In South Africa, it is a familiar scene: multiple household members sharing a single device. With social and economic challenges prevalent, many parents can’t provide each child with their own cell phone, tablet or computer, leading to the necessity of sharing devices for socialising or schoolwork.

South African teens spend over 8 hours per day online, making the sharing of devices amongst family members commonplace. However, what are the potential drawbacks and dangers associated with this extensive device use and -sharing among parents and siblings?

To navigate this issue successfully, Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy and Evangelist at KnowBe4 AFRICA, urges the importance of establishing clear boundaries to prevent conflicts.

“Create a family agreement where you set up some clear guidelines for technology use,” she says. “You should establish rules for when and how long each family member can use the device and what for.” A great site with helpful resources and a family agreement template can be found here.

Collard recommends having set times for device usage. “Remember, children often need access to screens to do their homework, so this needs to be given a separate time allocation from leisure screen time, such as watching TV or gaming.” Certain times, like meal times and other family connection times, should be device-free.

Devices should also be put away at night. “By designating a central location for charging devices overnight, not only do you ensure devices are charged for the next day, but it also encourages unplugging before bedtime,” she recommends.

Ensure strong privacy settings

If devices are shared, it’s paramount to create some virtual boundaries. “Ensure that each user has their own account and understands privacy settings,” advises Collard. “For example, personal email accounts, social media profiles and cloud storage should be separate.”

The importance of individual user profiles for each family member is to keep personal data, documents, and settings separate and secure. “Each profile should require a password that only the owner knows, parents should know passwords of their younger kids,” she comments. “Use parental control features to restrict access to inappropriate content and to manage screen time and app usage. This not only protects children but also helps to reinforce the family’s screen-time rules.”

Collard recommends regularly going through apps and privacy settings with your children. “This is a good opportunity to discuss what these apps and settings do and why privacy is crucial,” she says. “Monitor the device’s browsing history to ensure that children are adhering to the agreed-upon rules and not engaging with harmful content.”

Keep cybersecurity top of mind

As far as online safety is concerned, update software on shared devices as often as possible. “Regularly update operating systems, apps and security software to protect against vulnerabilities,” urges Collard. She also suggests speaking to your children about how to recognise scams and the risks of clicking on unknown links.

“Make rules regarding the downloading and purchasing of apps,” she advises. “Children should get permission before downloading any new app or making in-app purchases to prevent unintended expenses and the installation of potentially unsafe apps.”

Other suggestions to improve cybersecurity include making sure parents log out of their profiles before sharing a device with their kids. “When watching a streaming service, parents should make sure their children are accessing it using their profile to avoid exposure to inappropriate content.”

She also recommends securing your home Wi-Fi network with a strong password. “In addition, it’s vital to limit the use of the administrator’s account. “Only parents should have access to the administrator account, never kids. This will prevent access to in-appropriate content, sites or them installing malware that might overwrite all your files and gain access to your accounts.”

As an extra precaution, enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for online accounts. “This will add another layer of security even if someone else has access to saved passwords on shared devices,” she says.

Finally, it’s important to have honest and open communication with everyone in the family. “Discuss and review the agreement on screen time regularly, as well as the importance of digital safety,” Collard concludes. “If something goes wrong, children need to tell their parents. In turn, parents should model the online behaviour they expect from their kids, from maintaining privacy and security practices to being respectful digital citizens.”