iPod touch Help with Restrictions for son's iPod Touch

[ATC]

We just purchased for our son the new iPod Touch last week and we've set everything up over the weekend, it's working great. We've enabled restrictions, mostly to limit or block adult content and prevent in-app purchases etc...

One thing we can't seem to figure out is how to disable requiring password for free downloads. When we go into Settings > General > Restrictions > Password settings, there's a toggle at the bottom to always require passwords for free downloads and every time we try to toggle it off it comes up with a message that says something about needing to be over 13 years of age.

Does this mean Apple strictly forbids children 13 and under to download free apps without a password and there's no way to bypass that? I searched just about every Apple support document on this subject but there's no mention of this, in fact in one document it says that I should be able to specify this under restrictions (https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT204030).

 

[pinebeltdesign]

That's correct, it will require a password due to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

 

[pinebeltdesign]

ATC, I gave you some incomplete information. Because of COPPA, ask to buy (including free apps) is turned on by default. You can however choose to remove ask to buy. Take note though that if you turn off Ask to Buy, the child will be able to initiate purchases that will be billed to your payment method without prior notification.

For more info see https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201084

 

[ATC]

ATC, I gave you some incomplete information. Because of COPPA, ask to buy (including free apps) is turned on by default. You can however choose to remove ask to buy. Take note though that if you turn off Ask to Buy, the child will be able to initiate purchases that will be billed to your payment method without prior notification.

For more info see https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201084

Thanks for the info. Yeah I believe I have 'ask to buy' enabled which I'd like to keep enabled.

Thing is my son has his own iTunes account, I set it up for him and it's under my family share. All he has to do to download free apps is to enter his own password for his iTunes, which he knows, so I'm not blocking or allowing that.

I was just trying to make it easier for him by not having to enter his own password for age-appropriate free apps.