Since children have contact with media at an early age, many parents want there to be safe access to the net. Various so-called youth protection programs want to support parents in technically safeguarding their child’s media use. The Stiftung Warentest rated the following child lock Salfeld as “good”.
Parental control Salfeld allows parents to set certain time limits and restrictions on their child’s device. These can be set individually depending on the app and website. For example, as a parent, you can set your child to spend more time with learning apps than with social media or gaming apps. You can also create a list of websites that you don’t want your child to access because, for example, they may encounter content that is not age-appropriate.
Salfeld parental control also allows parents to view their child’s cell phone activity. Logs of websites visited and apps used by the child are made available via an Etern app. The app can be used to change time limits on the go and block or unblock websites.
Through so-called time vouchers, children can receive a time bonus if, for example, they take advantage of learning opportunities on their own. These can also be flexibly set and released.
The (German) providers of the Salfeld parental control system state in their current privacy policy that they handle personal data sensitively and take privacy protection seriously. Nevertheless, your child’s usage data must be forwarded to the provider (anonymized) for the application to function. This theoretically has access to them and could view them. Data can be leaked to third parties and thus fall into the wrong hands. Parents should be aware of this risk.
Parental controls also have limited protection when it comes to communication risks such as cyberbullying or hate speech. Even harmless apps can lead to unpleasant experiences. You should therefore talk to your child about his or her experiences online and make him or her feel understood when problems arise.
Parental controls can help to better protect children from potential dangers online. But don’t rely on such apps alone. No technology can guarantee one hundred percent safety. Also, you may make your child feel that you control them and do not trust them. There is a fine line between protection and surveillance. Avoid surreptitious control, but talk openly with your child about your fears and the possibility of using such an app. Above all, talk to your child about the dangers online and how to avoid them. You can read more about this in our article “Big and small should be safe on the net“.
