Parental Control- Protect Minors on Internet

 

Parental Control-

Protect Minors on Internet

 

Parental Control Internet

On February 5, Safe Internet Day is celebrated   under the slogan “A better Internet begins with you: living with respect for a secure Internet”. This event, organized annually by the INSAFE / INHOPE network with the support of the European Commission, aims to promote a safe and positive use of digital technologies, especially among children and young people.

Until just a few years ago, the term Internet of Things (IoT) referred to a single device: the computer. However, with the advancement of new technologies, more and more IoT devices are available on the market. From mobiles or tablets, to watches, household appliances, medical devices and even toys. Although the possibilities offered by technology are endless, so are its risks.

No one is exempt from being vulnerable, much less minors. A group that, at present, begins to use this type of device from a very early age without having enough information to make a safe and responsible use of these technologies. For this reason, and taking advantage of Safe Internet Day, Entelgy  Innotec Security  offers  ten tips  for parents to ensure that their children use electronic devices in  a (cyber) safe way :

1.    If your child is under 14 years old, do not allow him to open profiles on any type of social network

Social media can be very dangerous if not used properly. Given the amount of personal information stored and shared in them, the youngest are an especially vulnerable group. So much so, that practices such as grooming  -a type of harassment in which pedophiles, through deception, try to gain the trust of the minor- are more common than parents believe (the Spanish government registered more than 164 cases during 2017).

 

2.    If you already have social networks, configure your privacy

If your child is over 14 years old and already on social networks, make sure that their settings are (cyber) secure and that only their acquaintances can see their publications. To do this, check the settings and permissions of each of their profiles. In this way, you can considerably reduce the chances that your child may be the victim of any type of Cyberbullying.

 

3.    Avoid  sharenting

Do not post images or videos of your underage children  on social networks ( sharenting ). This practice, whose name is the result of the conjunction of the English words share  (share) and  parenting  (raise), is used by many parents who are not aware of the risks of exposing their children on the Internet. The content you upload to your networks will remain on the network forever and, it is possible, that your child will be embarrassed about it in the future or that it will be used by their peers to harass them as a teenager.

 

4.    Verify that it closes the sessions of the devices

Verify that your child closes the session in their social networks whenever they access from a device, even if they do it from home with their own computer. This will prevent them from entering regularly and accessing at inopportune moments, such as when going to bed (the Spanish Sleep Society, SES, warns that the use of mobile phones in bed is one of the biggest impediments to falling asleep in young people).

 

5.    Explain the importance of privacy on the web

Inform your child of the importance of not sharing private information  over the Internet, either through social networks, instant messaging applications or by email. This information includes personal data, location, or compromised photos and videos. This last case, known as  sexting , is a real problem among today's young people, because the moment they send those files they lose control over them and have no way of knowing in whose hands they may end up.

 

6.    Install an antivirus on their devices

Install it on home devices to avoid possible attacks. Web browsers also include options to add extensions that help protect user privacy. When a cybercriminal takes control of your devices, they have access to all personal information, including that of minors.

 

7.    Use different and strong passwords

Make sure there is a different password for each account or service  that your child manages and that they are  strong . That is, long and with characters of different types. You can change your child's personal passwords yourself to be more secure.

 

8.    Check your apps

Ask your child to notify you before installing any application  on their devices, so you can read the requested permissions. All applications require the acceptance of a series of permissions to be able to install them. These may include access to the location of the device, the image gallery or the email account. If you consider that access to this information may be dangerous, it is better that this application is not installed.

 

9.    Prevent access to confidential information by Parental Control

Check the synchronization of the different services and applications installed on the device. Some application may be accessing confidential information.

10.  Are smart toys (cyber) safe?

Find out about the characteristics of smart toys, or smart toys, that your child has. Try to use them only in your presence and check that he disconnects them when he is finished. Although they may seem like harmless items, the mere fact of having access to the Internet makes them dangerous if certain precautions are not taken.