Internet "scare"

[dolfan]

Yesterday evening, while my wife was at a little neighborhood women's thing she does once a month (not ministry; social thing), my daughter and I sat down to watch some America's Funniest Home Videos on her iPad, as we are inclined to do from time to time.

After finding that Netflix had apparently quit carrying the title, I went over to YouTube because I know clips and some full episodes are on it. Well, I went to search YouTube on her iPad (important: HER iPad), and in the search box where it starts pulling up previous searches, all sorts of "sexy naked girls" things popped up in the list of websites. Now, I am eliminating myself from this as I have NOT done that. I'm not claiming perfection in that regard in my lifetime, but I do not do it and have not in a very, very long time and do not want to do it. So, even if you're not inclined to believe me and say, "yeah, right", humor me and ACT like you believe me.

Okay, so within one second of that popping up on the screen, I jumped and said, "WHOA!, go sit down over there for a second." I investigated the iPad. And, it looks like someone, somewhere, sometime has searched for "sexy naked girls" and something that says, "non bleeped out picturs" (and, yes, "pictures" was misspelled like that) on her iPad.

So, I calmly ask her. "Honey, have you searched for anything on Youtube or the internet that would show people without their clothes on?" She says, "No, Daddy. I have not and would not." Well, of course, everybody gets lied to by their angelic children, and my child is splendid but she's also made out of flesh. So, I'm not blind to the possibilities here. But, I ask her again, and she denies it again.

Now, let me interject something. My kid is a terrible liar. She has a face that is a dead giveaway. She knows it. She is not an experienced liar to us; I have no reason to believe that she lies to anyone else. It has never been an issue. She's always been as trustworthy as any kid her age can be.

I told her, "Someone has searched for something on this iPad that is not appropriate. Or, you've somehow managed to download something that allowed someone to put some sort of virus or cookie in here." I explained to her what a cookie is.

Then, she started crying. "Daddy, if I downloaded a game app and someone put a virus on my iPad, that means that they have my personal information. I can never use that iPad again! I'm scared." In the tone that she felt violated by someone who'd do that to her iPad.

Okay....we have a policy. No apps downloaded without our direct review and approval. She has some make up and fashion design games and other kids apps. That's it in terms of her own downloads (well, she has some Christian pop music from iTunes, but I'm talking about app downloads). She has no means of purchasing apps unless she has an iTunes card as a gift or something on occasion.

I say all that to narrow the possibilities as much as I can. Now, she also maintains that no one BUT her has used her iPad. And, that's just like her. If anyone else holds her stuff, she's highly protective of it. She's an only child, and that's just how she is. She will stay right by anyone using her iPad or DS or whatever. The only person she said who'd had her iPad was a little girl, same age as her, from church, who visited with us at our home about 3 weeks ago. She does not take the iPad anywhere but home, sometimes to church on Sunday nights, and to my sister in law's house where she stays on Friday nights while we do Radical U. She does access the internet on her iPad at their house.

The thing that makes me think a kid did it is this: one of the searches in the little window queue said "naked girls non bleeped out picturs". First of all, "pictures" is misspelled. But, you don't "bleep out" a picture. Bleeps are sound covers, not video covers. And, the phrase is just awkward. Like a kid thought of it.

I look at the evidence. I draw inferences. And, I give my daughter the benefit of the doubt. I know she's not seeing that kind of stuff in our home and we NEVER discuss sexual stuff. We ALWAYS ride herd on the TV like crazy. I check Netflix all the time to see what's been viewed on the account. The good thing about Netflix as a parent is you can't delete viewing histories on it. I check it on all devices. And, 90% of what's been seen is her watching Disney shows or Disney movies that we all watch together on TV anyway. The other 10% is old B&W movies, family shows and stuff that my wife or I may watch once in a blue moon.

I'm not left with many options because I don't know of any viruses you can download on an iPad, or I'm just a buffoon who doesn't know better. Somebody has searched for that stuff in my house, or somebody somewhere else ---- quite recently, because we've watched YouTube stuff on her iPad in the last month or so without this happening during the search -- did, or there's something that snuck in through an otherwise harmless-content download of an app.

Any ideas? And, you can be honest.

[PastorDaniel]

when you view youtube....are you signed in with an email? if so it is linked with whatever other devices that are signed into that account.

also...there is the possibility of the auto suggestion thing now....

but most likely with the facts at hand...someone has used her iPad to search for those things...it is not likely that anything downloaded to her iPad to do this and even then the history of recent searches should be unique to that device...

sadly someone probably picked it up when she wasn't looking...if it was her this would probably scare her off from doing it again...but I think someone used it somewhere at one of the church events you mentioned...