Android or Apple? Experts recommend this type of phone when it comes to protecting children
TAMPA, Fla. - Many parents may be contemplating gifting their children cell phones this year, but want to make sure they choose the best one when it comes to safety.
Ten-year-old Abby Langford knows there won't be a cell phone under the tree for her this year. For now, games on her mom's iPad will have to do.
"Parenting in the tech world with the technology and having kids at all different levels is daunting," explained her mother, Marisa Langford.
Marisa Langford has been down this road before with three teenagers who now all have cell phones. She says Abby will have to wait until eighth grade, like her siblings. Years of experience taught her there is good reason to wait.
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"New apps pop up. New landmines pop up and you need to be prepared to make sure your kids are safe online because that’s my biggest job as a parent," she stated.
A group of children sit side-by-side looking at cell phones.
But does the type of phone make a difference in protecting our children?
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Safewise tech reporter, Rebecca Edwards, says most parents will be deciding between the big two: Android and Apple. It's a choice she had to make with her own children.
"If I had it to do over again, I would get my kids Android devices," she said.
A boy holds a cell phone up to his ear.
Edwards admits Apple is secure and protects personal data very well, however, those aren't the prominent online threats to children.
She says the best way to monitor what's happening in cyberspace is by using a third-party parental control app.
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"Third-party apps are your best bet for the strongest and most robust parental controls out there. Because Android is an open-source, there are a lot of third-party apps that work well with android, but iOS is not the same," she explained.
Children hold cell phones in their hands.
A good app can track GPS, block content, and even limit who can call or text a particular phone. Edwards also says Android devices simply allow these apps to better do their jobs.
"The options that you have when installing on an iOS device are very minimal, you really have to rely on what Apple is giving you if you really want to lock down what’s happening to your kid on a phone," she stated.
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Even Bark, one of the most downloaded and reliable parents’ apps, recommends parents use Android devices to best monitor their kids.
Two children look at a cell phone.
But no matter which route you go, Marisa Langford says an app can't do everything. Parents must be proactive.
"For the parents who might be turning a blind eye to what their kids are doing while they are in their rooms by themselves, you do leave yourself really open and vulnerable for something to happen behind those doors," Edwards said.