Parents tend to talk about digital literacy and digital civility with their kids, trying to educate them about areas of risk and opportunity online. But today, we are putting mom and dad in the hot seat to answer the question, “How well do YOU understand the risks of technology?” To test your knowledge, take this quiz.
TECH SAFETY QUIZ
What feature can every Google or Bing user lock to reduce or prevent the delivery of inappropriate images and links?
Authorized User
Safe Search
YouTube Privacy Mode
History Saver
What is the difference between filtering, blocking, and monitoring and why does it matter?
Filtering and blocking are the same thing.
Monitoring involves “spying apps” that erode trust between parent & child.
Filtering has to do with internet content that is excluded or allowed. Blocking is what prevents a certain site from being accessed. Monitoring is a report on what has been accessed or blocked. Depending on the age/maturity of your kids, you may need to do a combination of all three.
Filtering is when you override an app to block inappropriate content. Monitoring is when content makes it through the filter.
Which free tech solutions would help families block content available on most Smart TVs? (Choose all that apply.)
A router with parental controls
The settings on the Smart TV itself
ISP account settings
Download the free Covenant Eyes app extension for TVs
Which tech solution helps block objectionable content within social media? (Choose all that apply.)
Bark
Covenant Eyes
Google Family Link
None of the above
True or False, apps with the age rating of 4+ must follow strict protocols to protect kids, including only allowing ads safe for children.
True
False
True or False, the YouTube App offers weaker protection from explicit content than YouTube.com.
True
False
The COPPA law (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) indicates that tech companies can not collect private information from children, which is reflected in social media minimum age restrictions for opening accounts. Under this restriction, what age can a U.S. child start a social media profile?
18
10
13
15
Which smartphone platform allows you to effectively remove a problematic app your child previously downloaded?
Apple
Android
What is the easiest smartphone to monitor with a 3rd party software like Bark?
Apple
Android
What free solutions will help parents lockdown smartphones? (Choose all that apply.)
iOS Screentime
Bark
Google Family Link
OurPact
Which of these popular apps can you use to make a video call? (Choose all that apply.)
MarcoPolo
Snapchat
Facebook
FaceTime
Instagram
What does DNS stand for and why is it important?
Domain Name System – This is referred to as the “phonebook” of the Internet where url names are turned into IP addresses. It’s important because changing the IP address on almost any device to block adult web sites is relatively easy and free.
Domain Numbering Service – This is how IP addresses look up the sexual offender registry to make sure offenders are not using the Internet
Do Not Solve – This is a command that tells a computer not to load an image that has a CSAM hashcode.
Dirty Net Secrets – This is a pornographic web site trying to build its brand.
ANSWERS
b
c
b and c
d
b
a
c
b
b
a & c
Everything but a
a
HOW DID YOU SCORE?
11 or above — Tech safety guru status.
Make sure you are passing on your profound wisdom to families in need!
8-10 — Not too shabby.
You might just need to brush up on your info more often as things change all the time.
4-7 — Still learning.
You’re not there yet, but don’t stop learning all you can. You know a few things, and that’s better than most!
1-3 — Hold up.
You might need a tech safety intervention. Maybe it’s time for a free webinar to get you up to speed.
EXPLANATIONS
What feature can every Google or Bing user lock to reduce or prevent the delivery of inappropriate images and links? Safe Search. It’s right at the top of user settings, and it makes the world of difference. Most parental control solutions have a Safe Search lock to externally force search results to follow Safe Search filtering. But even if you don’t have an external control, you can lock Safe Search on your browser in about 5 seconds, and it offers an important layer of protection.
What is the difference between filtering, blocking, and monitoring and why does it matter? Filtering has to do with internet content that is excluded or allowed. Blocking is what prevents a certain site from being accessed. Monitoring is a report on what has been accessed or blocked. Depending on the age/maturity of your kids, you may need to do a combination of all three. Some parents don’t understand that there is a lot of content you can not filter (such as content within an app, unless the app itself provides some sort of filtering, like YouTube Restricted Mode). In this case, you can monitor that app content (manually, if nothing else – i.e. looking at history), or you can block the entire app or url.
