Device security is incredibly important in today’s world. This is evident when you hear about major companies and celebrities being hacked. Securing your device is necessary if you want to be sure your contacts, texts and data are all safe from unauthorized users should your phone be lost or stolen. Especially if you’re considering buying a phone for your teenager, you need to make sure he or she knows how to be safe. According to Intel’s 2015 security report, 79 percent of children learn about online safety from their parents, while 59 percent learn in school and 33 percent learn from friends. This means you play an important role in keeping your teen’s information safe.
Samsung Galaxy
Teens can be careless and forgetful. You don’t want anyone to have access to your child’s private information if he or she forgets his or her smartphone at school or loses it on the bus. Fortunately, the Galaxy offers several different screen lock options to defend against unauthorized access to the phone. You can use a conventional PIN or the Face Unlock feature, which uses the smartphone’s front-facing camera to compare your child’s face to a stored picture of him or her. While it is a quick way to make sure only your teenager has access to the phone, it is still somewhat unreliable, so be sure to set up a PIN as a backup. As a parent, you also may want access to your teen’s phone, which is another time the PIN comes in handy.
The Galaxy also offers encryption, which keeps the contents of your child’s phone and SIM card safe. Before you encrypt any data, make sure the phone is fully charged as it can take over an hour to secure your data. To start the encryption process, simply head to the Settings menu, then the Security sub-menu and select Encrypt. Don’t interrupt this process while it is encrypting, or you risk losing data.
If your teen’s phone is lost or stolen, the Galaxy’s Remote Control feature helps you track it down, remotely lock it or erase its data. To track a lost phone, you first need to create an account on your provider’s page. Afterward, simply head to the Security menu and configure the Remote Control Options. Again, this option is helpful if your teenager tends to lose his or her belongings.
iPhone 6
The iPhone 6 has many built-in security features that are easy to configure. Just like with the Galaxy, you should start by setting a passcode for your teen’s device by entering the Settings menu and turning the feature on. That security passcode will then be required to change any security features in the future to prevent an unauthorized user from accessing the phone. Be sure to write the passcode down in case your teenager forgets it or you need to get into his or her phone.
From here, you can configure a Touch ID to secure the device. A Touch ID reads your child’s fingerprint from the Home button to unlock his or her phone. It is considered to be one of the most reliable security features on the iPhone 6. To set up a Touch ID, make sure the Home button is clean, and open the Touch ID and Passcode feature in the Settings menu. Enroll your teenager’s fingerprint by having him or her touch the Home button and hold his or her finger there.
Finally, be sure to set up the Find My iPhone feature on the official Apple site to track your teen’s device if it is stolen or lost. The easiest way to compromise your device is to simply misplace it, so be sure to set up this feature before you regret it.
Security is of the utmost important when it comes to your child’s personal information. He or she may not understand how to set up of these features, so be sure to do your research on whatever device you decide to purchase and make it as secure as possible. Make sure your teenager learns the correct ways to protect him or herself online by setting a good example.
