Toddler accidentally using up mobile data

div0

div0

div0

Soldato
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Our daughter is allowed to watch YouTube Kids etc on our phones from time to time. The problem is that she will sometimes do this when there isn't a WiFi connection (out of range, problem with connection) and so it then starts to eat into the data allowance.

Is there any good way to prevent this from happening?

I'd considered a couple of options:
  • Prevent certain Apps from being able to use mobile data at all (not just background data).
  • Set a maximum limit for mobile data per day (so that it would cut out before she used too much)

I think the first option could be done with a Firewall App, although I've not really found a good option that I like.

The best I've found for the second option is a warning when a certain threshold is exceeded, but that's not really what I want. Any standard restrictions on maximum usage all seem to work on a monthly cycle, which is no good - as that just stops you going over your monthly allowance. I want to be able to prevent data from being used by accident on any given day.

Has anyone got any suggestions on how best to solve this? Hoping to avoid less practical solutions like only giving her a separate device which doesn't contain a mobile SIM.

The phones in question are both android OS and are not rooted.
 
Last edited:
div0 said:
Hoping to avoid less practical solutions like only giving her a separate device which doesn't contain a mobile SIM.
Click to expand...

I realise that a WiFi-only device like a tablet would potentially solve the problem, but it would still be nice to be able to let her use our phones without having this one particular issue.
 
div0 said:
How?

The only option I can find is to prevent it from using background data. But I would need to prevent it using any mobile data (including foreground).
Click to expand...

Is it iOS or Android?

You can do it on iOS under the mobile data settings.
 
Can't you just check if there's Wifi before giving her the phone to play with?

Or turn off mobile data before handing it over.

(was a bit surprised to see, upon checking, that YT doesn't have a no-mobile-streaming option. Slack, that)
 
cheesyboy said:
Can't you just check if there's Wifi before giving her the phone to play with?
Click to expand...

We could do, but there's no guarantee of a 2-3 year old staying in one place for any length of time. WiFi coverage around the house is patchy in places, which is where I think the problem is mostly coming from.

cheesyboy said:
Or turn off mobile data before handing it over.
Click to expand...

Certainly an option, but it would be easier if we didn't have to keep manually swapping settings back and forth, which is why I thought I'd see if there were any good ideas here.

cheesyboy said:
(was a bit surprised to see, upon checking, that YT doesn't have a no-mobile-streaming option. Slack, that)
Click to expand...

Me too. Would make things so easy if you could enable/disable mobile data option within each app.
 
If your phone is an iOS device couldn't you just turn the mobile data off before handing the device to your daughter?

I know it's a faff going through the settings each time she wants to play on the phone but the latest OS allows you to swipe up to the control center and turn either Wi-Fi or mobile data off with one button.

Simple but effective. ;)
 
TheVoice said:
Does the YouTube Kids app offer any options for this?
Click to expand...

Nope, strangely you can only limit the bandwidth it does use by disabling hd video, but you can't turn it off ....

Still, netguard will as I suggested earlier.

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If its for youtube etc for a toddler a cheap tablet for £30ish has got to be the best option surely rather than faffing around with apps
 
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