Which free tech solutions would help families block content available on most Smart TVs? The settings on the Smart TV itself, and on occasion the ISP provider. Most Smart TVs come with a setting to block certain apps, or password protect them. An ISP that is offering the same kinds of service to phones or other app driven devices may have the option to block apps (like Netflix) universally, although this is not common. A router with parental controls (i.e. Gryphon, Circle, Bark Home) is a fantastic must-have solution for a home with children, but it’s not going to be free. And unfortunately, Covenant Eyes does not monitor TV activity (yet! Maybe one day.)
Which tech solution helps block objectionable content within social media? Nothing. Really sad, right? Nothing will be able to change what’s visible within social media unless the apps themselves offer that (some are trying to use a "limit mature content" setting, nothing effective so far). That’s why it’s so important that parents know without a doubt when a child is resilient enough for being able to see and resist the absolute worst content online.
True or False, apps with the age rating of 4+ must follow strict protocols to protect kids, including only allowing ads safe for children. False! Not only can 4+ apps host ads that take kids to dating or porn sites, but these apps can offer sexually explicit content as well. Netflix is 4+ and without parents locking down certain ratings, there is plenty of adult and racy content available. The app Shop, (a version of Shopify, used to track packages) has a search feature to find online porn retailers selling sex dolls with direct links to porn sites. Bottom line: the age rating of an app can’t be trusted! You can join the campaign working to establish standardized ratings for apps that would solve this problem.
True or False, the YouTube App offers weaker protection from explicit content than YouTube.com. True! The mobile app does not have a pin-protected Restricted Mode. It’s a simple on/off switch, and every middle school kid knows it.
The COPPA law indicates that tech companies can not collect private information from children, which is reflected in social media minimum age restrictions for opening accounts. Under this restriction, what age can a U.S. child start a social media profile? 13. Social media companies by law require a birthdate to open an account, so kids under 13 usually just lie to get around the restriction. TikTok allows pre-teen users to open a limited account that provides fewer features and supposed to prevent their activity from being tracked. Remember, the COPPA age restriction isn’t meant to protect kids from harmful content. It’s to protect kids data privacy (from targeted advertisers etc).
Which smartphone platform allows you to effectively remove a problematic app your child previously downloaded? Android. It’s a known issue for Apple users who have parental approval required for an app to be downloaded—even if they delete the app from a kid’s device, any kid who has access to the App Store can re-download the app without approval from the Cloud. In contrast, With Family Link you can block or allow each app separately, whether or not it is installed. The blocked app disappears from the device. Also, parents can receive notifications on every Android download, even re-installs.
What is the easiest smartphone to monitor with a 3rd party software like Bark? Android. Because of Apple’s privacy policies, they do not allow 3rd party software to scan their devices for monitoring, and they don’t freely allow apps to “talk to each other.” The workarounds that monitoring companies have found is to make a backup of iOS content and scan the backup, or to take screenshots of what’s visible, outside of an app interface. Bottom line, social media apps are easier for parents to monitor on Android.
What free solutions will help parents lockdown smartphones? iOS Screentime (iPhones), and Google Family Link (Android) are automatically available with every new phone (or even phones a few years old). Our Pact has a limited version available for free, and Bark, though not free, is really inexpensive, ranging from $4-$15 a month. (Basically, cost should not be an obstacle for families who are wanting to protect kids on smartphones). We also think WAITING for a smartphone is a really important strategy, so check out internet-free and kid-safe phone options.
Which of these popular apps can you use to make a video call? Almost every social media app offers a video call between users within the messaging feature, which predators can take advantage of. Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and many others. MarcoPolo is a video messaging platform that you send videos back and forth, so not technically a live video call. And pretty much everyone knows FaceTime is the iOS basic video call app that comes loaded on Apple products.
What does DNS stand for and why is it important? Domain Name System – This is referred to as the “phonebook” of the Internet where url names are turned into IP addresses. It’s important because changing the IP address on almost any device to block adult web sites is relatively easy and free.
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CONCLUSION
Though there is a lot to learn and understand regarding technology and protecting kids online, there are some fundamental elements that are consistent in their function. It surely feels impossible to stay on top of every tech development and every app, but we hope to help keep you informed on the journey!
Have some questions about your specific set up at home? Book a consultation.