Rakuten Viber team said: 24 ChannelsWhat a child needs to know for safe use of Messenger.

Online communication has become an integral part of the child’s socialization: the main reason for this is distance learning and the impossibility of physical contact with friends due to war. On the one hand, social networks and messengers really meet the need of young users to interact with the world. On the other hand, the Internet environment provides a sense of immunity and anonymity that attracts criminals.

According to a June 2023 survey by Rakuten Viber, 59% of children in Ukraine are bullied, especially online. And 43% of Ukrainians have become victims of cyber fraudsters. So how can we protect young users from cyber threats? The Rakuten Viber team in Ukraine explained what a child needs to know to use messenger safely and how to set up account privacy.

What information can never be shared on Messenger?

First of all, young users should know what information should never be shared on messenger or third-party sites. Such data includes:

• Persons: This is the first thing you need to do when registering or placing an order on any platform. Young users cannot always distinguish suspicious sites from safe ones. The solution is to ask the child to consult with their elders each time before filling out such a form.
• Payment details: If the child already has their own payment card, remind them that it is not safe to share their number, pin code, CVV or other payment data. It is also better to protect your child from fake shopping sites: Agree that the decision to buy a product or service online will be made jointly.
• Location: If sharing your location with your parents, relatives, guardians is a common security precaution, telling strangers about your geographic location or moving plans is dangerous.
• Passwords and code words: Never share this data with anyone.

Features of a teenage Viber account

The minimum age to start using Viber is 13. With its success and lifespan of up to 16 years, the messenger team determines the highest level of security for the user account. Since this mode works by default, it does not need to be turned on.

For increased security, the child’s name and profile picture are not displayed in chatbots. Also, no location data is shared: Viber never collects precise location data unless the user enables the “Allow precise geolocation services” option in the settings. And it is not possible to enable this option for users under 16 years of age.

Privacy settings in Messenger that must be enabled for the child’s safety

1. Ability to view and manage requests from unknown users. So the child will not receive messages from unknown people. These will appear in a separate folder that adults can clear or view if they wish:

How to activate: Click on the three-dot “More” symbol at the bottom right → “Settings” → “Privacy” → check the box opposite “Message requests”.

2. Set rules for adding children to groups. This allows you to add a teenager to groups only in the selected contact list.

How to configure: “Settings” → “Privacy” → “Settings for adding to groups”.

3. Set up two-step authentication. This will allow you to authenticate the user when registering a new device so that no one will be able to access private information.

How to configure: “Settings” → “Privacy” → “Two-step verification” → Enter the 6-digit PIN code → Click next → Re-enter the PIN → Click Next → The email confirmation page will show the email address associated with the Viber account (click Next to complete the 2-step verification setup / Or enter the email address if it is not connected or you want to use a different one) one) → You will receive an email asking you to confirm your email address to complete the two-step verification setup.

If the child complains about individual contact in group or private chats, it is useful to tell him about this. possibility of blocking such users or help yourself in this regard.

1. How to block a phone number: Open Viber on your phone → tap Chats → select a chat → tap the info icon (Android) or chat name (iOS) at the top of the screen → go to Info → tap Block.
2. How to block someone in a group chat: Open Viber on your phone → tap Chats → open the group chat and go to Info → tap the person you want to block → tap More → select Block.

It is worth emphasizing that even without activating additional settings, young Vibet users are protected from unacceptable content – this is provided by the acceptable use Policy of the application. Any form of dissemination of violence, extremist, terrorist, pornographic content, promotion of illegal activities, etc. is prohibited on Viber. it is forbidden. Such content is manually moderated and removed from the platform.