How has tech changed since your childhood? Did you spend most of your time outside or cooped up playing games on a tablet? When going to sleep did you read a book or watch a movie on an iPad? In the car, did you gaze out the window or stare at a phone playing Angry Birds? Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, technology has drastically changed the life of children. This change requires changes in parenting.

​Perhaps, you may feel that you are not in proper control of your child or teen’s device usage. It’s an unsettling feeling knowing the atrocities that lurk on the internet. While you may be in your child's presence to monitor them most of the time, there are times out of your control. However, that does not have to be the case. Circle Go by Netgear allows you to manage your families mobile devices anywhere. 

​Unlike most management software, Circle Go allows you to monitor and restrict usage of any connected device regardless if it is on your home network, even when on 4G LTE and other WiFi networks. It allows you to take back control of their devices. 

The “Time Limits” feature allows you to set usage times for popular platforms and categories. If you only want them to be playing games for one hour a day, you can set the time limit in the games category to one hour. This will not only limit them on a singular device, but across all devices that are registered to their profile. Once the time threshold is reached, the user and parents are notified to keep everyone informed. Even kids can view their time limits for the day so they can budget their time wisely.

The “Filter” feature limits what can be accessed on the web based on preset age categories or custom set filters. Circle does that hard work by grouping a massive database of websites and apps into their pre-set age categories. If you find something is missing in these categories, you can restrict websites on your own. Utilizing this feature allows you to let your kids use the web with confidence. As an added bonus, it even blocks annoying ads.

​The “OffTime,” “Bedtime,” and “Pause” features allow you to restrict the users connection to the internet. Whether you want to block off a regular time for playtime, homework, or commutes, Circle Go can ensure the devices are not being used. Bedtime is hard enough as it is, why not take out the device variable by disabling them at bedtime? For those times when you want devices to be put aside, the Pause feature can temporarily “pause” them from using the internet.

Don’t want your teen to get distracted from family game night or a long drive home? Put their device on pause.

Circle Go does more than restrict internet usage. The “Rewards” feature allows you to give your kids a treat! Possibilities include: increasing the amount of screen time, setting a later bedtime, and disabling offtime. Wouldn’t it be fun to assign reward amounts to various chores? Can you imagine how motivated they would be to vacuum knowing they would get to play their favorite game for 15 minutes longer?

Lastly, the “MyCircle” feature allows users to monitor their own usage time and stay informed of time limits, bedtimes, and more. As the main user, you will have access to “History” and “Usage” of every registered device to give you a full picture of what your kids are doing with their time.

Even with all these awesome features, this service is reasonably priced. Circle Go gives you a free 30 day trial, after which it is only $4.99 a month for the management of 10 devices, Android or IOS. In 5 easy steps, laid out simply on their website, you can gain back control of your family's devices.

With the unveil of the latest and greatest from Apple, Inc., it’s an opportune to time to introduce you to two devices that will greatly enhance your Apple experience. The smart accessories I will be highlighting in this post are the Apple AirPods and Apple Watch Series 3 with Cellular, both available at your local mkCellular. Compared to your average fitness tracker or wireless headphones, they sport more features that increase usability, convenience, and the productivity of your iPhone.