Guide for parents: steps to get children to use the cell phone safely

Many school-age children have a smartphone that they use to watch videos, play games or participate in new challenges on social media, or even to attend classes if they are done virtually.

“Beyond that if the use of the telephone is left to its discretion, and deviate from their studies to find more entertaining activities on their devices, we must not forget the threats to which children and adolescents are most exposed on the Internet, which, comments Camilo Gutiérrez Amaya, head of the ESET Latin America Research Laboratory.

Fortunately, there are ways to mitigate the chances of any of these scenarios occurring by and sometimes accompanying your activities.

Here’s a short parenting guide to smartphone safety:

Strong passwords are what will prevent anyone from accessing the data stored in the various applications that children use. These should be strong, secure, and follow best practices when creating passwords. In addition to various characters (*, #, $), the use of a password manager can also be considered; this will make the whole process easier and kids won’t have to manually type them every time they browse the apps on their smartphone.

Along the same lines as passwords, using the screen lock prevents random people from accessing your devices. This is a process that you should immediately guide your children through once they get their first smartphones. Especially because if your smartphones are left unattended – or misplaced – and not properly secured, someone can, and even circulate, some content that could be used for cyberbullying. There are multiple locking options, from a passkey and lock patterns to biometric passwords.

Your next step should be to secure your children’s smartphones using a reputable security solution. This can protect them from most types of threats they may encounter online, including dubious links from unknown sources redirecting to a malicious website or tricking them into giving up their credentials. Children tend to be especially trusting, so legitimate software can help put your mind at ease knowing that your children are well protected.

Children can lose their phones frequently, and as a preventive measure it is best that before handing over the device, have installed and enabled the option of The two main operating systems for smartphones, iOS and Android, they offer their own solutions and even some Smartphone manufacturers offer their own version. In case of not being able to recover the phone, some security programs offer the option of remotely wiping your child’s phone.

Parental controls can be a useful tool to give children enough freedom to use their smartphones, while allowing parents to monitor their activities and set healthy limits as they teach them to safely surf the Internet and use technology. usually. They allow or block them completely, filter potentially malicious and age-inappropriate content, limit search engines to safe and secure results, and parents can even receive reports on their children’s activities, among other things.

To instill proper cybersecurity habits, it’s best to accompany them throughout the journey and explain each stage, whether that’s setting up the lock screen, brainstorming to choose a password together, or explaining the value of security solutions. security. With that in mind, it is important to encourage dialogue, not to avoid arguing about the various aspects of social media and the dangers they can present.

“While at first glance you might think that some of these tips seem pretty obvious, By following these tips, you will be able to protect your children’s devices and help to promote appropriate cybersecurity habits that will help them lead a safer and more private life ”, concludes the ESET Latin America specialist, who recommends consulting Digipadres, an initiative promoted by ESET’s Safer Kids Online, which seeks to accompany parents and teachers in the care of children on the Internet in order to raise awareness about risks and threats in the digital world.

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