Kaspersky Lab has complemented its solution to protect children against digital threats with new features for iOS and Android platforms. Now, children can remotely ask parents for access to a restricted site or app with the touch of a button, while parents receive handy tips when Kaspersky Safe Kids registers difficult situations.
Parents see these tips as a comment in the Kaspersky Safe Kids settings and in a report about the child’s Internet activity in the ‘My Kaspersky portal’. The tips can also appear as part of an urgent notification to a parent’s mobile device, for example, if a child is trying to access a site from a category blocked by the parents (such as a site with obscene language).
The results of a survey conducted by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International show that one in three parents feel they can’t control what their child sees and does on the Web. Even with parental control tools, adults often don’t know how to react to specific online behaviour by their kids. For instance, should they confiscate a gadget if their child is caught trying to access gambling sites? Or, how strictly should they talk to their child if the system registers an interest in adult-themed sites?
The advice from psychologists integrated in the new version of Kaspersky Safe Kids allows parents not only to adequately assess the degree of risk to their child, but also to revise their approach to their child’s online security. Parents will get tips about inappropriate sites and applications, when new suspicious contacts appear, when online purchases are made, about excessive use of the Internet, and in a number of other situations.
“Whichever product we develop, we always strive to make it as user-friendly and intuitive as possible. When it comes to parents’ peace of mind and protecting children, this is more relevant than ever. We want our solution for protecting children online to provide more than just technical assistance; it also needs to be a partner for parents. Kaspersky Safe Kids is about more than just controlling children’s Internet activity – we want to help parents get a better understanding of why their kids behave the way they do and why they are interested in particular content. We believe the psychologists’ advice doesn’t simply add a human touch to the program – it takes protection to a whole new level,” comments Andrei Mochola, Head of Consumer Business at Kaspersky Lab.
Another new product feature in the Android version allows kids to request access to restricted sites or applications. If a parent has configured Kaspersky Safe Kids to prevent a child from using specific types of sites or apps, then a window appears denying access whenever a child tries to open them. Now, the child can send a request for access directly from this window. If the parent sees fit, they can agree to the request with the touch of a button. For iPhones and iPads, this function only works for websites.
The revised Kaspersky Safe Kids is now available at www.kaspersky.com/safe-kids. The new features will also be available for Windows and Mac in 2017.
In addition to the functions described above, the solution helps parents stay informed of what their child is doing online, how much time they spend on the Internet, which sites they visit, what games they play, whom they communicate with on social networking sites, and where they go.
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