There are numerous reasons why a child should have a mobile phone or device. These devices are fabulous for keeping in touch with your child when they are away from home and for letting them keep in touch with their other friends and family members. In addition, children can greatly benefit from using the internet while mobile for school projects or for finding other important information. However, today’s mobile world can be distressing to parents because of all the threats of bullying, abuse and sexting that are currently trending. This makes it vital for parents to install security software and applications onto any mobile device before gifting it to their child.
Securities To Install Before Gifting a Mobile to Kids
Location-Based Software
Location-based software allows parents to see where their child is on a map. This can be especially helpful for children who walk to school or who attend an after-school program. However, parents of teenagers also find that this type of software gives them peace of mind. Location-based software uses a global positioning system, or GPS, to pinpoint where a cell phone is.
One common application is Life 360, which also allows family members to notify each other automatically when they arrive at destinations. Many of these application will provide driving directions if a parent needs to pick up a child. Some cell phone plans, such as those by Sprint, may include family location services. Parents should check with their mobile provider to find out if this is available to them.
Parental Controls
Parental controls keep track of what a child is doing on his mobile device. These controls can be as strict or as lenient as the parent desires. Some applications will show every single text, email or status update that is sent. Other applications merely block negative content, such as sexually explicit pictures or videos.
Some parents choose to set parental controls to limit how long their child uses the internet or chats with friends on the mobile device. Of course, parents should have a discussion with their children regarding any parental controls that are installed and the reasons for having them. These five options are some of the most familiar parental control software that is available.
Mobiflock for Children
This software must be purchased, but many parents feel that the excellence of the software far outweighs the cost. Parents can easily set times when the device can be used, as well as block certain contacts, block websites, view device usage and much more. Parents can receive alerts about mobile device usage via text messaging or emails.
TextGuard
TextGuard is often used for businesses. However, it has many uses for parents as well. Parents are able to read any text messages and emails sent to or from the device and see any calls that their children send or receive simply by logging on to the TextGuard website.
My Mobile Watchdog
This application is similar to TextGuard in that parents can view all mobile usage on the website. In addition, My Mobile Watchdog allows parents to block certain numbers or mark them as suspicious. When a call comes from one of these numbers, either the parent or the authority that they have chosen will be notified.
Android Parental Controls
Of course, this application is specific to Android devices. While it is free, it can only monitor or block applications, not phone numbers, text messages or emails. McAfee Family Protection McAfee Family Protection, which can be seen on the McAfee website here, is perfect for mobile computers. The software, which must be purchased, can be used on up to three devices at a time. This software allows parents to block websites that they feel are inappropriate for their children. It also helps parents to keep track of their children’s use of social media and to limit the amount of time their children spend online each day.
Location-based software and parental controls help to make mobile devices safe for children of all ages. In addition, they can lend peace of mind to any parent. Installing one or two of these applications can keep technology safe and fun for the whole family.
Sarah Hendricks who is a security expert on protecting users and businesses from hackers and data leakage with NQ.com. NQ Mobile security provides all kinds of mobile security; users in the office, at home, or working remotely are all subject to attack, click here to learn where to find mobile security applications.
Life 360 fascinates me, i guess its good to install such apps on all the phones so that we can get to know the location of the device in a necessity.