Keep Your Child Safe: Knowledge Is The Power

Threats are everywhere on the Internet and they pose a serious danger to younger users. Moreover, children who use mobile devices can be even more vulnerable because they are free to surf the Internet at any time or place, often without adult supervision.

According to a survey conducted by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International, over a 12-month period the children of 22% of respondents were affected by cyber incidents. These incidents included outbreaks of cyberbullying or encountering sites containing material unsuitable for youngsters.

Kaspersky Lab has prepared a number of recommendations to help parents protect their children against online dangers without having to watch their every move.

Most children today spend a large amount of time in front of mobile devices, whether it’s a phone or a tablet.  Most prohibitions and access restrictions are hard to apply to a mobile device which is always with the child. But there is a huge arsenal of technical means that could help to limit the time children use their mobile devices, or set times when they can play with the gadget.

Of course, the problem cannot be solved by technical means alone. Children need alternatives to their gadgets. Spend more time with them, take them to clubs or get them playing sports so that they have less time to spend on their mobiles.

Tip of the week: How to get your children away from the computer http://t.co/qpViNbkrDz #parentalcontrols pic.twitter.com/gMk6F8dq7M

— Kaspersky (@kaspersky) September 17, 2014

Another situation that can alarm parents and possibly put children at risk is when they are not where they are expected to be. For example, instead of being at school children might run away to play with friends (or vice versa, instead of staying with friends they spend too much time at school).

Here, special IT security solutions can help by showing parents where their children are, or warning them if the kids leave the place where they are expected to be at that time. However, while this knowledge is powerful, it should be used with caution. Don’t rush to punish children who stray beyond their agreed boundaries. First try to understand the causes and motivations.

#KeepYourChildSafe online: knowledge is the power

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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.