Few tips to enable privacy and security features on digital devices for safety and protection:
- Authentication for accessing mobile with finger print or Face recognition and a lock screen with a pattern pass code or a password is necessary to avoid misuse of the mobile.
Steps to enable biometric authentication and passwords: Authentication - 1- settings; 2 - lockscreen and password
- Enable google play protect on your mobile. It scans your mobile and alerts you on signs of misbehaving apps or anything suspicious. Confirm and make sure it is working by checking if it is active.
Steps to enable google play protect :
1- googleplay store ; 2- at the top right tap the profile icon; 3- click on play protect ;3 - check wether option is enabled n active
- Enable find my device option to trace your mobile device by finding its exact location of the on an interactive map.
Steps to enable find my device option:
1 - settings ; 2 - google ; 3 - security ; 4- enable find my device
- Update emergency contact information on your mobile to display the contact number on lock screen in case of emergency.
How to set up an Android emergency contact
There are a couple of ways to set up ICE contact information on an Android phone. First, you can add your info to the emergency information feature:
- Open the “Settings” app.Tap “User & accounts,” then “Emergency information.”
- To enter medical information, tap “Edit information” (you might have to tap “Info” first, depending on the version).
- There’s a separate section where you can enter emergency contacts; tap “Add contact” to add a person from your contacts list (you might have to tap “Contacts” first)
- Enable 2 factor authentication to rule out the possibility of misuse or theft of passwords. This feature ensures another layer of security.
Steps to enable 2factor authentication option: (On your Android phone or tablet)
1- Settings app; 2 - Google; 3 - Manage your Google Account; 4- click security; 5- enable 2 step verification and enable options
- Enable safe browsing options on your mobile to get a warning on trying to access or open a malicious site or download dangerous content. Chrome is a default android browser that is enabled with safe browsing feature.
Steps to enable safe bowsing option on your mobile
1- click on chrome; 2-go to settings/ tap the profile icon on top right ; 3 - privacy ; 4 - enable safe browsing
- Use Youtube kids app for safely viewing youtube videos
This is a free downloadable app that is created by YouTube for kids. It allows parents the option to set an age level of their child to view only specific related content that has been reviewed by Google and marked as appropriate for that age group.
For using it-
- download the app from playstore into your device
- set it up for your child by entering the year of birth, choosing appropriate age group and other options,
- after you enter your email and send parental consent,
- you receive 4 digit verification code
- using the code you can start using this app for your child on the device. (this is available on ios and android devices)
Other options to view youtube safely especially for children–
-Watch and share videos on safeyoutube.net
This is another solution to watch and share youtube videos without any other distracting content in view.
https:/ /safeyoutube.net/w/xOxE
To use the safeyoutube.net –
- copy the url of the youtube video that you want to share or watch,
- later paste it on the on the website safeyoutube.net in the option given for ‘Generate your safe YouTube link’
- once you generate the link you can use or share this safe link for viewing the youtube videos without any other content or advtertisements appearing on the screen.
-Subscribe to the selected channels
You may also subscribe to specific selected channels by selecting subscribe button. This will ensure that you will be directed to the specific videos that you want to watch.
For subscribing to selected channels
- open the youtube app or goto youtube.com
- sign in with your credentials
- select the type of videos you want to view
- select the subscribe button.
-Enable restricted mode on youtube
Youtube provides the ‘Restricted Mode’ on regular youTube website, which will enable a kid-friendly setting, with restricted content. Parents may use the same for older children, to avoid inappropriate content.
To set up YouTube Restricted Mode
- go to YouTube.com and sign into the account you created
- Scroll down to the very bottom of the page.
- Then click Restricted Mode.
- You will see some safety buttons appear below.
- Click the circle labelled “On,” to enable Restricted Mode.
- Then click Save to save the changes you’ve made to your settings.
-Upload videos by selecting private or unlisted option and restrict comments
For a safe video sharing option you may guide the child to upload viedo privately to selected members, you may use the unlisted option so that they do not show up on youtube option but anyone with specific link can only see it, you can also restrict comments from viewers, to avoid disturbing reviews.
To enable this option signin to youtube studio, from left menu select videos, hover over the video you want to update, click down arrow under visibility and choose private or unlisted option and save.
(reference: https://techboomers.com/youtube-parental-controls)
- Enable parental controls for activating security features and safeguarding children
Parental controls are restrictions that parents can implement on child’s usage of digital devices by enabling certain features available in the software of specific devices and monitor their online activity. It helps reduce the risk of child viewing inappropriate content on web.
The parental control can help
- Block inappropriate apps., games and media child can access
- Set restrictions on web browsers to show only pre-approved websites
- Restrict search engines by defining what child can search online
- Restrict child from using certain unwanted services
Steps to set up parental controls:
- Open google play store app
- Tap menu in the top right corner
- Got to settings
- Go to parental controls option and turn it on
- Create a PIN
- Tap the type of content you want to filter
- Choose how to filter or restrict access.
Other options to monitor online activities of children
- Parents may use security features enabled parental control/ child monitoring apps, available on google playstore to help them in guiding children appropriately on digital device usage and safeguard them against possible online dangers.
Examples of few parental control Apps – Net Nanny, Norton Family, Kasperskey safe kids, Bark, mspy etc.,
- Have digital device usage family agreements, where all the family agree to follow certain common family rules for using digital devices.
- Have digital free zones like bedtime, dinner time, play time, driving time etc.,
- Model kindness and good digital usage habits, when using digital medium for communication.
- Be a good Digital Role Model
Modeling good digital habits is essential for parents. This is important as the parents behavior and habits are unspoken permission to children to practice the same later on.
- Do not engage too much in digital devices when you are around children.
- Pay attention to children and to what they want to tell you.
- Engage in positive, encouraging and motivating approach while talking to children
- Create an environment wherein children can put across their digital issues, to parents to seek suggestions.
- Help children to form confident ideas and beliefs about themselves to deal with crisis situations.
- Be accessible to children; have certain time in a day allocated to family and children
