EC News DeskUmniah has launched Kaspersky Safe Kids, a product that promotes parental control to protect children on the internet, making Umniah the first telecommunications company in Jordan to offer this product on a monthly subscription basis.
The new product allows parents to manage their child’s screen time and applications usage. The product also issues reports on the child’s public Facebook activity, including their posts and newly-added friends, in addition to sharing expert advice and suggestions from child psychologists on online topics, and allowing parents to block adult websites and content.
Furthermore, the Kaspersky Safe Kids helps track children and know their current location by using GPS trackers that let parents define a safe area for their child to stay in, and immediately alert them if they step beyond it. The app also sends an alert whenever the child’s phone is running low on battery so parents can warn them to plug in.
During the press conference, Umniah’s Commercial Enterprise and Home Broadband Director, Mahmoud Abu Zanad, emphasised Umniah’s role in preparing children for the different life aspects related to the digital world, reaching advanced levels of digital literacy and activating digital citizenship by empowering children with the skills and traits they need in order to deal with the virtual world with all its technologies.
Abu Zannad stressed the importance of Kaspersky Safe Kids, which is provided by Umniah for the first time in the Jordanian market on a monthly subscription basis, demonstrating how this service supports parents in monitoring their children’s internet usage.
Mohamed Hashem, Regional Manager at Kaspersky, agreed with Abu Zanad’s on the importance of this product saying, “In today’s digital age, children navigate their way through the internet better than most adults. They view new technology as an opportunity to grasp new trends and even dabble in inventing their own.”
Hashem added that new social networks, online games, music, and gadgets have become a large part of children’s daily lives. Although they might feel comfortable online, that does not mean that they understand the potential dangers. This is why, and in order to prevent children from falling prey to these dangers, parents must become aware of their children’s interests, know about their latest online trends, and know exactly what might pose a risk for them.
Abu Zanad said that “Kaspersky Safe Kids, through its Time Management feature, helps parents determine daily or weekly times for their children to use the internet and social media platforms, as well as maintain their personal security and identify their physical location and whereabouts on their smartphones through GPS trackers provided by this product.”
“Despite the fact that the internet and social media platforms dominate our daily lives and the lives of our children it is essential to educate parents about the importance of finding ways to protect their children from inappropriate browsing and exposure to abusive content that is not suited for their age,” Abu Zanad said. “Umniah, a leading provider of cybersecurity and information security services, is keen to provide such products to help its customers to protect their children from exposure to the dangers of the internet, identifying these dangers and resolving them before they become actual problems,” he added.
Umniah customers who wish to subscribe to this service can install Kaspersky Safe Kids from the Google Play or App Store or by calling Umniah’s customer service centre or visiting any of the company’s showrooms located throughout Jordan’s governorates.
Umniah allows its customers to add this service to their monthly bill. The subscription is JD1 per month, with the first month for free for a limited period of time.
Survey statistics by Kaspersky showed that children in the Middle East region spend 39% of their time watching video and audio content by visiting websites such as YouTube or listening to music online. Another common use of the internet among children is social networking, as children reportedly spend 25% of their time on websites such as Instagram, SnapChat and TikTok. Not surprisingly, children spend 15% of their time playing online games.
