Try imagining your world without an internet connection for a second. Unimaginable right? Even an hour without the internet seems like an eternity, especially for young people who have never known life without the internet.

With the rise of home wi-fi connections and wireless internet across the country, South African children can access their favourite movies and songs, play online video games, and consume any entertainment they want on-demand with a click of a button. Of course they can also use it for education and research.

As of January 2022, there were 41.19 million internet users in South Africa. Standing at 68.2 percent of the total population - A four percent increase in internet connections from the previous year. Meaning more South African households are gaining access to the internet. However, it’s important to recognise that not everything on the internet is childproof or age-appropriate for internet users.

Whilst the Internet is an incredible source of information, it has to be noted that it is also a public space. As within any public space, there will always be risks associated when entering a public environment.

Due to the lack of home Internet security or understanding the complexity of the basic security requirements, Internet users may fall victim to predators exploiting children or the elderly, by using underhanded means to take advantage of these less knowledgeable groups.

Furthermore, the anonymity of the internet allows strangers access to your child without a verified identity, which could expose your child to blackmailing, grooming or online abuse.

According to United Nations data, in the United States alone, approximately 40% of sex trafficking victims are recruited online, making the internet the most common public space where victim recruitment takes place. This puts people and children using unmonitored internet access at a higher security risk.

The quick and free solution to protect your child online is BARK. BARK is an app that protects your child like a guard dog from the dangers of predators on the internet. Its parental control abilities provide families with the tools they need to raise kids safely in the digital age.

In a nutshell, BARK monitors the content your child consumes and engages with. From texts and emails to YouTube and multiple social media platforms, it looks out for sexual content, cyberbullying, online grooming, depression, suicidal ideation, threats of violence, and much more.

How BARK works

BARK works in three straightforward steps:

1. Connect
   Simply connect as many as 30+ platforms to monitor text messages, emails, and social media activity for dangerous interactions and unsafe content.
2. Detect
   BARK will search quietly in the background, detecting any dangers that may indicate a problem in your child’s online world.
3. Alert
   Once a problem is detected, it will automatically alert you to the concerns via email or text, meaning you do not have to constantly check your child’s phone for potential danger; empowering you to have the relevant conversations at the right time.