Cyberbullying: the best applications to protect your children
With the Internet, your child discovers a universe full of knowledge and games, stories and good deeds, but it also opens Pandora's box with predators, stalkers, scammers, thieves and many other threats.
In addition, adolescents, in the midst of a fragile period of self-affirmation and social transition, communicate less with their parents, which can lead to withdrawn behavior and depression… In short, fertile ground for the bullies who hide behind their screen.
To protect your child and offer them a secure Internet, there is first of all, vigilance, education and dialogue, then come free parental control applications which allow you to block inappropriate content, limit screen time or still block certain applications.
But cyberbullying is sneaky and apart from blocking access to social networks or preventing your child from communicating on the Internet, there are few solutions offered, but they exist.
What is cyberbullying?
We speak of cyberharassment when a student or a group of students insults and intimidates another student, wants to damage their reputation, through degrading messages or photos. And to qualify as harassment, this intentional act must be repeated. These online harassers use any communication medium: social networks, instant messaging, forums, chats, online games, emails, photo sharing sites, blogs, etc.
Under cover of the anonymity conferred by the Internet and the lack of moderation or lack of reaction from the platforms, harassers do not feel in danger and continue their misdeeds, putting the most vulnerable in psychological and physical danger.
Some figures
In 2022, more than 28% of middle school students reported having been a victim of cyberviolence at least once during the year. Most of the time it involves insults and mockery, and the victims feel humiliated and ashamed. And it is, of course, social networks which remain the preferred means of harassers, we also speak of social harassment. And according to figures from the Ministry of National Education, at least one child in ten has already been the victim of bullying at school, and one in five has suffered such a situation online.
Out of shame, out of fear of disturbing, out of fear of not being taken seriously, out of fear of being a “snitch”, because the dialogue is broken with the parents or quite simply because they say to themselves “it’s It doesn’t matter, it will pass,” the children don’t talk about bullying. And a long descent into hell awaits them.
To avoid this, there are parental control tools and applications that can monitor children's digital activity and alert parents if profanities or other words related to harassment are detected.
Wondershare Famisafe
Famisafe is therefore a parental control application that integrates all the essential features to remotely manage children's screen use. Screen time management, control of installed applications, filtering of inappropriate content, geolocation of the child, SOS button, etc. But what interests us here is its alert functionality in the event of a suspicious keyword detected in exchanges and social networks. Thus, you will be able to indicate insults, violent words or threatening vocabulary and will be automatically alerted if they are mentioned in messages, comments on publications or any other text entered or received. Parents will also be able to view the history of videos watched on TikTok, internet browsing history, call history, etc.
On the technical side, Famisafe consists of 2 applications: one for parents And the other for the children's smartphone. Note, however, that the service is not free and requires a subscription (with a 3-day trial).
Wondershare FamiSafe (Parent)
Wondershare Famisafe is a parental control app that helps you manage your kids' screen time, monitor their digital activities, and ensure that inappropriate content doesn't disrupt them.
- Version :
8.0.2.9958 - Downloads:
6 - Release date:
12/10/2024 - Author :
Shenzhen Wondershare Software Co., Ltd. - License:
Demonstration - Categories:
Security
- Operating system:
Android, Online service, iOS iPhone / iPad
AirDroid Parental Control
Offering almost similar features, AirDroid Parental Control also helps protect your child from hate speech and cyberbullying by integrating tools for detecting harmful keywords in texts on social networks. It supports YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Snapchat and Discord applications. Another strong point of AirDroid that is not found among its competitors is the synchronization of notifications. So, there is no longer any way to miss strange or inappropriate conversations, predators or scams, parents receive the same notifications as their child. Of course, screen time management and application blocking, GPS location and even alert when the child leaves a place where he or she should normally be, are among the features of AirDroid Parental Control.
Just like Famisafe, you will need to install separate applications for parents And for childrenand take out a subscription after testing the service for 3 days.
AirDroid Parental Control
AirDroid Parental Control (parent) helps parents monitor their children's digital activities by providing a comprehensive remote control and geolocation system.
- Downloads:
12 - Release date:
06/09/2024 - Author :
SAND STUDIO - License:
Free license - Categories:
Security
- Operating system:
Android, Online service, iOS iPhone / iPad
What should I do if my child is being harassed online?
If you notice any form of online violence against your child, or if your child witnesses online harassment, you should speak up immediately and block all forms of communication with the harasser(s).
If possible, try to take screenshots of messages to preserve evidence and, if they are from other students at the same school, to alert the school administration. Even if the harassment takes place online, if the people involved are in the same school, the school is affected.
The French government and National Education are implementing prevention campaigns in schools, and since the start of the 2023 school year, the anti-harassment program (Phare) is compulsory in every school, middle school and high school, and a protocol is planned. depending on the situation. The government has also set up a free number, 3018, as well as an application of the same name, offering practical advice and tools, support, resources and solutions to people facing digital violence.
3018
The 3018 application is a free solution offering victims of harassment and digital violence a multitude of resources and assistance to combat this harmful behavior.
- Version :
1.4.20 - Downloads:
1 - Release date:
06/19/2024 - Author :
e-Childhood Association/3018 - License:
Free license - Categories:
Safety – Health
- Operating system:
Android, Online service, iOS iPhone / iPad
According to the law, cyberharassment is illegal and it is therefore possible to file a complaint with the police. If the victim is over 15 years old and the perpetrator is an adult, the penalty incurred can reach two years' imprisonment and a fine of 30,000 euros. The maximum penalty is increased to three years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros if the victim is under 15 years old. Even if the harasser is a minor but over 13 years old, he still faces a fine of up to 7,500 euros and up to 18 months of detention, if the victim is under 15 years old, and if this last is 15 years or more, the detention can be reduced to 1 year.
Cyberbullying is one of the scourges of modern times, but it is not the only concern of parents. So, in addition to a parental control application, it is necessary to protect all of the data on your teenager's smartphone in order to prevent personal information from being posted online.
Avast Mobile Security
Avast Mobile Security provides advanced protection against digital threats targeting smartphones. As soon as it is installed, the application analyzes the device in real time to detect and eliminate viruses, malware and other dangers. It also identifies malicious applications before they are installed, preventing infection.
