Parental control: how to set up a phone for a child
A smartphone for a child is an assistant in learning, in communication, and in games. But not only: it is also a source of danger. KP figured out how to set up a phone for a child to protect him from troubles and inappropriate content

For more than a generation, it’s only natural to get your own smartphone before learning to read and write. Children have enough pictures, music and, most importantly, toys.

But adults are obliged to understand that a modern gadget carries a lot of dangers. Interestingly, the giants of the information business are well aware of everything. It is known that Bill Gates and Steve Jobs tightly controlled the time that their children spent at the computer.

How does parental control work and what is it for?

Today, the situation has become much more complicated, the capabilities of smartphones surpass any technical means of those years, and the Internet has made children practically uncontrollable. But not quite, there is a so-called “parental control”, which at least partially returns to adults the knowledge of what their child is watching and listening to. And where exactly is it located.

Many of the listed functions are pre-installed in the iOS and Android operating systems, and the missing ones are implemented in fairly powerful applications. Their work is based on databases of cybercriminals and sites that distribute inappropriate content.

See also: spam and phone scams: how to protect yourself, where to complain and how to block.

What is the danger of a smartphone for children

The Internet and mobile communications are completely new civilizational challenges previously unknown to mankind. Never before have such threats been created to the physical and psychological safety of children and adolescents.

Dangerous and illegal content

Internet users under the age of 18 are at risk. Their unformed and unprotected children’s psyche can be irreparably crippled by information on pornographic and destructive sites calling for violence and extremism. A new phenomenon is cyberbullying, collective bullying on social networks, capable of two hundred young people to suicide. After all, virtual reality acquires special significance for them.

Children are lured into risky stunts, selfies in dangerous places and situations. In short, “they take it weakly.” Another new term: selfharm, self-harm, that is, scarring, tattoos, punctures, coloring of the whites of the eyes and other extravagant ways of self-expression. There are also “death groups” on the network that push children to commit suicide.

Unwanted Contacts

Most children trust people and communicate easily. But among the interlocutors there may be a pedophile looking for a new victim. Or sectarians who introduce antisocial behavior and vicious moral values. And, finally, criminals who trick children into information about their parents’ work, family income, security alarm codes and access to the Internet. Then they teach them to play games with money stakes and drive them into a debt hole.

Waste of time

Children will always be more interested in playing than learning. But thoughtless spending time in front of the screen also harms the nervous system and psyche. It is known that the pioneers of cyberspace Bill Gates and Steve Jobs severely limited the time that their offspring spent at the computer. To follow their example today will not work, any teenager has his own gadget in his pocket around the clock at his full disposal.

The impact of the smartphone on the health of the child

Not surprisingly, Internet addiction has become a universal scourge and entered the list of medical diagnoses. The stories of game manufacturers and social network owners about the benefits of their products for the younger generation are nothing more than marketing ploys to increase sales. Excessive interest in the Internet can lead to scoliosis from constant sitting in the wrong position, obesity from lack of physical activity, visual impairment, and nervous diseases.

How to install and set up parental controls on your phone

Yes, there is a problem, and it is very serious. It is surprising that most parents do not take any measures to protect their children from emerging threats. Moreover, there are many possibilities for this.

Built-in Phone Tools

The already mentioned founding fathers of the virtual space showed concern for children and built primary services into their gadgets to limit the possibilities of Internet surfing. They need to be activated and configured. Here’s what parental controls on today’s most common operating systems can do:

On iOS

The iOS system running on the iPhone and iPad protects against outside interference, but inside the gadget it is possible to limit the installation of certain programs and the viewing of age-inappropriate content. And also limit screen time, music volume, prohibit purchases in the AppStore and online stores. Parents receive a message asking them to remove the block. In the latest versions, GPS tracking and battery level control are available through the pre-installed Locator application.

On Android

Android gives you a lot more external control. Like competitors, it is possible to restrict downloading and installing programs from the Play Market, as well as setting content filters according to age. A definite plus for parents is the built-in tracking of the geolocation of the smartphone. Moreover, you can create a Google account yourself only if the user is over 13 years old. Otherwise, when creating an account, you must specify the mail and phone number of one of the parents. And confirm your actions by responding positively to the incoming message. Now all actions in the child account are reported to the parent.

Parental control software

The listed methods of parental control, embedded in gadgets, are clearly not enough. Third-party apps come to the rescue of worried parents.

Kaspersky Safe Kids

This application is indisputably the leader according to the results of the Roskachestvo test1held in August 2020.

Features of the free version:

  • Filters for unwanted requests and sites;
  • YouTube search query filter;
  • Control of used applications and games;
  • Time control.

