With the Yankee Group predicting that 54% of 8 to 12 year olds will have mobile phones in the next three years, and with the new breed of Smartphones like the iPhone set to become more prevalent,   AdaptiveMobile, which specialises in mobile usage protection and mobile security software, is advising parents to be aware of the hidden threats that the new breed of mobile phones hold for children and teenagers.
With Smartphones like the iPhone, AdaptiveMobile points out, children have virtually the same access to online communication and content that they do on a PC, and parents need to establish guidelines and controls to make sure their children are protected.
Although the real ability to protect users lies with the mobile operator, there are immediate steps parents can take to help shield their children from harm. According to AdaptiveMobile, the top threats are:
SMS/Text Children and teenagers can text easily and under the radar. Many teens report that their most active text usage is after 10pm, and texting leaves children and teenagers open to bullying and other inappropriate communication. A 2006 Mobile Life Youth report found that 21% of children, particularly girls, had been bullied on their mobile phone, and text messaging is becoming an increasingly popular way for bullies to torment their victims.
Mobile Internet The Internet is generally accessed at home via the family or individual childs PC, but how many parents think about the access their child may have via their personal mobile phone? Although not immediately obvious, the mobile phone poses a more serious problem than the PCs, as it is an inherently more private medium and therefore harder to police.
Mobile phones provide access to many of the same sites as the Internet, and parents need to be aware that their children can easily access pornography and a host of other inappropriate content, including violent games, from their phones.
Mobile social networking communities Online social networking sites are becoming very popular with younger children and, while they are seen as a means for communicating with peers and making new friends, they provide access to a vulnerable section of the population, and expose them to threats like cyber-bullying, grooming and fraud.
Popular sites such as Facebook and MySpace means children and teenagers are open to communication from more than their friends. Mobile social networking sites are a prime place for predators to hide, and parents are often not aware of this threat on the mobile phone.
AdaptiveMobile advise to parents is as follows:
Set guidelines and limits for your childs mobile phone use – Surprisingly, many parents overlook mobile phone rules, and 11% of children surveyed by AdaptiveMobile said that their parents placed no restrictions on their mobile phone use. Parents should set guidelines similar to those for a PC, including how much time is spent on the phone, which applications are allowed, and who the children are allowed to contact. Although this may seem difficult to enforce, the fact that parents are showing interest in their usage patterns and behaviour will ensure the child is more careful about what they are doing on their phone.
Look to block sites and numbers – Some mobile operators offer the ability to limit access or block sites, numbers or access times for the mobile phone. Parents should contact their service provider and ask what options are available for their child.
Know how and when your child is using the mobile phone – The phone bill provides a great snapshot of what your child is doing, and parents should review their bills carefully for late night and other types of communication, including who is sending SMS messages to their children.
While parents can help by monitoring a childs access to and activity on a mobile phone, the real benefit to parents will come from offerings from the mobile operator, says AdaptiveMobile. The company is partnering with mobile operators globally to offer content filtering and other protection services to families. The AdaptiveMobile solution works across all technologies and bearers, so all of the most popular applications MMS, SMS, games, video, music are covered. With AdaptiveMobiles capabilities, the company says, parents can make the mobile phone as safe and fun as the PC.