Samsung phones are a popular choice for both adults and children alike, yet when giving our young people devices with internet and social media access, there are certainly risks attached and knowing how to avoid those is essential.
HELLO! spoke to Samsung for advice on how parents can help keep their children and teenagers safe on their devices, and thankfully, the company has developed some great features to support families.
Deborah Honig, Chief Customer Officer for Samsung UK, says: “We’re working hard to put out the most accessible resources to empower parents, teachers and kids to have conversations about what’s happening online and how to deal with it.
“The future of online safety should be everyone coming together to work towards a common goal of keeping young people safe online. As a parent with a young child, my priority is their safety, both off and online. I want to help educate my child and give them a safe space to learn when accessing new technologies.”
Here, Deborah shares five key tips for staying safe online with Samsung…
1. Give children a safe and fun online environment with ‘Samsung Kids’
“Everyone deserves to be able to enjoy the benefits of technology, safely, and it’s really important that young people have the opportunity to start learning about the digital world,” says Deborah.
For parents sharing their devices with their younger children, Samsung Kids is pre-installed on Samsung phones. It’s a great way to make sure children are protected while they’re learning about the online world and to give them a fun and secure digital place to play in.
Parents can set a PIN and use parental controls to protect their children from potentially unsuitable apps and websites, control their playtime and limit their accessibility.
But it’s more than just safety - children can also have fun with the cute Samsung Kids friends and exciting child-friendly features that help develop creativity.
Learn more about Samsung Kids here.
2. Use ‘Galaxy for Families’ to keep children and teens safe
When children and teens are ready for their own devices, they can embrace technology on their own terms with Galaxy for Families, which allows parents to monitor usage and set proper boundaries across the family’s devices.
By setting up a Samsung Child Account, parents can easily manage website access through Samsung Internet and set limits on the apps and games young people can access.
They can then put in place Galaxy Store purchase restrictions through the Galaxy Store; enable Samsung Find for location sharing; and set up a shared photo album with restrictions on who can view, edit and contribute to it.
Galaxy for Families also helps parents manage Google Family Link and set boundaries across Google apps.
Learn more about Galaxy for Families here.
© Getty Images3. Look at the Galaxy smartphone and device features
“Even if you’re just lending your device to a child for a short time and don’t want to create accounts for them, it’s still important to make sure they’re using the internet safely,” Deborah advises.
Many parents do choose to let their children use their devices for short periods to make sure they’re safe, for example, going to and from school or when they’re at friends’ houses.
Even if they’re just loaning the device for a specific reason, there’s still a lot of individual features available on Galaxy devices and wearables.
Parents can access Browser History and block Secret Mode on Samsung Internet, set in-app purchase restrictions on the Galaxy Store and set call and text filters.
The Privacy Dashboard also provides an overview of their child’s device permissions for camera, microphone and location over the last 24 hours or in the last seven days.
Samsung Secure Folder also keeps personal files away from children. Samsung Find and SOS Messages mean children’s locations can be tracked and, if they feel unsafe or uncomfortable, they can quickly send messages asking for help.
Learn more about what’s available on Galaxy devices here.
4. Have the right conversations with your children and set boundaries together
Online safety can be overwhelming for parents, and they may not know the best ways to have the conversations that matter. But there are a lot of resources available.
A great place to start would be The Online Together Project we launched with Internet Matters, supported by our Solve for Tomorrow initiative.
The Online Together Project is a skills tool that encourages learning through questions and conversations. It helps young people explore online topics and fosters discussion through conversation starters, whether used alone, with peers, or with teachers, parents, and carers.
Our partner Internet Matters also offers a wealth of helpful age-appropriate tools and tips for parents on social media and gaming.
For more information, please visit: internetmatters.org/
5. Get the help you need with Samsung Customer Services
As well as our website resources, help is always at hand through Samsung Customer Services.
Parents who want reassurance when setting up devices to be safe for young people can get advice in one of our stores, on our website, or simply by calling us.
We also run regular workshops at our Experience stores, and we visit schools to help teachers work with children on online safety.
Get help here:
Visit: samsung.com/uk/support/contact
Call: 0333 000 0333
Live Chat: samsung.com/uk/support/chat-members
Sign Language Support: samsung.com/uk/support/contact/accessibility
