A school community approach to cyber safety.

Parent night Q&A

Does it work on a Macbook?

Yes it does. Go to familyzone.com/laptops to download the software and follow the installation instructions.

Does this only work for Apple products?

No, Mobile Zone works on Apple iOS & Mac, Android, Windows and Chromebook devices.

How do you get the app on the MacBook?

Go to familyzone.com/laptops and download the software to install.

Is it free for the students?

Sacred Heart are providing a Family Zone School Community pack to each of its families free of charge to the families.

Does this app cost money?

The app is free. There is a subscription for the platform which Sacred heart are paying.

Does the plug-in for the home wifi (modem) cost money? Is the Home Zone box included or an additional fee?

The Family Zone box is a one off $89 that is not covered by Sacred Heart; however, your children’s devices can be controlled through your Sacred Heart provided account.

So do we need to pay $89 for the box or is it free - and if not what is free?

The box is not free. It is also not required. Sacred Heart are providing a School Community Pack which gives you protection for up to 6 devices.

Does it cost money to hire an installer?

Yes. They charge roughly $120 an hour and are generally only required if you need a box. Our support team can talk you through the set up. What you want to do may depend on how complicated your home set up is.

I don’t understand what the Box adds - why would anyone need it?

The Box will protect all devices that use your home network - including gaming consoles and smart TVs and devices brought into your home by visitors and friends.

If my child has 3 devices, can we have all the devices connected?

Yes, your account will allow you to connect up to 6 devices.

How many devices can we put on Family Zone?

The School Community Pack entitles you to protection for 3 children with 2 devices each, for a total of 6 devices.

Can we use it for free for any siblings that are not at Sacred Heart?

Yes. Sacred Heart are supplying a School Community Pack which covers up to 3 children. Additional protection is available at an additional cost.

What is the access code to use Family Zone for free?

No codes are required, simply log into SEQTA Engage and click on the Family Zone link to create your account.

iMessage on MacBook is heavily used by SHC kids. Will it be monitored?

Mobile Zone does not monitor message/email content. It simply blocks access to it.

Kids are using their MacBook to chat with friends and shut it down as soon as parents walk in. Can we switch that off?

Our software works by restricting access to the internet anything that goes out to the internet can be blocked.

Can you control your child’s phone through the app, and can the school monitor it?

No, Family Zone does not allow parents to control their child’s phone. Nor can the school monitor what’s happening on the child’s phone, only what internet traffic they are attempting to access.

Kids are telling parents that it is invading their privacy and that some parents don’t agree with it! Am I missing something?

Kids will tell you this because they don't want it. They may also be assuming, wrongly, that we read their message content. We don’t.

Does Family Zone give parents access to read their child’s text messages?

No, we do not read content.

Can times be set by days of the week?

Yes, you can set a base “school day” routine; however, you can also make amendments for specific days - e.g. a later bedtime on Friday nights. For more information please see our Calendars and Routines solutions.

If there is a reason that someone may need to do something (e.g. go on later at night to finish homework), will we be able to do this?

Yes. You control your child’s routine. That means you can extend one day's routine or you can apply a quick time change to extend (or limit) their time at any time.

What if my child has after-school sport at various times during the week? Can we change the times easily to suit varied homework times?

Absolutely! You have complete control of your child’s routine and access. For more information please see our Calendars and Routines solutions.

Can it be used to do homework on the internet yet switch off all social media?

Yes. You can set a policy for Study and Play times that has differing level of access through the Cyber Safety > Controls section of your online account.

Will I be able to control when my child accesses Messenger?

Facebook Messenger is controlled along with Facebook under the Cyber Safety > Controls Social Networks tab of your online account. We also block iMessages sent through the WiFi or mobile data network.

Instagram and iMessage - can we control that?

Instagram can be blocked under the Social Networks tab of the Cyber Safety > Controls section of your online account. iMessage can be blocked through the Cyber Safety > Controls Categories tab. For more information on iMessage click here.

Will it filter inappropriate content in YouTube?

