Kaspersky draws a portrait of young users: Can't live without gadgets, but have little safety ......
According to a recent
Kaspersky survey, 91% of parents surveyed in South Africa and 89% of parents
surveyed in the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa (META) region use gadgets to
entertain and occupy their children while traveling or to gain some free time
for themselves. Moreover, half (50%) of children in South Africa and over half
(52%) of children in the META region receive their first personal device – a
smartphone or tablet – quite early, at the age of 3-7 years. However, 26% and
22% of respondents respectively have not discussed Internet safety rules with
their children. This means that some of the children, who are often left
one-on-one with their devices, are not always aware of how to behave safely
online.
The children
themselves admit that gadgets play a significant role in their lives. According
to their own admission, 72% in South Africa and 78% in the META region cannot
live without their gadgets. Smartphones, tablets and game consoles are at the
top of the list of the most desirable devices for children. This emphasises the
critical need for children to understand that they can be exposed to threats
online, what this means and how to safely navigate this through appropriate
device rules and guidelines.
“Most parents give
their children gadgets in order to entertain them, spare some time for
themselves or calm down their kids. However, children shouldn’t use digital
devices uncontrolled. Rather parents should monitor their child’s digital life
better. This can be done by limiting screen time and holding conversations,
however, a security solution is also needed”, comments Seifallah Jedidi, Head
of Consumer Channel in the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa at Kaspersky.
“Applying parental
control is not showing distrust to your child; it’s a sensible precaution with
which you can, among other things, protect the device and the data on it. It
allows parents to control which sites their children visit and which games they
play, as well as disallowing file downloads, blocking access to content on
unwanted topics and preventing the disclosure of confidential information. This
way, Kaspersky’s technologies help protect finances and confidential data from
cybercriminals, and protect children from the risks that may lurk in the online
environment”, he adds.
Kaspersky suggests
protecting children with the following proactive measures:
- Parents can create a safer online environment
for their children by staying informed about the latest threats and
actively monitoring their children’s online activities.
- It’s crucial for parents to have open
communication with their children about the potential risks they may
encounter online and to enforce strict guidelines to ensure their
safety.
- To secure your child from downloading any
malicious files during their online experiences, we advise installing a
trusted security solution on their device.
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