For children, modern phones and tablets often serve predominantly as universal game consoles. While there are hundreds of thousands of games to choose from, not all games are suitable for children: some contain scenes with violence, bad language and/or obscenity.
And games are not the only danger – any application, even those downloaded from an official store, can contain unwanted information. With this in mind, it is important to check your kid’s device from time to time, even though it may upset them. If you want to ensure your child’s device safety without the accompanying argument, there is an alternative – using a special IT solution you can receive reports containing information on the applications installed by your children without quarrels.
If you often let your child use your personal phone or tablet, make sure it does not allow them access to confidential information like account passwords and credit card numbers. If possible, activate your device’s “baby mode” when your child uses it to restrict its functions and access to data. This mode may be provided as a standalone security solution or within the operating system itself.
— Kaspersky Lab (@kaspersky) December 3, 2014
We advise against using a “shared” device to store applications or data that should be kept away from children. If you only have one device for the family, we recommend creating a secure password, unknown to the child, to password protect folders or applications containing your personal information and resources.
Many mobile platforms allow users to make payments with their credit cards when, for example, buying an app from the official store or additional bonuses in online games. We suggest disabling this function on a child’s device or attaching a card with a minimum limit for contingency purchases. It is best to use a virtual payment card – this will prevent important financial data from ever getting into the wrong hands.
According to a survey conducted by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International over a 12-month period, 21% of parents polled indicated that they have lost money or confidential information stored on their device due to their child’s activities.
#KeepYourChildSafe online: oversee the installed appsTweet
Kaspersky Lab offers a number of tools to ensure your children are safe from cyber threats on mobile devices. Among them are the Safe Browsers for iOS and Windows Phone, Kaspersky Internet Security for Android and the specialized Kaspersky Safe Kids security solution for Windows, Mac OS X, Android and iOS.
It is important to remember that no one technology can protect your children on its own. Talk to them! Even the most reliable security solution is no substitute for conversation. Let your children know that you trust them and that they can talk to you about anything, so that they feel comfortable coming to you with their problems.