Hey, Dale here, from Dale Dumbs IT Down. I am privileged to join with Mommy Convos in giving away a ‘Circle’ Home Plus to one of our followers! But first, let me show you “why ” you want this product in your home.
Do you remember the first time you found adult content on your child’s phone? I do, and if you haven’t yet had that experience, believe me, you will.
Those who follow my social media channels know I strongly encourage parents to stay educated on the latest tech trends and popular apps as a way to help keep their kids safe and smart online. Last year one of my IG followers introduced me to the ‘Circle’. Her stories of how great this device was made me excited and I researched it a bit more. And guess what I learned? I learned that I LOVE this device and all that it offers to help families stay safe and smart with the technology in their lives.
What I like about Circle Home Plus:
The Circle allows the owner to filter and limit content on:
- Phones
- Tablets
- Smart TVs
- Video game consoles
- Computers
- Smart home assistants
all from one app!
The very best thing about this device is how easy it is to set up. Just pair to your WIFI, set up each family member as users, then allow access, choose what content to filter, manage screen time, view history, and so much more.
And for the first year, you have access to the “premium account”. With the premium account on the Circle, you can continue to manage mobile devices when they are away from home and not connected to your home WiFi. How great is that!?!
The difference between the Circle by Disney and Circle Home Plus:
The first generation of the Circle was by Disney and cost: $50. You can add the “premium membership” to the first generation Circle for a standard $9.99 a month.
Circle Home Plus is the second generation and costs: $100. It comes with a 1 year of their “premium account” which lets you control their device even off of your own WiFi. There is a lifetime membership for $299. I personally bought this since I still have a thirteen-year-old at home and the years we’ll use this- will pay for itself.
Circle Cons:
- A monthly cost (optional if you want to continue filtering off WiFi).
- If you don’t have a fast internet package you might slow it down.
- Just like any device kids can YouTube how to bypass it.
One last call out about the ‘Circle,’ just like most all other parental control devices, there are YouTube videos that walk kids through how to bypass the controls. And this is why it’s imperative for parents to not just rely on tech controls apps to help your kids be safe but for the parent to be fully engaged in how their kids us their devices.
Conclusion:
While I believe in using tools and devices like the Circle to help us limit and monitor usage and restrict access to keep our kids safe from inappropriate content. I do not believe they should take away from our parental responsibility to talk to our kids and teach them. Check out this article for help creating healthy tech boundaries here. Apps and devices like the ‘Circle’ are good, but they will never be as good as personally teaching our kids about what content is appropriate for their age and what isn’t and ‘WHY.’ It’s important for parents to EDUCATE themselves on the current trends and popular apps their kids use, to ENGAGE themselves in how their kid(s) use their devices and to PREPARE their kids for content and information they certainly will come across at some time or another while using their devices.
If you’d like to snag the Circle Home Plus for your family- head to this link now.
Helping to keep my family and yours safe and smart with the technology they use is how this cyber security expert rolls!
My goal with my social media channels and blog is to share my tech knowledge with others. All with the intent to help families stay safe and smart with the technology everyone uses. To learn more about the why behind what I do click here.
Dale Meredith
Dale Dumbs IT Down
Bio: Dale Meredith of ‘Dale Dumbs IT Down’ is a well-known cybersecurity expert. Dale designed: Dale Dumbs IT Down social media sites as a way to educate parents on the knowledge they need to keep their families safe and smart with the technology in their lives.
