Dubai Chronicle published a brief about recent research conclusion that mobile apps can be very useful in our lives by saving 22 days of time per year. For the bigger part, this is true. Today, there is an app for nearly everything. You can not only check your email or update your online social status, but you can also use them as a navigator when you drive or even as a mosquito chaser. Moreover, mobile app stores have neatly arranged applications into various categories that can satisfy any interest or age. Among them are also many apps developed specially for kids. Most of them claim to be both educating and entertaining. As a result, parents allow their children to download, install and use these mobile applications. However, a new study warns that mobile apps for kids are not that secure and safe after all.
Also, a little under 60% of the apps developed for children contain advertisements and another 22% of them establish connection with social media websites. Again, only a few of them will notify you about that (9%).
In addition, free mobile apps for kids are not always that free. Nearly 84% of them will allow your children to make additional payments.
The report offers some useful advice for parents who want to keep their kids away from such harmful applications. The first thing that parents need to do is to carefully examine the app before actually downloading it. They can do that by looking at the screenshots offer with it. Also, they need to read the user reviews, the app’s description, as well as the content rating. In addition, app stores tend to give a link that provides information about the developer. It will be a good if you follow it before you download the mobile application. However, parents need to know that there are fake apps which imitate real ones.
If your children do not have a separate mobile device and they use yours, then you should take measures to limit their access to other apps which are not appropriate for them. You can do that by setting passwords. Also, you should not allow kids to download apps on their own. Again, a password is a good solution here. Another option is to simply disable your Wi-Fi.
It is good if parents monitor how children use apps. To do that you can set clear rules on that or you can download and play the mobile applications together with your kids.