Additional features of the paid version:

  • GPS tracker;
  • Battery charge control;
  • Using the gadget on a schedule;
  • History of search queries;
  • VKontakte and Facebook activity control;
  • Immediate notifications for possible dangers;
  • Report on the Internet activities of the child.

Advantages and disadvantages

High reliability, during testing, the application missed only three sites with inappropriate content out of 200
Slow down smartphone speed

Where to download: App Store | Google Play

Family Link

The app is offered in two versions: Family Link for parents and Family Link for kids and teens. It allows parents to largely control their children’s smartphones. But the children’s version can only be installed on Android, the adult version – on Android and iOS. The program uses the so-called Google family group to work, which allows you to link up to 6 accounts. Members of the group use single subscriptions to movies and music, share paid applications. Payment for purchases from Google Play is made from one account.

Features of the parent version of the application:

  • Setting time limits for the gadget;
  • Checking the geolocation of the device;
  • Setting up search filters in the Chrome browser;
  • Control of installed applications;
  • Receiving notifications about an attempt to purchase on the Internet, their permission or prohibition;
  • Managing your child’s account information.

This application allows you to control a complex family group with a parent iPhone and children’s Android smartphones. To do this, the adult version of the program is installed on the parent’s phone, and on the children’s, respectively, the children’s version. First, the parent gadget is configured, a family group is created, the children’s accounts are included in it. Their accounts are then set up with password-protected parental controls.

Upon a geolocation request, a Google Maps section is opened indicating the location of the child. The table below shows which apps your child used and for how long.

Advantages and disadvantages

Comprehensive control
No child version for iOS

Where to download: App Store | Android for parents | Android for children

Norton Family Parental Control

The level of blocking of this application is not inferior to Kaspersky SafeKids. Search queries for words and phrases, the content of YouTube videos are controlled. It is possible to view a short fragment of any video to decide on the removal of the blocking.

  • All the necessary features are available;
  • Control of search queries and visited sites;
  • Scheduling to enable applications;
  • Turning off all games and entertainment during school hours;
  • Detailed report on Internet activity.

Advantages and disadvantages

High level of control and blocking of inappropriate content
The application is paid with a 30-day free period

Where to download: App Store | Android

Funds of mobile operators

The “Big Four” operators Beeline, Megafon, MTS and Tele2 offer their solutions for parental control. All of them are paid, from 3 to 9 rubles per day for one monitored number and are activated as an additional service. Beeline and MTS provide it only for gadgets on Android, Megafon and Tele2 serve iOS and Android. The functionality of all applications allows you to control search queries, traffic, battery power, block sites with dangerous content.

Popular questions and answers

If properly configured parental control, then this is an effective tool to protect the child. But setting up will require certain qualifications from parents – knowledge of how the device works. Unfortunately, not all adults have the right idea about this. Their questions are answered by Pavel Korostelev, Head of the Department for Promotion of Products of the Code of Security company.

How effective is parental control?

The expert believes that by installing such applications, parents are forced to invade the personal space of the child. The effectiveness of supervising children is still questionable. Despite good intentions, experts are convinced that parental prohibitions have negative consequences: family trust is undermined, children feel uncomfortable. An excessive intention to protect a child from harmful content violates his right to freedom of expression, privacy.

Can a child remove parental controls?

According to Pavel Korostelev, many children try to bypass parental control programs. Regardless, baby monitoring apps are expected to get better as technology advances. It is likely that in the near future the child will not be able to remove parental controls on his own. This feature currently depends on the application you are using. But do not underestimate the intelligence of children and adolescents. Moreover, on the request “How to bypass parental control”, good Google gives out more than 200 thousand links.

Is it possible to set up remote control of a child’s phone?

The expert believes that parental control programs do not allow full control of the child’s phone. They only limit his right to visit dangerous sites, sites for adults. The use of the Internet is limited in time: at certain hours the phone is blocked, and the child cannot access the sites. That is, the smartphone can be controlled remotely only partially.

Can I listen to conversations using parental controls?

Pavel Korostelev replies that there are programs that allow you to read messages and correspondence, record ambient sounds, and set the location of the phone. But the secrecy of correspondence, including children’s, is protected by law, and such actions clearly violate it. Teenagers will never forgive their parents for such surveillance. There is no such possibility in official applications.

Whether or not to establish parental control is decided in each family individually. But you need to understand that this is an extremely dangerous way of shifting your own responsibility to a soulless gadget. First of all, it is necessary to maintain emotional and psychological contact with your own children, explaining to them the dangers that threaten in cyberspace.

  1. https://rskrf.ru/tips/obzory-i-topy/luchshie-prilozheniya-dlya-roditelskogo-kontrolya-po-versii-roskachestva-i-kak-ikh-ispolzovat/

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