I have a thought to share - would like to collect your thoughts.
As a privacy-enabled system /e/ has potential to become the perfect phone for youngsters ("my first phone"). I was just wondering how this could concretely look like/what extra features could useful.
It would be a unique out-of-the-box feature in Android. iOS12 delivers something like that already out of the box.
As parent I would not want to spy on my kid (following conversations, locations etc). But I would like to control what apps he/she is able to use and for how long. I would like as well to be able to set downtimes (night time) for the devices. Ideally I would be able to control that - as a parent - on distance and get usage statistics as well, either via an app or via the /e/-cloud. Ideally, Iād be able as well to install further apps on distance.
A first step could simply be a password lock for the store (result: no further installation neither via store nor via apk possible). A second step could be to allow the setting of downtime and usage directly from the target phone (maybe from a different account). A third step could be a remote controllable thing.
I attached some screenshots from iOS to underline what I have in mind.
All this would probably be post V1.0.
I donāt like the remote controllable thing. It really creeps me out!! Isnāt it so creepy for remote spying (āwhereās my kidā) with Android?
Definitely donāt approve of thisā¦
However it could be really useful (Iām not a parentā¦ )
In addition to the āmum and dadā goal (poor Mum and Dad, always treated like silly people), a child goal could be great too. It would enlarge the target of /e/ and could be advertised as a privacy respectful OS and/or a child OS. So twice as much visibility in the press.
I imagine something like a parental control like āRestrictionsā in iOS : in the Parental control section in settings, you set the parent password then you parameter :
Available/displayed applications on the BlissLauncher.
Possibility or not to install APK.
Possibility or not to use the Camera, cellular dara, Wifi, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS.
An history of the time per application in the last 7 days which details for each day.
A limit time of use per day and/or per app per day.
A sleep time when the phone stops working (only calls and SMS would be available for pre-defined contacts, like parents for emergency).
An option to give the ability to use an app/the phone 15min more in case itās needed, but it would add this in the Parental Control tab with a āFireFox extra-time : 2ā in order to inform parents.
The ability to change the default extra-time of 15min to something else.
The ability to unlock the phone with the parent password. (Not sure about this one)
For transparancy reasons, in the Parental Control tab the child has to be able to see all the settings, but of course not be able to change them without the parent password.
But everything would be on the phone. My data is My data, even for a child. Furthermore, remote control and other stuff could make the system weaker against attack.
There is no need to have a total control over the phone to be a good parent and have a good control. You can manually check on the childās phone his messages and activity of the apps you let accessible if the child is aware of that.
Once you will have enough advice, please suggest your feature by opening an issue with all details and a link to this topic.
There may be a āoh, your parents control your phone, that is lame!ā which any marketing needs to address and circumnavigate if possible.
Privacy needs to be look and feel cool. If it can be demonstrated to other children that privacy is good. To most people and perhaps children, these data hungry apps are simply black holes where the data goes to, and it does not appear to affect their lives. Demonstrate what privacy in a day in the life of a youth with an /e/ phone Versus with a google tethered phone.
@haggisns, @donut3. it is not about spyingm rather about wellbeing. Android9/Pie is providing some features to get visibility on your own online behaviour. Visualising is a first step. Kids should see that as well (like: 5h facebook in one day might be a lotā¦). Parents should be able to see that. Parents should see that in order to start a discussion with the child.
Why I think, maipulating settings via app/cloud could be useful: if you agree with your child on 1h facebook per day and then he/she is calling you saying: āhey, execptionally, i am talkingto my grandma via FB messenger, i need an extra 15 minsā - you need to react and make it possible. So the intention is not playing the āinvisible handā. Education needs to happen face-to-face, of course, but the tool needs sufficient flexibility in order to overcome previously set limits, if necessary. This needs to be possible virtually too.
Otherwise, thanks for your feedback, I agree.
No remote control for me. What can be done is that when the phone is locked because the time of use ran out, the child can unlock it every 15min, but it would be indicate in the Parental Control tab by a āMessenger extra time : 3ā.
This would be an option in that tab.
Hi, I agree with almost everyone but I think that inserting a parental control as it was a feature of /e/ seems to me āagainstā the spirit of the project. Maybe itās better to make a list of third party apps available, maybe in a store specific section.
One thing is certain : children use phone younger and younger. Two choices :
Use a standard stock Android phone with a buggy and full of trackers parental control app
Use /e/ and its elaborate parental control.
Definitely, the /e/ solution is the best. I donāt see how it could be against /e/ spirit. It would be clearly indicate that a parental control is set, so the child (or other) would be aware in order to prevent abuse. Furthermore, there is just a time of usage per app, not a complete log of all detailed activity.
So itās not a risk for the privacy respect. And a child canāt have 100% privacy respect, parents would be unconscious in that case.
I definitively agree with @Anonyme. In respect with /e/ vision, details should stay on the kidās phone. No remote control possibility.
When I first read the topic my thought was similar to yours @VitTh. But since children use smartphone more and more in a young age, I think itās important to protect them at least a little, as a parent
If I had a child, I donāt give him a smartphone until he understands what it is and how to use it. Maybe Iāll give him a cell phone, but not a smartphone. Who would give a 5 year old child a cleaver? You can check it as long as you want but I think a cleaver is not suitable for a 5 year old child. In any case, this is a private sphere and there is no right or wrong answer.
Well I have a child, not 5 but twice as old and the pressure from classmates who have phones (many of them) is increasing. Times are changingā¦
Currently I am resistingā¦ but the point will be coming at which I have to give in (no matter when). Using properly a smartphone (and not using it) is something we all have to learn. Iād say there are lots of adults who are actually managing rather bad than right. But for kids its is our responsability - there must be some guidance combined with talking and explaining. I did not entirely made up my mind about the technical side of the thing, thatās why I am sharing my thoughts and asking for input.
I am just convinced that /e/ is the right platform and it would be great to have a feature like this being integrated into the system - out-of-the-box or as a kind of āplug-inā.
Sadly in our days, Itās hard to wait until youāre 16 to get a smartphone (why 16 ? Because I think before, most of children canāt really understand what they are doing/using).
It would definitely isolate the child from the group class or friends.
And he canāt learn if he never use it daily.
So that parental control would be a nice solution in order not to be exposed to the world and not to be completely isolated.
The parents would know what the child does so I donāt see the issue. A child need to be guided. When he will āunderstands what it ise and how to use itā, you will just have to deactivate the parental control.
Itās not surveillance, itās education. The parental control wouldnāt share high level personnal data, just basics statistics. (Actually once the parent is on the phone in order to see those statistics, he could see everything like messages etc so there is nothing to worry about that parental control. Even without it, if the parents know the password itās over for privacy).
When a child goes out, he tells his/her parents where he goes, when he comes back and who he meets. Why should it be different on the Internet ? Like I said, a child canāt have 100% privacy.
Surveillance would be to read the kids communication. This is controlling roughly screen on time and supervising the selection of installed apps. and it does not happen in a hidden way, it needs to be built on mutual consent. As @Anonyme says, I consider this as well education.
)
Yes!!!
Definitely this needs to be changed!!!