{"id":156374,"date":"2024-08-26T05:22:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-26T12:22:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=156374"},"modified":"2024-08-26T10:21:17","modified_gmt":"2024-08-26T17:21:17","slug":"getting-your-kids-ready-for-school-and-their-smartphones-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/getting-your-kids-ready-for-school-and-their-smartphones-too\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Your Kids Ready for School\u2014And Their Smartphones Too"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re the parent of a tween or teen, chances are they\u2019re not the only ones going back to school. Their smartphones are going back too.<\/p>\n

Our global research showed just how many tweens and teens use a smartphone<\/a>. Plenty. Depending on the age band, that figure ranges anywhere from 76% to 93%, with some noteworthy variations between countries.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

One of the top reasons parents give their child a phone is to stay in touch<\/a>, so it likely follows that those phones will likely make their way into the classroom. Whether or not that\u2019s the case for your child, back-to-school time is still a great time to help your child stay safer on their phone\u2014and keep their phones safer too in the event of loss or theft.<\/p>\n

Seven steps for keeping your child\u2019s phone safer<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Install protection on their phone<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Comprehensive online protection<\/a> software can protect your phone in the same way that it protects your laptops and computers. Unfortunately, while many people use it on their laptops and computers, far fewer people use it on their phones\u2014only about 42% of tweens and teens worldwide use it on their smartphones<\/a> according to our most recent research.<\/p>\n

Installing it can protect their privacy, keep them safe from attacks on public Wi-Fi, and automatically block unsafe websites and links, just to name a few things it can do. You can find our smartphone apps in both Google Play and the Apple App Store.<\/p>\n

Set their apps to automatically update<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Updates do all kinds of great things for gaming, streaming, and chatting apps, such as adding more features and functionality over time. Updates do something else\u2014they make those apps more secure. Hackers will hammer away at apps to find or create vulnerabilities, which can steal personal info or compromise the device itself. Updates will often include security improvements, in addition to performance improvements.<\/p>\n

iPhones update apps automatically by default, yet you can learn how to turn them back on here<\/a> if they\u2019ve been set to manual updates. For Android phones, this article can help you set apps to auto-update<\/a> if they aren\u2019t set that way already.<\/p>\n

Much the same goes for the operating system on smartphones too. Updates can bring more features and more security. iOS users can learn how to update their phones automatically in this article<\/a>. Likewise, Android users can refer to this article about automatic updates<\/a> for their phones.<\/p>\n

Use a lock screen with a passcode, PIN, facial recognition, or pattern key<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Another finding from our latest global research<\/a> is just how few people use a lock screen on their phones. Only 56% of parents said that they protect their smartphone with a password or passcode, and only 42% said they do the same for their child\u2019s smartphone\u2014a further 14% drop between parents and kids.<\/p>\n

The issue here is clear. If an unlocked phone gets lost or stolen, all the information on it is an open book to a potential hacker, scammer, or thief. Enabling a lock screen if you haven\u2019t already. It\u2019s a simple feature found in both iOS<\/a> and Android<\/a> devices.<\/p>\n

Learn how to remotely lock or wipe a smartphone<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Preventing the actual theft of your phone is important too, as some hacks happen simply because a phone falls into the wrong hands. This is a good case for password or PIN protecting your phone, as well as turning on device tracking so that you can locate your phone or even wipe it remotely if you need to. Apple provides iOS users with a step-by-step guide for remotely wiping devices<\/a>, and\u00a0Google offers up a guide for Android users as well<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Use a password manager<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Strong, unique passwords offer another primary line of defense. Yet with all the accounts we have floating around, juggling dozens of strong and unique passwords can feel like a task\u2014thus the temptation to use (and re-use) simpler passwords. Hackers love this because one password can be the key to several accounts. Instead, try a password manager that can create those passwords for you and safely store them as well.<\/p>\n

Have your kids steer clear of third-party app stores<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Google Play and Apple\u2019s App Store have measures in place to review and vet apps to help ensure that they are safe and secure. Third-party sites may not have that process in place. In fact, some third-party sites may intentionally host malicious apps as part of a broader scam. Granted, cybercriminals have found ways to work around Google and Apple\u2019s review process, yet the chances of downloading a safe app from them are far greater than anywhere else. Furthermore, both Google and Apple are quick to remove malicious apps once discovered, making their stores that much safer.<\/p>\n

Teach your kids about the hazards of public Wi-Fi and how to use a VPN<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One way that crooks can hack their way into your phone is via public Wi-Fi, such as at coffee shops, libraries, and other places on the go. These networks are public, meaning that your activities are exposed to others on the network\u2014your banking, your password usage, all of it. One way to make a public network private is with a VPN<\/a>, which can keep you and all you do protected from others on that Wi-Fi hotspot. Note that our VPN can turn on automatically for public Wi-Fi, protecting account credentials, search habits, and other activities online. \u200b<\/p>\n

A quick word about desktops and laptops too<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The same advice applies to these devices as well\u2014strong online protection software, password management, VPN usage, and so on. What\u2019s good for a smartphone is good for laptops and desktops too.<\/p>\n

For laptops in particular, you can track these devices as well, just like a smartphone. The process differs from smartphones, yet it\u2019s still quite straightforward. Windows and Mac users can enable the following settings\u2014and you can click the links below for complete instructions from the source:<\/p>\n