course by "software engineers" you specifically mean the period of life after one been granted with that title, then in that case you won. Of course, my parental control efforts never worked. As many security researchers has suggested in many different ways, it is hard to deploy security if the attacker can touch the hardware. One's parent can just pay someone to reinstall the OS, removing every trace of your security measures along with all the projects that you've saved on that computer. In addition to that, the parent could also administer a reasonable dose of beating enough to convince you to not deploy any similar measures on the newly installed pirated OS ever again, and given the fact that the OS is already preloaded with adware and viruses, there is no point of doing that anyways, so you give up with them.

medstrom 3y ago
Love that story! Parental controls: for controlling your parent. I guess in that mode, it would additionally have to disguise itself or just pretend network errors, so the child does not get a beating.
- Nullabillity 3y ago
  In a sane society, beating your kids is an express one-way ticket to being an ex-parent.
  - medstrom 3y ago
    Yes of course, but sub in any other kind of punishment then.