Samsung Electronics East Africa this year marked Safer Internet Day by raising awareness on the benefits and dangers of internet use among young children and teenagers.
Safer Internet Day is celebrated on February 10 every year, and is this year promoting greater responsibility among parents and guardians under the campaign tagline: “Let’s create a better Internet together.” Now in its 12th year, Safer Internet Day is commemorated across the globe, with its significance growing year on year as more and more children are exposed to the online world from an increasingly younger age.
In celebration of the day, Samsung has partnered with Watoto Watch Network (WWN), a Kenyan child focused non-profit organization that is taking the lead in raising awareness on Child Online Protection by implementing an informative and sensitization program for them in schools. Together with WWN, Samsung will be highlighting some of the child safety features on its mobile and handheld devices, with a particular focus on the Kids Mode application (app).
Kids Mode is a parental control app that parents and guardians can activate to create a child friendly mobile environment for their kids, protecting them from the dangers of the Internet. When in Kids Mode a child using a Samsung smartphone or tablet can only access applications and content pre-selected and deemed suitable for them by parents and guardians. The app prevents the child from interacting with any other content or app on the mobile device that may expose them to harmful information. In addition to that, the app allows parents and guardians to set time limits on mobile device, to restrict over-use by youngsters.
“With more children becoming exposed to the Internet via smartphones and tablets from as early as two years of age, Samsung has put in place measures to ensure that parents and guardians can protect their children from inappropriate content,” says Robert Ngeru, Samsung Electronics East Africa Vice President and COO.
“Rather than denying them the chance to enjoy all the information available online, we saw it fit to create an application that allows parents to provide measured access to the Internet while being able to monitor what children are doing while interacting with games, apps and websites.”
Kids Mode is available on Samsung Galaxy S5*, Note 3**, Note 4*, Galaxy Tab 4** (7-inch) and Galaxy Tab S* (8.4 and 10.5-inch) models, and can be downloaded in three easy steps as follows:
Step 1: Install
Click on the Kids Mode icon visible on your applications menu/widgets list. You will then be prompted to download and install it on your device. When you click on install you may be prompted to allow installation from unknown sources. Select allow which will lead you to the settings page. Head to the security option and scroll down to find unknown sources. Check the unknown sources box to proceed with the installation.
Step 2: Set up your child’s profile and select apps
Once the installation is complete, open your app drawer and launch the app, then go through the configuration prompts.
You’ll start by setting up a PIN and backup password for the Kids Mode. Assign a “Kid’s profile” for your little one (name and birth date), and select the apps you want to provide access to.
In the Kids Mode home screen, you’ll see the apps you’ve allowed displayed as little gift boxes which your child can tap to unwrap. These are accompanied by five standard apps: Gallery, Media Player, Doodle, Sound Recorder, and Camera.
Step 3: Fine tune parental controls
Back on the main home screen, there are two icons toward the bottom of the screen – Settings, Exit – each of which will require your PIN to access.
Settings: this will let you monitor activity, set play limits, add more apps, enable media and more.
Exit: allows you to leave Kids Mode and return to your normal launcher. You will require your set pin to do this.
Each device with Kids Mode also features its own kiddy store with more than 900 child friendly kids applications to choose from.
“With Internet penetration in Kenya now standing at over 23 million users and more children accessing the Internet for educational and recreational purposes, we need to come together to ensure that children and teenagers are not only aware of the benefits and dangers presented by the Internet, but how to use the Internet responsibly,” adds Mr. Ngeru. “We’re proud to be working with Watoto Watch Network by sharing content that they can use to educate children and parents on safer internet use, because we realize that online child protection is our collective responsibility both as individuals and as organizations.”
Parents and guardians wishing to receive assistance with setting up Kids Mode or other parental control features on their handheld Samsung devices can visit Samsung Brand Shops countrywide or follow the link here.
