WELCOME TO THE FUTURE: Parenting in Digital Technology Age
Q: What is the biggest danger children face from technology?
A: We all know that the internet is a dangerous place, and children are particularly vulnerable. We can’t stop them using the internet or social media but what can we do as parents is to help keep them safe.
Did you know?
• 90% of 5 – 15 year olds are online
• 40 % of 5 – 15 year olds have their own tablet
• 23% of 8 – 11 year olds have a social networking profile
Children are at risk from digital threats and exposure to inappropriate content from a very young age. Through conversations, parental guidance, and the right internet software these threats can be minimised significantly.
Q: What measures can be taken by parents to prevent these dangers?
A: Be aware of how your kids are using the internet. What games do they play? Which websites do they visit? Your kids have their own digital world. Like the real world, have conversations with them about it. Your kids communicate online in lots of ways. Understand how, and be sure they are not speaking with anybody they shouldn’t be. An internet software package like Kaspersky Total Security will help you protect your kids online. It gives you new and better ways to keep your kids safe on PC, Mac & Mobile. For example, the Kaspersky Safe Kids feature helps you monitor your kids on device usage time and guide them on safety – so they only access the types of website, content and apps you decide are appropriate. You’ll also get expert advice to help you explain security issues to your kids. With Kaspersky Safe Kids, it’s simple to monitor your children’s communications wherever you are. As well as keeping a watch over incoming and outgoing calls and texts – on their Android phones and tablets – you can also monitor your kids’ public Facebook activities. The app also clearly shows your children’s locations on a real-time map, plus you can define a safe area that you expect your kids to stay within. If one of your children leaves the safe area, you’ll automatically receive an alert on your mobile phone.
Q: How involved should parents be in their children’s ‘tech lives’?
A: It’s so important for parents to involve themselves in their children’s online activities from a very young age, so they can ‘monitor and mentor’ their children and help to shape and inform their online experiences. Of course, the online safety message needs to be tailored to the age of a child. We can’t expect a young child to understand the intricacies of online threats. But they need to know that there’s good and bad online – just as, when a child is old enough to walk around town with us, we introduce road safety and the importance of staying close to us. It’s also important to explain the online safety equivalent of road crossings too – using Internet security software to block harmful code, the need to protect things that belong to us with a password, the danger of disclosing personal information, and so on. These messages need to be reinforced and developed as a child gets older. But if they’re ‘on board’ with security from an early age, they’re less likely to see security measures as an encumbrance.
Q: What tensions can technology generate within families and how can they be avoided?
A: Kaspersky Total Security can potentially have a positive effect on parents too, and their relationship with the kids. Without some kind of device-limiting app, parents need to take a manual approach eg. take their kid’s phone away – the mental and emotional energy of having to adhere to this routine probably isn’t pleasant for parents, as it’s safe to say that most people generally don’t want to engage in a conflict with anybody, especially their own kids. Additionally, a manual approach is not likely one that parents will be able to adhere to consistently – either because of lifestyle timings or because sometimes parents just wouldn’t want the hassle of having to enter into a potentially unpleasant exchange with their kids. Relying on a device-limiting app can help absolve parents of being the ones fully responsible for their kids not being able to use their phones. Although it would have been the initial decision of the parents to use Kaspersky Safe Kids, this is a decision they would only have had to make once – the first time they install and configure the app. After that, although the app is limiting device usage, the fact that they are not having to manually take their kid’s phone away on a frequent basis would likely instil a perception that they are no longer presently responsible – it’s as a result of a decision they made some while ago, and the app is what is now physically preventing kids from using their phones during specified times. Of course the two things need to go hand in hand: having the right internet security in place alongside dialogue with your child. This will ensure they are not only safe online at all times but understand why you are trying to protect them and why certain measures are in place.
Somehow this discount code doesn’t work… 🙁 Any chance there is a misprint over there?
Dear ‘disappointed parent’ please don’t be disappointed :). We will check with the product supplier and if there is a problem will make necessary amends ASAP. Meanwhile we apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We’ve forwarded your concern to Kaspersky Lab, there was a problem at their end and it has now been fixed. Please use the same code to get your 40% discount!
Is this code still active? I could not find expiration date…