Parents often say, “I just gave my child their first phone. How on Earth can I keep them safe online?” All is not lost! There are several ways to improve mobile device security for everyone in the family.
Keep Your Device and Apps Up to Date
First, and most importantly, always keep your devices and apps up to date. Device and app updates often include security patches, which are essential in keeping your device free from known vulnerabilities. Without these security patches, your device is at a higher risk of being exploited, and your information is at a higher risk of being stolen! If possible, turning on automatic updates is a great way to stay on top of device and app updates. Even if automatic updates are enabled, though, periodically checking for updates is still a great idea.
Set a Passcode and Turn on Auto-Lock
Same as with any device, setting a passcode or a password on your smartphone is a critical first step in improving device security. When choosing a passcode, avoid obvious codes that can be easily guessed, like “1234”, common shapes (like a square or diamond pattern), or birthdays. Your passcode should be at least 6 digits long. For device and online safety reasons, some parents require their children to share their passcodes with them.
As a bonus, turn on auto-lock for your devices. With auto-lock enabled, your device will automatically lock when there has been no activity for a specified amount of time. Adjusting settings to ensure minimal information is shown in home screen notifications can also prevent nosy individuals from peeking at private information.
Family-Friendly Security Settings and Apps
Both Apple and Android offer means of creating family groups, which is a wonderful feature for parents looking for a way to keep their kids safe on their devices. Both Apple Family Sharing and Google Family Link (used on Android devices) allow parents to manage screen time, app usage, and app purchases. Parents can also monitor their children’s locations using both.
Google Family Link allows parents to monitor and set restrictions on children’s usage of google applications, like YouTube and Google Chrome. Parents can also pause internet connection at any time.
Apple Family Sharing allows parents to set communication limits, web content restrictions, prevent changes to settings, restrict explicit content, and share Apple service subscriptions.
For more granular control and monitoring, apps like Aura Parents and Bark allow parents to monitor texts, social media activity, online habits, and can alert parents of risky behaviors.
Keep In Mind
The best way to keep your child safe online is to educate them on safe practices! The best-intentioned monitoring and content restrictions can help protect your family online, but doesn’t address the root of the concern—have a conversation with your children, help them understand why internet safety is important and how to achieve it. For help understanding safe online habits, contact SKB Cyber. We’re happy to help!
