Earlier this week, Twitterati had a laugh at Google’s expense: instead of a doodle celebrating Children’s Day on November 14, users were greeted with one marking the 131st anniversary of the hole puncher. But the Internet giant hadn’t forgotten the occasion; instead, they announced the third edition of the Web Rangers contest that’s aimed at keeping teenagers safe online. And perhaps they have it right; if children aren’t vulnerable enough when they’re out in the world, a greater threat to their safety lives right at their fingertips.
A few months ago, the Blue Whale Challenge was the topic of discussion. But it’s only one of the many challenges online; there are other acts of self-harm disguised as ‘fun’ things to try out — eating a ghost pepper or swallowing a spoonful of cinnamon — which sometimes result in death. It’s not easy to understand how impressionable young minds come across this content, let alone indulge in them.
Finding solutions
Do the advent of these apps and the increasingly predatory atmosphere that our children are growing up in mean that it is time to pluck the gadget du jour from their hands? Given the benefits that smartphones and tablets have, removing them altogether seems drastic. Just think of the tantrums that will follow! Instead, parents can fight fire with fire — to their benefit, in this case — and actively use parental control apps. These go beyond blockers and firewalls: they’re more powerful, more intuitive, and smarter. They have to be, considering the modern kindergärtner is more comfortable swiping screens than you and I ever will be.
Apps like Qustodio, Kidlogger, Zoodles, Kidtrol and Spyzie are available for free on Android and iOS platforms (because who uses an actual computer any more). Anti-virus software creators like Norton, McAfee and Kaspersky also have parental control apps and software.
Closer home, Noopur Raghunath came up with the idea for eKavach in early 2013, after being part of a conversation about cyber-security and children at a social gathering. “Being a parent myself, I observe and understand how the challenges in parenting are evolving,” she says. Her award-winning app offers a variety of features, including location-based child monitoring, remote control of apps on a child’s device, the facility to define internet usage timings, real-time alerts when a set boundary is breached, emergency child notifications (with geo-location) and more.
What parents do
It’s not just teens who need monitoring online. Saurin Parikh, father of a seven-year-old, uses pattern locks on apps, has a visible screen policy, where he makes sure that his child uses his device only in front of parents. Bengaluru-based parenting blogger, Shailaja V, has a similar rule where her 11-year-old daughter can use her parents’ laptop for school work only under adult supervision and in a family room. She also uses an app called Kids Place that locks apps and restricts internet access on devices. Rashmi Naik, a public relations professional and mother of two kids aged nine and seven, does not allow screens in the bedrooms, encourages gadget-free meals and switches off the Wi-Fi from 9 pm to 8 am. She also uses the NetNanny app and the Norton Family Control app.
But all three parents fervently agree that their responsibility doesn’t stop with just installing a few apps. “Matching the ingenuity and curiosity of children is always a challenge. Any intent teenager with basic tools to break the code can do it,” says Naik.
Shankari Mandiram, a Chennai-based psychologist, says that being clued in to what’s happening online is a must for parents, so they know what they are dealing with. “Parents can take pride in how well their child can navigate the online space. But just because kids are tech savvy does not mean that they are equipped to deal with the dangers that come with the territory,” she says.
Talk about it
Both Shailaja and Naik recall that their daughters had been curious about the Blue Whale challenge. They engaged the children in a discussion about the aftermath of the completed “challenge” and it gave the parent and child some much-needed insight into each others worlds. “We need to acknowledge and respect their own levels of intelligence when we share our perspectives as adults,” says Naik.
Parents have to tread the fine line between policing screen time and being approachable to conversation about what happens online, says Mandiram. She explains, “A controlling attitude won’t work here, neither will underhanded ways like peeping into their devices. Kids need privacy as well, especially as emotionally vulnerable adolescents. Set practical boundaries, like no devices for an hour before bedtime. And avoid the advisory tone when talking to them about their social media lives. Engage them in conversation and build the trust that they can come to you with any problems.”
Young children can benefit from technology in marvellous ways, and these parental control apps are helpful when it comes to ensuring basic safety while reining in internet usage. However, even the most advanced app will never be able to replace parents’ role in preventing unsavoury experiences online. Our phones may be smart, but our children are smarter.
