The Courier

There is no escaping the importance of mobile ‘smart’ phones in today’s society… whether it be for messaging, video and regular calling, taking photos and videos, banking, gaming, or ordering yourself a pizza! It would probably also not surprise you to know that most children in the UK regularly have access to a smartphone, either a parents’ or siblings' device, or more commonly their own. A survey last year even found that a massive 53% of children aged 7 have their own mobile, jumping sharply to 90% by the age of 11.

Now as with most technology, these devices are not only a lot of fun, they can be extremely helpful, particularly in terms of maintaining near constant contact with your loved ones and being able to track their location at the touch of a button. They do however need to be carefully set up to ensure maximum protection for the younger user. This includes setting up content restrictions, web and search filters and carefully monitoring and limiting what apps can be downloaded

The website Internet Matters really is the most amazing and useful place on the internet to find advice about setting parental controls. Just click on the link then scroll down to select from a range of devices, broadband providers, search engines and apps, all of which guide you to set up your online world to be the safest place possible.

I also have attached two very handy guides, one for iPhones and the other for Android devices which are a great place to start, but if you have any further questions on how to make phones as safe they can possibly be, including using tracking apps like Life360, please do not hesitate to get in touch.