Now look, I don't want to defend Apple for everything they do, but now it's getting ridiculous. If the author would calm down first and think for a bit (and / or not being click bait addicted), he could easily find out that Apple does this for a (pretty good IMO) reason:
You can prevent users from using Safari through the restrictions. If you wanted to restrict them from Chrome as well, you would have to prevent any new App from being downloaded, including kids friendly stuff. Now with this update, your kids can still download the apps they want, but not Chrome anymore.
Doesn't that make sense? Through these measures iOS has become a pretty good platform for the first steps in computing, I myself wouldn't want to give my children unrestricted internet access until, say, 15. Before that they can use an iPod or iPad and a linux box with root access in a restricted network at home. If they do figure out proxies or VPN until then - so be it, at that point you can't really restrict them anyway anymore.
Isn't this just because it offers unfettered web access? Safari has its own section in the "Restriction" settings (does this apply to UIWebViews, too?). I guess if apps could opt in to use that and Apple were to rename it to "Safari & Web Access" or something, there'd be no need to mark something 17+.
Those ratings are up to the app submitter. Apple can reject the app if they feel the ratings aren't appropriate, but it's entirely possible that some of the mature rating levels were selected by the submitters.
What I don't get is why Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook are allowed to be rated ages 4+.
YouTube (and Jasmine - a youtube client for the iPad) also go through the same thing.
I thought this issue was sorted out an year ago when apparently any app that embedded a UIWebView and a location bar was deemed unsafe. I was under the impression that Apple fixed that.
You can prevent users from using Safari through the restrictions. If you wanted to restrict them from Chrome as well, you would have to prevent any new App from being downloaded, including kids friendly stuff. Now with this update, your kids can still download the apps they want, but not Chrome anymore.
Doesn't that make sense? Through these measures iOS has become a pretty good platform for the first steps in computing, I myself wouldn't want to give my children unrestricted internet access until, say, 15. Before that they can use an iPod or iPad and a linux box with root access in a restricted network at home. If they do figure out proxies or VPN until then - so be it, at that point you can't really restrict them anyway anymore.