How to create internet friendly environment for children- Expert

 If you are a parent worried about your child using the internet for long periods of time or accessing inappropriate content, you can get features on your device to help you.

Michael Murungi, Government Affairs and Public Policy Lead in East Africa at Google, says that Family Link can be a helpful tool for parents.

"If you want to make sure that your child is not accessing inappropriate content using a mobile device, whether it's an Android phone or a Google Chromebook laptop, Family Link helps you as a parent to agree on the ground rules," he said.

Murungi was speaking on a panel on Parenting Dos and Don'ts in the Digital Era organised by KFCB on Safer Internet Day on Tuesday.

He said the tool can help parents and children agree on when bedtime will be, homework time and even how many hours a day they can be online.

 "You're able to see from your device and manage which websites can be accessed and which apps can be downloaded, creating a safe environment that is negotiated between parents and children," he said.

He said it is important to speak with children and negotiate and agree on these ground rules to build trust.

He said the feature can be found on any browser.

On the same panel were representatives from the global films streaming platform, Netflix.

Ziyanda from Netflix said that they have safety features available for example, all the time things on their service are appropriately rated.

However, parents can go further to put parental controls.

"Netflix profiles are password protected as a parent has the ability to do that. And of course, we have programmes available for children which only have content that is age appropriate to prevent children from being able to see content that's not appropriate for their ages," she concluded.