Blueridge Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 I scrimped and saved to buy dd13 a Kindle Fire, and when they had them on a gold box special, I got it. I was excited about their new Free Time setting for kids to use the Fire safely, but it has been a colossal flop. I loaded some free apps and transferred some books from my Kindle for PC, and then I discovered that while using the Free Time setting, she would not be able to use the internet at all. She loves to post little YouTube videos and things. I thought it would just add some sort of safety parameters, but it disables the internet altogether. Does anybody know if I am just doing it wrong? I want her to love it but be able to use it like a tiny computer, too. I guess I was expecting too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbmom Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 I think free time is designed more for younger kids-I would not have her use free time but password protect the wifi so that she needs you to connect her to the internet if she wants to use it-that way at least you will know she is online and can monitor her internet site usage if you are worried about inappropriate content. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my2boysteacher Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 I signed my 12 year up for the free sample, and he didn't like it. It is supposed to be age appropriate books, apps, etc., but too juvenile for him. He is on the upper end of the age range though.... I ended up canceling it, and he knows he can only surf if he is in the same room as me so I can monitor content. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somo_chickenlady Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 With my DS's iPad, if he wants to access the internet to watch videos and such, I have it set up so that he has to hand it to me and I type the password in, then hand it back to him. I have a Kindle Fire, and I'm pretty sure you can do the same for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 I'd skip the FreeTime app altogether. My kids like it, but they're MUCH younger than your daughter. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 I've also found the Fire disappointing for various reasons. Luckily for us though, the kids won it, so I really can't complain. I also have the wifi password protected so I just know when they're on. I'm basically okay with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 I know I'm probably an oddity, but I bought one for Sylvia for Christmas and sent it back. I just didn't love it, especially for $250. I wasn't finding kid books or very many free apps, and I wanted her to use it out of wi-fi range, so there wasn't much to do on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in KY Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 That's what we are doing. I disable it at night when we all go to bed. My kids are absolutely thrilled with their Fire. Mine, too. I set them up with the FreeTime just for their videos and game apps (Horrible Histories and JetPack Joyride, Angry Birds, Plague Inc, etc) so that the screen time for that is regulated. For everything else, I use parental controls so that they have to hand me the device when they want to access the internet or to see videos. I told them to use FreeTime for the games and videos and voluntarily abide by those limits, or I will put parental controls on all the apps. I think that is the only other option for regulating apps, but I don't mind unlimited access to Pandora and a few others. So, if they are willing to voluntarily access their games through FreeTime where their time is regulated, they get to use Pandora and a few others all the time. If they choose not to abide by those limits, they will be severely restricted in ways I don't think is necessary, but it would be their choice. I can tell what they've been up to by the carousel. They are too old for much of the content in FreeTime, so the free version is enough for us for the hour a day they use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted December 26, 2012 Author Share Posted December 26, 2012 Thank you all. I appreciate your suggestions. I'm going to look it over this afternoon and try to set these parental controls. I don't really know much about the Fire, so if I can learn how to use it, I imagine I can encourage dd to use it with excitement. Right now I feel like I've just frozen her curiosity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somo_chickenlady Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 I know I'm probably an oddity, but I bought one for Sylvia for Christmas and sent it back. I just didn't love it, especially for $250. I wasn't finding kid books or very many free apps, and I wanted her to use it out of wi-fi range, so there wasn't much to do on it. That is one thing that drives me nuts about my Fire. Most of their apps can't be used without wifi access, so I can't use them in the 7 hour drive from our house to our hometown, which sucks. Thankfully I didn't buy it for myself (I had only asked for a basic one, and my mother chose to get this one for me instead), but I only really use it for reading which seems like such a waste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 That is one thing that drives me nuts about my Fire. Most of their apps can't be used without wifi access, so I can't use them in the 7 hour drive from our house to our hometown, which sucks. Thankfully I didn't buy it for myself (I had only asked for a basic one, and my mother chose to get this one for me instead), but I only really use it for reading which seems like such a waste. I don't think this is correct. I have a wifi Samsung Galaxy Tablet that I get free apps from Amazon on all the time. Most work just fine once they are downloaded and installed without any internet connections. Is it possible you are misunderstanding the permissions? Sure, a lot of apps want wifi access but that is usually so you can post on Facebook or sign up for some kind of membership, etc. The game will play fine without internet access. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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