2020 has created a new normal – this includes children spending more screen time on tablets or smartphones to attend classes and connect with their peers besides the usual episodes of Pororo, Robocar Poli, Peppa Pig or other animated series.
While the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend keeping screen time to one hour and below for children between 2 to 5 years old, there is no specific recommended limit for those who are older. As the AAP puts it: no specific limit, as long as digital media does not interfere with physical activity or sleep.
However this does not mean children should be left unsupervised online especially during this year-end school holiday period. After all, the internet is a place where scammers and cybercriminals are waiting for unsuspecting victims to stumble upon their traps.
We understand it is natural for children to want to spend more time online during this festive season as travelling and school break activities are limited due to the pandemic. At the same time, it is also practically impossible for parents to physically supervise their kids online activities 24/7.
This is where the ESET Parental Control for Android can help, and here are the six reasons why you should install it this holiday.
1. Set daily schedules with time limits (free feature)
The Application Guard feature allows you to create schedules for school days, non-school days and set rules on which applications your child can use during certain hours from your smartphone or at my.eset.com.
For instance, you can allow more streaming time during this school holiday before reverting to the usual allowance of perhaps one hour, when the school starts in January.
This also means no more taking away your child’s device before bedtime as you can forbid app usage at night via the ESET Parental Control for Android ap.
2. Limit the apps they can download (free feature)
With more than 3 million apps on the Google Play Store, there is no shortage of what your child can do with their Android device this school holiday.
Managing this is easy as the Application Guard feature blocks age-inappropriate apps automatically. You can also manually categorise multiple applications into one category and define whether it can be used freely or with limits in place.
3. Protect your child from inappropriate websites (premium feature)
The internet is a vast ocean with more than 1.7 billion websites, and it is impossible for you to go through everything to determine what is appropriate and inappropriate for your child. With ESET Parental Control’s Web Guard feature, your child can explore the Web safely and only see content that are appropriate for their age group. Of course, adult sites featuring gambling and pornography are blocked by default regardless of your child’s age.
Also, you do not have to worry about search engines as the app can automatically filters the results of searches from Google, Yandex, Bing, Yahoo and DuckDuckGo to minimise unintentional exposures.
4. Stay aware of your child’s location during sleepovers (premium feature)
Sleepovers are exciting for children as they get to spend time and know their best friends more. It is always a good idea to get to know other children’s parents, ask about the sleeping arrangements and set some ground rules prior to any sleepover.
In addition to this, you can also use the ESET Parental Control app to keep track of your child’s whereabouts. This does not mean constant monitoring as you can set a geofence around where your child is supposed to be. The app will automatically alert you when your child steps out of the pre-defined area.
5. Parental control is a two-way street with ESET (free feature)
We believe parenting is a two-way street, this is why ESET Parental Control is designed to be child-friendly. Your child can send requests to you through the app for additional fun time, and you can manage these requests from your devices, my.eset.com or even directly from your child’s device.
With this, there is now a new way to reward your child for good behaviour. You can also gift additional time allowance to your child as a bonus present this Christmas.
Download the ESET Parental Control app today
The ESET Parental Control for Android is a must-have in your shopping list during this festive season. Select features of the app are always free, whereas the premium version requires only one user licence per family. Download it from here today; first-time users also get to enjoy 30-day free access to the premium version!