How to protect children online

The development of technology has led to the emergence of new threats: trolling, bullying, the desire to earn likes at any cost. Now you need to protect your beloved child not only in reality, but also on the Web. It turns out that this is not so easy to do. And it's not that there are not enough tools. Child protection on the Internet is a multi-variable equation that not everyone can solve.

Self defense

Let's make a reservation right away that control in one way or another will violate the boundaries of the child's personal space and affect the ethical aspect. Nevertheless, these methods will help parents to be sure that their children do not come across information that is dangerous to them on the Internet.

Device-level protection

One of the first gadgets in the life of a little user is the telephone and its variations. Excited adults want to know if the child is okay, and also where he is. The market satisfied this request. A few years ago, children's phones and smart watches took their niche.

The principle of their work is simple: if it is not allowed, then it is forbidden. From such devices, the child can only call numbers from the white list. An incoming call can also only be from approved contacts. The rest will receive a busy signal.

Also, parents can receive data on the location of the child. You can memorize the necessary points in advance (house, park, school) or receive GPS coordinates in real time. Some models of smart watches provide for sending SMS if the child decides to take them off. In addition, you can send a command to a hidden call from the device, that is, listen. And here caring parents come close to committing a crime.

Such gadgets, despite their cheerful multicolored design, are special means for secretly obtaining information. Their production, acquisition or sale is prohibited by article 138.1 of the Criminal Code. Nevertheless, it is possible to buy the devices: they are officially sold by the operators of the “big three”. Although in Germany, for example, such gadgets were banned.

Sheath-level protection

You cannot access the Internet from children's phones and smart watches. Smartphones and tablets are another matter.

One of the first widely known gadgets at one time was the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Kids tablet. The manufacturer focused on the target audience - children. This manifested itself in both the design and functionality of the applications.

The device is focused on creating a "good" Internet. Parents can customize which apps their child can launch and how much time they can spend with their tablet in general. For example, no more than 30 minutes per day. The applications themselves are also targeted at the little user. If this is an online cinema, then only content that matches his age will be able to find a child.

However, it often happens that an ordinary smartphone or tablet is inherited by the child from the parents. Manufacturers have foreseen this situation and created a children's regime. You will not be able to exit it without knowing the parental password.

Software-level protection

What if your smartphone doesn't have kid mode? What if a child goes online from a computer? And there is enough adult content, propaganda, advertising and other information dangerous for children. It's simple: you need to understand and configure. There are solutions for every taste, color and wallet.

The most popular parental control functions for your computer are available in popular operating systems. On Windows, for example, Microsoft Family Safety is responsible for this.

All solutions listed below work for both PC and mobile devices.

Antiviruses. Many antiviruses have got parental controls. Some manufacturers have gone further and released a separate product specifically for child protection.
Limited functionality profiles. For example, when creating a mailbox in Gmail, you can specify how strongly the search engine will filter the results. Something can be done on social media too. For example, limit the visibility of the page for those who are not included in the friends list.
Third Party Services. With their help, you can configure flexible access to the World Wide Web, allow or deny only certain sites. Some ISPs themselves offer this service as an additional option to the basic tariff plan.
Control at the router level. Even budget models have basic parental controls. It allows you to monitor and restrict the actions of children on the Internet, limit the time spent on the Internet, prohibit access to certain sites. It is quite possible that this will be enough for someone to be calm for the child when he goes online.

State protection

Back in 2010, the first publication of the Federal Law "On the Protection of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health and Development" was published. From September 1, 2012, information began to be marked with the appropriate age category marks (6+, 12+, 16+, 18+). In practice, it turned out that content labeling does not guarantee that the child will not become familiar with it.

An action plan was recently developed to ensure the information security of children in 2018–2020. It will cover a wide range of issues: online communications, online payments, data privacy, child suicide. The initiative is useful and overdue for a long time. However, don't rely on government projects alone. Parents are primarily responsible for the upbringing and safety of the child.