For parents, the internet feels like a battle zone: there’s cyber warfare, internet paedophiles, pornography and stalkers. Knowing that children are more and more connected to the internet is enough to make any parent want to ensure their child’s safety against these threats.
There is internet protocol in place. Google and Facebook only allows children older than 13 to have accounts. YouTube asks viewers to verify their age before streaming certain videos. But the reality is that these security measures aren’t enough, and you can’t rely on external sources to protect your child’s cyber footprint.
Vodafone offers practical, recommendations, digital guides and a Guardian app that makes your child’s online safety easy and straightforward.
Education for parents
When child psychologist Dr Tanya Byron was commissioned to file a report on Child Safety, she observed a major gap between parents’ and children’s understanding of technology. Vodafone have a wealth of information for parents struggling to keep up with the ever-changing scenes of the internet and social media.
Age-appropriate recommendations
Vodafone provide “checklists” based on your child’s age group and recommendations for steps you can take to ensure your child’s online safety. The most important aspects involve communicating with your child and learning how to use Parental Controls. Checking ratings of games and online TV and films is another important aspect of keeping your child safe online.
Digital parenting magazine
Vodafone’s publication of “Digital Parenting Magazine” is a must for any parent concerned with online safety. First published in 2010, a new edition was published in September 2012 to keep up-to-date with the newest online trends. It includes how-to guides as well as the useful age-appropriate checklists. Vodafone doesn’t stop with just information. When it comes to the issue of child safety, there’s an app for that.
Expert Views
Vodafone has reached out to a number of doctors and professionals to understand how children are changing in the digital age. The newest report by Dr. Linda Papadopoulos explores the impact of the sexualisation of media on children. Other experts have professional recommendations for setting boundaries and balancing digital and real life.
The Vodafone Guardian app
Kind of like a cyber-version of a guardian angel, this miracle app has ways to protect your child from all kinds of threats. To fight bullying, it can block SMS messages and calls from specific contacts or numbers. To restrict late-night or at-school activity, it can specify times your child makes calls, accesses the Web or uses the camera.
It can even restrict outgoing calls to a few select contacts so you can be assured your child isn’t contacting anyone you don’t approve. The Guardian app is password protected and has a built-in way to contact you if the app is deactivated for any reason.