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Today is Safer Internet Day. This day promotes safer and more responsible use of new technologies, especially among children and young people across the world. This year’s theme is ‘Connect with respect’.

The Internet has become a necessity of life for many of us, and the possibilities to stay connected to the Web 24 hours a day are endless: through your PC, laptop, smartphone, tablet, etc. The World Wide Web allows you to book a hotel room, buy a book, publish a picture with your friends or check the weather in Madagascar, just with a couple of clicks and from anywhere. However, as the saying goes, ‘With great power comes great responsibility”.

Social networks have become a huge ‘shop window’ for people, who use it to show others where they’ve been on vacation, their new leather jacket or a picture of their baby. We use them to chat, post messages on our walls, read other people’s messages, that is… to communicate. However, all these activities must be performed with utmost respect and responsibility.

All the information that you share on the Internet leaves your control and it is therefore highly advisable, especially for young people, to be extremely careful what you share through social media, and who you give access to your account. It can be very easy for people to use that information for the wrong purposes, and there are contents you might not want everybody to see.

For these reasons, we’d like to provide you with a series of simple tips for parents and teenagers that will help make your digital life a safer place:

For children and young people:

• Don’t share personal information: With chat and IM programs you can never be 100% sure who you’re talking to. That’s why you should never keep people you don’t know as contacts and -unless you’re sure you can trust the person- never share data such as your telephone number, address, personal photos or other private information.
• Always be friendly: Treat your friends and other people in the same way you would like them to treat you. If you come across activity or comments that you don’t like, tell your parents, teacher or other adults you trust. And don’t just stand by and watch, even if you are not the victim.
• If you have any doubts, ask your parents teachers or other adults: When you receive information that you don’t understand or you think looks dubious, before you do anything, speak to someone you can trust (your parents or teachers, etc.). You should never click the links in these types of messages.
• Browse the Web with caution: When you communicate via messaging or email, you often receive links inviting you to view information. It is advisable never to click directly on these links, but to type in the address in your browser instead. You should also be careful when you view movie trailers, TV ads or when you download games: These are often used as bait to infect your computer. Before opening any of these, scan it with an online antivirus or the security product you have installed. If you’re not sure, always speak to your parents.

For parents:

• Use strong passwords: Use strong passwords, and have different passwords for the different online services you use. It is also a good idea to change them regularly. If you detect anything suspicious, report it straight away! There are specific channels for reporting these activities.
• Learn how to recognize Internet scams: No matter how real it may seem, the truth is you haven’t won the lottery and nobody is offering you the job of a lifetime. Similarly, your bank will never ask for your details via email. Good software can detect these threats, and a bit of basic security training combined with common sense will help you learn to identify these scams.
• Security training + Parental control = the best formula for protection: It is important for you to recognize the main threats to your children on the Web so that you can educate them and teach them what to do when they find themselves in difficult situations. Installing a good parental control system will help you in the difficult task of ensuring that your children have an enjoyable and healthy online experience.
• Protect your computer with good security software: Keep your computer -and your family- protected at all times with latest generation security software against the sophisticated infection techniques used by hackers. If you don’t have an antivirus installed, we suggest that you download our free antivirus solution Panda Cloud Antivirus.

For more information, please visit the Internet in Safe Hands website.

Published by Ana Etxebarria, 26th July 2012

A few days ago I experienced a situation that most parents will probably face, especially when children become teenagers. One of my nephews boasted on a social network of having taken his first alcoholic drink and smoked his first cigarette. He is 12 years old. I still do not know, and doubt that I will ever know, if it was a big boy bravado or fact. But nevertheless, this led to a family dilemma with a complex solution.

Should we spy on them or not?

In a world where six year old kids play with strangers online, 10 year olds already have smartphones and 13 year olds (or younger) have profiles on Facebook, it may seem tempting to think that the best weapon parent have to defend our children from any potential danger is spying. Now to be fair, children should always know that we are watching their moves. That is, we would have to be those uncomfortable and unwanted “friends” whose invitation they have no choice but to accept. As discussed here a few months ago, Mom, were you spying on me?, if it were our case, at least we should not forget the “etiquette” with them.

How much should we spy our kids?

Asking to be his “friends” on Facebook is a truly subtle and honest way of espionage. A step beyond, there are  programs which will allow us to know exactly the content of SMS exchanges with friends, the exact pages they are browsing and the time they spend in each one of them or in chat conversations.

Yet this attitude is at odds with the concept of a father who naturally trusts his son, who teaches him to be a responsible adult and that, without reasons for it, nothing can justify an intrusion of this kind in the private life of anyone, let alone their children’s. The objective of this somewhat unrealistic group, is not to ignore the habits of their children when they are online but to limit the use of all electronic devices as much possible and postpone the purchase of smartphones for as long as possible. Encouraging outdoor activities is certainly a healthy lifestyle and the time spent on the Internet is decreased and therefore the risks associated with the network are reduced.

But then, Who is right? Who is wrong?

I believe that, as in any other aspect of life, common sense is the only tool to be applied. In order to raise confident and self-sufficient children, which deep down is the main desire of any parent, you must be able to mix all the ingredients properly. Basically a father is not very different from a cook and a tasty dish must have a liuttle bit of everything and everything in the right amount. You have to watch the cooking time but also let it cook at its pace. And of course every cook has his tricks and no dish is always the same.

What do you think?