It can be used to enforce Google Safe Search and YouTube restrictions. However if YouTube restrictions are applied, anything that is unrated is blocked - and that means means the majority of content.

Can it stop 18+ content on Snapchat?

We don't review message content, and we can't restrict 18+ content as Snapchat content isn’t rated.

What category does music fall into?

This will depend on what application they are using to obtain their music. Apps like Spotify are categorised as “Streaming media” and can be managed through the Cyber Safety > Controls Categories tab.

What about online gaming? What if your child is in the middle of an online game and it shuts the game down?

Depending on whether the game is online or offline, then your child’s game may be terminated. If you don’t want this to happen you can allow longer access.

What if they are using Minecraft for creating school work?

You are able to allow access to restricted sites whenever you wish. If they require Minecraft during study time, you can either allow Games or change them to Play for the period when they need it.

Should Family Zone be set up initially from a laptop?

As a parent you will need to set up your account through a browser on a laptop or mobile device. Once that’s done you can download the software onto your child’s devices.

Does it just block content or will it show/report on what kids have tried to access?

Parents can view what their children have attempted to access and the results via the Insights > Usage section of their online account. Additionally parents will be emailed a weekly report.

Is this centrally controlled by a family master device, and if so how do you connect devices?

Parents can log into their online account from any computer or the Zone Manager app in order to manage their settings and policies.

Can you tell me where to find Family Zone on the Sacred Heart website?

You can access the Family Zone portal and landing page when logged into SEQTA Engage.

Is it password protected so my child can’t get in and change any of the settings?

Yes, your online account is password protected.

Does this replace OurPact if we already have it?

I'm unsure of the full features of OurPact, however I suspect most of them will be duplicated by Family Zone.

Are there ways that kids can get around the Family Zone protections and restrictions if they they are crafty?

Kids will always try to get around restrictions, and we are continually developing anti-avoidance measures to prevent this. We always advise parents when there’s been a breach.

Can a tech-savvy 13-year-old log on without a parent knowing?

Unsure what this question means.

What is stopping our kids from deleting the app?

If a child has admin rights to his device - nothing. That’s why we strongly urge you to remove admin rights. But if Mobile Zone is removed from any device, we will tell you! If you get a notification from us saying we haven’t ‘seen’ your child’s device, and you know they are using it, it may be time to have a chat.

Can I track how much time my child spends on a website?

No. We have no way of knowing how long they spend on a site.

Can we see what the Family Zone settings during the locked School Time are? It would be good to see what can and can’t be accessed during school time.

Not at the moment. This is a good idea though. We will add this our development list.

Can you please show us how to shut down red apps?

You can block the traffic that unsafe apps use through Cyber Safety > Controls Categories , or you can delete them from your child’s device.

Does Family Zone interrupt other school programs that are not with this school?

This will depend on the program. If you are unsure, contact our support team for advice.

If you turn off the WiFi does it still work if the child has data?

Yes. On devices with mobile data connections Family Zone will continue to work through the mobile data connection so long as the app is installed and registered.

For a child who shares his/her time between two homes, can we have two different Family Zones linked to our child’s device?

Family Zone currently supports dual-residence families through the Family Zone Box. A child can be set up on the primary residence account. The secondary residence will need to have a Family Zone box and while the student is connected to the box at the secondary residence, their filtering policy will apply. On any other network, the primary residence policy will apply.

Why are some apps not rated any colour?

We have four ratings for apps: Hazard and Unsafe are Red, Be Careful are Amber and Recommended are Green. If an app is considered safe by Family Zone, it won’t have a colour. If we have not reviewed it, it won’t have a colour either, but the content section will be blank.

I do not want my child on Mobile Zone other than school time

Although it is not recommended, you have the option to deactivate Mobile out of school time. Please carefully consider this option before proceeding. Click here for instructions.

My child is home today and I would like to release them from ‘School Time’ filtering

If your child is home sick or not at school for another reason, you will need to release them from School Filtering for the day. Simple instructions for this process can be accessed here.