Absolute or more lax control depending on the age of the minor

Appeal to common sense when establishing online communication. Starting from that premise, in the case of minors, it would involve trying to limit their access to social networks, says Manuel Sánchez Rubio, teacher of the Degree in Cybersecurity at UNIR, “at least until they are 14 or 15 years old.”

In this regard, parents must constantly be aware of when and where they connect. “The minor is not aware of who he is actually chatting with.” Sánchez Rubio admits that “having absolute control may not sound good; Some may appeal to individual freedom, but we are talking about a minor. “It would be about absolute control at a certain age, to then give way as they get older.”

The new Android and iOS devices have geolocation and secure navigation functions, but for Sánchez Rubio the best parental control “is that your youngest child, and I am referring to 10-year-old boys and girls, is not alone in a room using the mobile”. Because he believes that there is “an abandonment of parental functions in this regard.”

Hence, he insists on the need for this control, just as he believes it is necessary to “see the history of what your minor child has done every two or three weeks,” but “never use it against him later.” He refers, in this sense, to being aware of what photos he sends, what he writes or what he downloads. «Whatsapp groups are terrible; sending, forwarding or being in possession of a certain type of photos is illegal », she recalls. He advises against sharing a series of data, including location, and downloading applications through official sites.