Safety for Today

What? 

The problem related to our chosen theme Online Safety is that Samsung do not have a native parental control app in the United Kingdom. Our solution is to create a native app that will be available in the UK, therefore parents will not need to use Google’s Parental services, and could expand their reach if they already have such products from Samsung.  

They could link the devices that their child owns, such as Samsung Phones, Watches, Tablets, any other compatible device and track information such as Health, Usage, And Monitor their safety and set restrictions based on certain circumstances. This could link well with the pre-existing Samsung Kids app, and push forward the operating system for kids and push it and merge with this union app. 

Why? 

The problem at play is that children and younger people in the UK are commonly exposed to longer and unregulated amounts of screentime. And as a result, get exposed to online risks like inappropriate content, online predators, cyberbullying and privacy breaches. There is no native Samsung Parental app yet in the United Kingdom. If we use third party controls, they could be confusing, less secure and less integrated with Samsung’s ecosystem. There are parents who already have Samsung devices and it likely is very inconvenient for them. The lack of this unified system reduces a parent’s ability to monitor and protect their kids online. 

Creating this system in a native way will improve online safety, ease of use and build trust within parents alike. It gives them more control over their child’s digital wellbeing using tools designed specifically for them. 

How? 

Can develop the UK native app. Which would be directly built into OneUI and Samsung Accounts, Parents would sign in to their Samsung account and link their child’s devices, such as phones, tablets, watches and other compatible things. The app would allow the parents to monitor the following: 

• Screen time and usage 

• Set their time limits 

• Block or restrict inappropriate apps and content 

• Track device location and receive safety alerts 

• Monitor Basic health and activity data using Samsung Health 

• Apply Restrictions based off time, location or age. 

The app should integrate with Samsung Kids and expand into a full parental control ecosystem rather than a standalone app, it can be forced into the UI, meaning kids cannot find a workaround, and only the parents will know the solution. It would greatly reduce reliance on third party services such as Google, Life360, etc.