The festivities and shopping seasons see an uptick in internet usage by children for gaming, in-app purchases, and browsing through deals. Although parental controls have a role to play in controlling children’s exposure to the internet in terms of what they see and whom they interact with, they can be instrumental in protecting them from dangerous internet usage as well.
Here are 5 child safety apps designed for that purpose:
1. COP – Child Online Protection
This application helps parents to protect their kids from potential risks associated with the digital world by means of parental controls. Its support service includes permissions for application usage tracking, notifications, location, VPN, screen overlays, and accessibility services, which help parents to control the digital environment of their children.
During the festive shopping and gaming season, the app can be particularly relevant for parents looking to manage their children’s app usage and protect them from potentially harmful pop-ups, notifications, and unintended in-app
2. Qustodio
Features offered by Qustodio include web and app filters, as well as screen time and activity monitoring. Parents can block unwanted games and applications, track their children's web activities and set limits on gaming - thus, being helpful in case of over-gaming and dangerous online contacts when sales happen.
3. Bark
It utilizes a monitor-oriented strategy to address internet safety by keeping the parents informed of any possible dangerous activities taking place in the platforms where the child spends time. This is especially important in the case of older children who use platforms such as Facebook, chat applications, and games.
4. Net Nanny
Net Nanny is a product that uses internet filtering, website blocking, application and screen time management features to provide parents with more control over their children’s internet experience. Net Nanny has technology for filtering websites on-the-fly, and parents also get alerts and reports of online activities.
5. Google Family Link
Google Family Link offers one such easy-to-use solution that helps parents to control their children's app installs and in-app purchases, set screen time limits, and limit certain types of content and app permissions. The app gives the parent the power to either allow or deny the child access to particular apps and content from the Google Play Store.
“Any parental control software cannot be a substitute for being a parent. In situations like festive sales and gaming sessions, where there is a high flow of traffic, the parent needs to combine the use of technology and some simple measures which include educating kids on not clicking unknown links, revealing personal details, downloading apps from any source, and making in-game payments.”
