Disclosed by User Education and Outreach Manager, Trust & Safety, Google APAC, Lucian Teo, technological advances have made human life easier. However, Google believes parental cooperation is needed to help families adopt technology wisely and securely.
Google, says Lucian, has a variety of products to make internet use safer. "Protection and settings have been developed, as well as integration into many of our products to enable parents to choose the right experience and settings for their families," Lucian said.
Google also gives 5 tips to make the Internet experience a safe and convenient:
1. Set digital rules with Family Link
Family Link can help better understand child behaviour when browsing the internet, while also helping to manage their accounts and compatible devices. You can also set boundaries according to the needs of the family by:
- Monitor device usage time and restrict daily access
- Satisfying children's curiosity with a wide range of applications recommended by teachers
- Lock your child's device remotely
- View their activities
- See where they are
- Manage the accounts and apps they use
- Use the SafeSearch Filter
2. Block adult sites with SafeSearch filter
The SafeSearch setting is designed to block adult images, videos, and sites from Google Search search results, to avoid pornography and violent content. However, SafeSearch is not a perfect tool, and you may still find explicit search results.
If so, you can report it. "Reports and user feedback can help us improve SafeSearch to be better for everyone," Lucian says.
3. Use the Google Assistant
The Google Assistant has a variety of activities to entertain families, from giving game suggestions to playing together, to games like guess the picture. There are currently more than 50 games, activities, and stories, in the Assistant for Families program.
Parents can determine whether children are allowed to access third-party applications in the assistant.
Security on Google Play
4. Security on Google Play
To help you determine which content is appropriate for your child, read the review and look for the family star icon in the app or game. This star icon signifies content has been carefully reviewed, and the app or game is developed with children in mind.This star icon also shows the recommended age range for that content.
Check the content rating to understand the maturity level of an app, and set filters based on those ratings to determine the right app for your child.
If you want to know if an app contains ads, has an in-app purchase feature, or requires device permissions, you can check the additional Information section on the app's page in the Play Store.
5. Access YouTube Kids
YouTube Kids can be an option for children to access secure content on YouTube. In this application, parents can control the content that can be accessed.
Jam because videos and channels are available only to children, parents can also set timers to cope with their watch time. Parents can also monitor and know the video that the child is watching through the "Watch Again" feature, and disable the search feature.