Google's ad platform is a gaping hole in iOS parental controls

I know Apple's OS X parental controls are broken. I thought things were better with iOS. Then I discovered a wide range of apps, from PublicRadio to WolframAlpha, provided WebKit based embedded browsers that bypass parental Safari lockouts.

Today our residential parental controls tester discovered that Google's AdMob ads give him full access to YouTube from Pandora.app.

iOS parental controls are just as broken as OS X parental controls. Since YouTube and Safari are essentially NC17 ("explict") apps, every AdMob or iPhone.app that provides access is arguably NC17 too.

What a mess.

Culturally, I'm surprised how little interest this gets. The iPad platform in particular is going to be big in all schools. Have parents given up, are they in denial, or do they just not know?

See also:

• OS X Parental Controls: Never more broken than with Apple's MobileMe
• iPhone for kids: The Achilles Heel