Published by Ana Etxebarria, 31st May 2012

Perhaps the perfect children’s bedtime book, Goodnight Moon is a short poem of goodnight wishes from a young rabbit preparing for his own slumber:

“Goodnight room. Goodnight moon.
Goodnight cow jumping over the moon.
Goodnight light, and the red balloon,
Goodnight bears, goodnight chairs,
Goodnight kittens, goodnight mittens,
Goodnight clocks and goodnight socks…”

It is an American classic that has been told by parents to their children for more than 60 years ago. But… lately the story has changed, a bit

Goodnight iPad is a witty parody picture book for the gadget-crazy kid in all of us.

GoodnightIPad

Where Margaret Wise Brown’s 1947 story ends with the peaceful wish, “Goodnight stars, Goodnight air, Goodnight noises everywhere”, Milgrim’s (Ann Droyd’s), instead bids goodnight to a host of modern technological appliances. “Goodnight remotes and Netflix streams, Androids, apps and glowing screens,” he writes, ending, “Goodnight MacBook Air, goodnight gadgets everywhere.”

As the authors say, “Goodnight iPad is a gentle reminder to power down at the end of the day. It will make you smile, and it will also help you wrest yourself away from your gadgets and put yourself — and your machines — to sleep. Don’t worry, though. Your gadgets will be waiting for you, fully charged, in the morning.”

Luckily one character understands the need for calm. While bidding goodnight to each gadget, the mother rabbit pulls them one by one from her reluctant bunnies (and husband) and throws them out the window. She then settles in bed next to a cat and reads “Goodnight Moon”. Check out the video and enjoy!

Posted by Ana Etxebarria

According to a recent survey conducted in the US, children spend twice as much time watching TV as reading books… This adds a little bit more controversy to the already complex issue of kids and new technologies. Common Sense Media has published a study revealing that kids are using electronic media to an amazing extent.

According to the report:

• A whopping 40% of kids 2-4 years and over 50% of 5-8 year-olds have used a smartphone, tablet, or video iPod.
• Over 50% of children ages 0 to 8 have access to a mobile device.
• More than a quarter of children this age have ever used one of these newer mobile devices, including 10% of 0- to 1- year-olds, 39% of 2- to 4-year-olds, and 52% of 5- to 8-year-olds.
• Children under 2 spend twice as much time watching TV or DVDs as they do reading books.

To be honest with you I don’t find this surprising at all. If my own family had been subject to the study, the results would have been pretty much the same.

In addition, this study comes amid huge controversy over a recent recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics reminding parents with small children that they should not be allowing their little ones to watch TV or other screens. They even go as far as suggesting that parents should not watch TV while their kids are around.

However, in view of the study, it seems pretty complicated to convince parents to stop their children from watching TV or playing with an iPad. Or maybe we are focusing on the wrong question, especially when we witness behavior like this from a popular YouTube video of a baby ‘reading’ a magazine the only way she knows how:

The AAP has admitted that 90% of parents of children under 2 years old already allow some screen time, and Common Sense’s report suggests that most parents are rather permissive with electronic media for all age groups. Maybe it’s time to admit that the question is no longer if media should be allowed, but how much and what kind.

APP researchers found behavioral differences between kids who watched fast-paced cartoons with those who watched a slow-paced one, and discovered that only those who watched the frenetic show seemed to be adversely affected. It seems clear that neither the cartoon in question -“SpongeBob SquarePants”- nor any other programs, games or applications are intrinsically bad, although they can be negative if used inadequately. It is a question of common sense more than anything else, but it seems that many parents are unable to apply it and understand what is age-appropriate. And since the “experts” tend to look down on all screen time, it is difficult to know which shows and apps are best.

It’s now pretty clear that screen time is part of our kids’ lives at every age. For you not to understand that would be swimming against the tide. However, it is also true that many of us parents may need more guidance on how much media and what kind is best for the intellectual and cognitive development of our children.

How much screen time is allowed in your house? What sorts of programs and games are allowed?

Posted by Leyre, August 13th, 2009

Now that we are on holiday with the kids, it is a great opportunity to teach them how to play online in a safe way, as the risks of using the Internet are on the increase, especially for young people, the most vulnerable. The Web can quickly turn from a being a source of entertainment to a serious problem if children are not alert to the dangers. At Panda, we are socially responsible and we recognise and support projects that contribute to the secure use of new technologies, especially for children.

The dangers in instant messaging, email, social networks etc. can be prevented by following a simple set of guidelines that we want to share with you:

• Speak to your children.
• Learn yourself, and pass the knowledge on to your children.
• Set firm rules for using the Internet.
• Forbid children from giving out confidential information.
• Teach your children to be wary of appearances.
• Install an effective security solution.  The Parental Control feature lets children use the Internet safely by restricting access to inappropriate Web content. Check the latest Panda Internet Security 2010 and Panda Global Protection 2010, they both feature it!

Check Panda Security´s Kids on the Web campaign for detailed information.

On the other hand, cell phones are now widely used by children and adolescents. The risks, therefore, that they face in this respect are similar to those commented above concerning PCs, especially what regards instant messaging services (chatrooms) and spam, in cases related to pornography.

So, restrict the use of mobile phones which include risk features only to older children and give them advise on how to make a safe use of their cell phone.

Once you set limits to your children, tell them about the risks of going online, and teach them how to handle uncomfortable situations, together you can create a fun and safe environment for your children online.

So now, time to enjoy yourselves, adults and kids!! Check out these fun sites and have a super time!

Discovery Channel for Kids
Cartoon Networks
Disney Channel International site
Pocoyo

Share with us other sites you and your children play safely online ¡¡