One can find anything and everything in the vast sea of information we call the internet, from images to videos to text. While adults can make better-informed choices, kids need parental protection from countless dangers that lurk online, e.g., inappropriate content, malicious strangers, harmful software attacks, etc. Parents need to make well-educated decisions and use web filters to protect kids against such threats.
The Rise of Digital Threats
The past generation has seen the rise and advancement of the internet. It is not a foreign construct for the parents. We have lived through the age of dial-up internet connections and have seen the world getting swept up in the wave of mobile phone technology.
On the other hand, modern-day kids are born into a world ruled by the internet. From homes to schools to entertainment and more, it permeates every aspect of our life. Since the internet is seeping into every corner of our lives, parents can’t help but feel concerned for their kids’ internet safety.
Types of Threats Kids May Face on the Internet
There is no shortage of threats in the online world for kids and adults. The worst thing is that their effects seep into the real world and influence our mental and physical health. That is why parents need to look out for their kids’ internet safety and protect them against such dangers. Here are a few examples of the threats that lurk in the online world.
- Contact with Malicious Strangers
Kids may see them as potential friends but predators, cyberbullies, scammers, identity thieves, online sexual groomers, etc., get in touch with kids for their personal gains and nothing more.
- Inappropriate content on the Internet
Kids may come across sexually explicit content, violent/graphic games, obscenity, profanity, foul language, piracy, unwanted pop-ups, and malware/viruses. All these things cause harm to kids’ mental health and lead them toward immoral behavior.
Why Prioritize Kids’ Internet Safety?
Kids spend time surfing the web, now more than ever. Most teens have their own cell phones and spend their leisure time on the internet. A vast majority of teens have social media profiles on websites like Facebook, Instagram, Discord, Snapchat, etc., and they tend to upload pictures of themselves.
It is becoming increasingly difficult for parents to safeguard their kids against digital threats since everything is becoming more reliant on the internet, from work, education, gaming, school assignments, entertainment, and more. Add the vastness of digital threats into the mix, and you have a recipe for disaster.
Parents feel concerned for their kids’ internet safety since they are more advanced users of the internet than them. Therefore, online safety is becoming a priority among parents across the globe, and web filters serve as the foundation of that protection.
How Can Parents Protect Kids from Web Threats?
The first step toward safeguarding kids from digital dangers is to educate them about the existence of digital threats and their possible consequences. The next logical step is to use parental control apps such as FamilyTime parental control app that offer powerful and competent web filters, among other features. Let’s look into how this app can help you protect kids from digital dangers.
Let FamilyTime Help!
FamilyTime is a dynamic parental control application that offers everything a parent needs to ensure their kids’ safety. It was launched in 2014 with a vision to help ease digital parenting problems and assist parents in protecting kids from digital threats. It works well with iOS and Android operating systems and can be used to monitor iPhones from Android devices and vice versa.
Key Features
It offers a variety of security features that include location tracking, web filter, web history, screen time limitation, social media monitoring, call & text monitoring, teen safe drive, and a whole lot more. Let’s dive deeper and see what these features can do for parents.
- Web Filter
FamilyTime offers one of the most powerful web filters on the market. Parents can use it to block inappropriate websites as well as unsuitable content with the help of specific keywords.
- Safe Search
It also has a safe search feature that removes all inappropriate content from the search results that includes video files, images, and text. That means kids would not be exposed to anything age-inappropriate at all!
- Internet Schedule
Are you worried that your kids may use the internet late at night? Do you want them to sleep peacefully instead of surfing the internet? FamilyTime has got your back! Take charge of your kids’ internet schedule and decide when they can use it throughout the day. You can cut off their internet access at bedtime and sleep peacefully, knowing that they will be safe.
- Web History
Parents must first know what kids do online to protect kids from digital threats. FamilyTime’s web history feature offers valuable insights into kids’ minds. You can track their digital activities and assess whether they are involved in something that could endanger their digital lives.
- YouTube Monitoring
Know what your kids watch on YouTube and find out whether they are looking at something inappropriate or unsuitable for their age/mental health. You can track their YouTube activity and decide whether to limit their interaction with the platform.
- TikTok Monitoring
TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms that kids use nowadays. Its short video content is entertaining yet addictive and plays a crucial role in shortening their attention spans. FamilyTime offers a way to help parents monitor what kids watch on this platform and limit their interaction with the app as needed.
What More Can FamilyTime Do?
FamilyTime offers a lot more than web filters and digital security features for kids. It has everything a parent needs to keep their kids safe from numerous threats of the modern world. Let’s take a look at what parents can do with this app by their side.
- Screen Time Limit
Do your kids tend to spend most of their leisure time in front of screens? Are you worried they may develop screen/technology addiction? Parents can decide how much time kids can spend with their screens in a day. They can even limit time for individual apps so kids can have a more meaningful and diverse screen time. Doing so helps curb the menace of screen addiction.
- App Blocker
Are you aware that kids can easily play violence or sexual games nowadays? Kids even know about the open source teen dating apps that exist now. All these inappropriate apps and games can ruin a kid’s childhood in a matter of seconds. FamilyTime’s App Blocker helps parents block access to such apps. With the help of this feature, parents can rest assured that kids will only use apps that they have approved.
- Call & Text Monitoring
Do threats like cyberbullying, sexting, online grooming, teen suicides, depression, etc., scare you? You can protect your kids against these threats while respecting kids’ privacy with the help of FamilyTime’s call & text monitoring feature. It alerts you of the presence of such issues so you can help kids in time, and you do not have to go through their phone to find out if they are struggling.
- SOS/Panic Button
Do your kids have a medical issue that put them at risk or they may need immediate attention? Are you worried your kids may be targeted by bullies, stalkers, or predators? The answer lies in FamilyTime’s SOS/Panic Button. When pressed (by kids), this button sends immediate alerts to parents with kids’ current location so they can reach to their aid.
- Pick Me Up Button
Do you often get stuck at work and forget to pick up your kids on time? Are you always busy with housework and can’t pick up kids at the right time? FamilyTime offers an intelligent solution. Set up reminders of when and from where you must pick up the kids and let it handle the rest.
Is It Easy to Use?
FamilyTime is easy to install and use. Parents need to set up their account on its website, then download the parent app on their device and the child app on kids’ devices. Log in on both devices using the credentials that you used while creating the account to link both devices. Once that is done, you can set up all the desired features and let FamilyTime do its job. Its powerful web filter can protect kids from digital threats while its other features help you manage the perils of digital parenthood. Explore its website to know more.