Review: F-Secure Total Internet Security
Despite my best attempts to make sure that my children are entertained and active, there are moments during each day when I allow them to go on their iPads or on my phone, even if just to give me five minutes to get the tea ready. I think as parents we have to accept that things are very different from when we were growing up and that technology, and particularly the internet, will feature heavily in our children’s lives.
When we were recently asked to review F-Secure Total Internet Security, I was intrigued having never heard of it before. Basically it’s a complete package including F-Secure SAFE, which protects your online security, and F-Secure FREEDOME, which maintains your privacy online. Together these two products ensure that your online life is protected and untracked.
Even better is that F-Secure Total allows you to set boundaries and limits for your children, to manage the content they view, the sites they access and even locate their devices remotely.
It’s really easy to use, simply register on-line and set up your account, then download the app on the devices you wish to protect. You can then choose to tailor each individual device to your child which is great for me as, at 13, Lewis has very different restrictions than Harry at 3.
You can then set your family rules to allow each child an allotted amount of time on their device each day, tailoring it for week days and also weekends. I know that my children are allowed a little extra time on their iPads on the weekend and this is a really great way to monitor it.
You are then able to switch on any web content that you wish to block which is such a great idea as although I am very careful about what the children watch, it’s quite easy for images to pop up which are entirely inappropriate!
Once the app is fully installed you can open the browser within the app and use it in the normal way with the restrictions fully protecting the device. It takes some getting used to if you previously used a search engine, but for new devices and young children they will never know any different.
F-Secure also includes virus protection which, if you’ve been on the receiving end of a virus or hacking as I have, is a must! It also protects your browsing and banking which is so important, especially at this time of year if like me you are spending a lot more on line! In that way, as much as this is a really useful resource for the children, it’s also really useful for each member of the family. One of my favourite features is that if you lose your phone you can remotely wipe all information from it so to protect you further.
F-secure TOTAL starts at £59.99 per year and yet you can try it for free for 30 days no obligations. If you’d like to hear more about what we thought of F-secure join us on Twitter @tots100 for the F-secure twitter party today.
*** This is a collaborative post ***
I have not heard of this before, I usually let my Husband take care of things like this. I will have to mention it to him 🙂
I recommend it Claire, it really does cover everything! xx
Thanks for sharing. This seems like a great bit of kit. Safety online is important.
I agree, it’s a really great idea which covers everything!
It is so true , children in this generation for better or worse will definitely find that technology will play a huge part in their lives. I think that it is so important to maintain children’s safety online so internet security is vital!
Yes I agree, we can’t stop them from going on line but we can make it safer. xx
This looks very interesting and something for me to look into. I am a little naive about these things so anything that helps is a huge bonus to me
I’m the same Sonia, this was a real win for me as it does everything all in one! xx
Definitely something for me to look in to. I don’t even think about the security on my phone usually to be honest
Nor had I Katy, I use open wifi networks all the time too! Scary actually! xx
We got this last year and it is fabulous for keeping the kids internet safe. It is scary how you get tracked online too
I agree, I was quite clueless to be honest! It’s scary! xx
Oh wow this looks super useful especially for those who have children using a table, phone or laptop – internet security is so so important
Laura x
Absolutely, it’s a real must have to protect our devices….and our children! xx
Very interesting, I wish there’d been something like this when my children were younger. I also hadn’t thought much about phone security before now!
I know, I think many of us forget about our phones but then we all do on line banking and use open wifi too! Scary! xx
I like the sound of this security. I will look into it some more.
It’s definitely worth reading up on, it’s scary how vulnerable we are on our devices! xx
Sounds like a great way of controlling their time and allowances. Grrat for a teenager. We have bern trying yo find something that allowsa certain amount each day
It’s a great idea isn’t it? No arguments then either, when it goes off it goes off! xx
My little two are getting tablets for Christmas this year so I think I need to get something like this to keep them safe online x
Oh yes, I definitely recommend looking at this one then as it’s the total package. xx
This is so important! I dread to think what children can stumble across online given the free reign to do so. It’s so important for them to use technology in the world they live in, but safety is crucial. Sounds like F Secure ticks all the boxes. Thanks for telling us about it, Laura!
Thanks Holly, I’ve been doing a lot of research on it and it’s terrifying how easily our children can access really quite horrific images or videos, even on child settings. I feel much more confident using my phone in public wifi areas now too knowing I am protected. xx