ISP Virgin Media UK Warns Parental Controls on New Devices Still Confuse

A new survey of 1,020 people in the UK, which was conduct by Strand Partners on behalf of broadband ISP Virgin Media (O2) and Internet Matters, has found that 44% of parents don’t know how to add safety controls or tools to the tech (devices) they’re planning to gift this Christmas. This is despite 82% being worried about their children having unrestricted access to the internet.

The study notes that 1 in 10 parents are planning to give their child a smartphone as a present this Christmas, including 64% to children below the age of 14. At the same time, some 60% of parents also believe their kids know more about technology than they do, which is not an uncommon reality.

The survey also found that 37% of parents believe their kids would be upset if they’d activated safety controls on their new device. Perhaps that’s why 40% of parents would rather assemble flat pack furniture than set up safety controls on new tech, and are more likely to set up bikes (78%), play kitchens (70%) and remote-controlled toys (63%) over a phone (60%) or tablet (35%).

In fairness, respondents could be forgiven for not knowing how to add or activate such features to these devices, since that is normally a process that only becomes apparent after the gift has actually been unwrapped on Christmas Day. Expecting prior knowledge of such features, on an unfamiliar device, is perhaps not always viable unless the parent proactively chooses to unbox and set-up the device ahead of time (not many people do that).

However, it’s worth pointing out that both Virgin Media and O2 – like most major network operators – also provide network-level parental controls (here and here), which will apply across your home network – regardless of the device being used.

In addition, Virgin Media notes that there are also a range of parental controls that can be set up across a range of operating systems and devices, which have been set out below.

Online safety advice

1. Broadband and mobile network settings

• Virgin Media and O2 both provide broadband and mobile controls to restrict inappropriate content.
• Virgin Media customers have access to Essential Security, which includes parental controls settings where people can block inappropriate sites. This can be enabled via the ‘My Virgin Media’ account.  With Advanced Security, customers can also block specific content they don’t want a child to see, and can protect family time by setting screen time limits on kids’ devices.
• O2 customers can use Parental Controls to restrict children’s web access to suitable sites on mobile devices.

2. Operating system parental controls and screentime limits

• There are a range of parental controls that can be set up across a range of operating systems including iOS, Android and Windows 11 to set limits on how long children can be online,  approve app downloads and restrict inappropriate sites.
• You can set daily screen time limits for overall device usage and specific apps, through Apple Screen Time and Google Family Link.

3. Social media and video streaming settings

• Social media platforms have privacy settings which can help parents to limit who can contact their children and view their content.
• ‘SafeSearch’ can filter out explicit content on popular search engines.
• YouTube also has a ‘Restricted Mode’ which can hide potentially mature videos.

4. Gaming and entertainment controls

• Use the built-in parental controls on gaming consoles to set playtime limits and restrict online interactions. 
• Parental controls can also be added to streaming sites to restrict access to age-inappropriate content.

5. Content filtering and monitoring

• Age-appropriate filters can block content unsuitable for a child’s age on streaming services, app stores, and web browsers.
• You can also regularly review activity reports provided by tools like Google Family Link and Windows Family Safety to monitor your child’s online behaviour. 

6. Reporting and support

• Ensure your child knows how to report inappropriate content or behaviour on various platforms, and other tools such as blocking, muting, and restricting. Many social media and gaming platforms have these tools built in.
• Familiarise yourself with resources like Childline and CEOP for additional support and guidance on dealing with serious online issues.

7. Regular review and update

• It’s important to review and update parental controls settings as your child grows and their online activities change. 
• Keep up to date with the latest online trends and potential risks to ensure your protective measures remain effective.