South African families are mastering the delicate art of device sharing, a necessity born from economic challenges and the ubiquity of digital life. With teens spending over eight hours daily online and many households unable to provide individual devices, the push for effective sharing strategies has never been more crucial.
Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy and Evangelist at KnowBe4 AFRICA, emphasises the importance of clear boundaries. “Create a family agreement where you set up some clear guidelines for technology use,” she advises. “You should establish rules for when and how long each family member can use the device and what for.”
This agreement forms the cornerstone of harmonious device sharing. It should outline specific time allocations for homework and leisure, with Collard suggesting device-free periods during meals and family time. She also recommends a central charging station for overnight storage, promoting a healthier relationship with technology and ensuring devices are ready for the next day.
Privacy in a shared digital space is paramount. Collard stresses the need for individual user profiles and stringent privacy settings. “Ensure that each user has their own account and understands privacy settings,” she says. “For example, personal email accounts, social media profiles and cloud storage should be separate.”
This separation extends to passwords, with each family member – barring younger children – having their own login credentials. Parental controls play a crucial role, not just in content restriction but in reinforcing agreed-upon screen time rules.
Regular reviews of apps and privacy settings with children offer valuable teaching moments. “This is a good opportunity to discuss what these apps and settings do and why privacy is crucial,” Collard notes. She also advocates for monitoring browsing history to ensure compliance with family guidelines.
Cybersecurity takes centre stage in this shared digital ecosystem. Collard urges families to prioritise regular software updates and to educate children about recognising online scams. She recommends implementing rules for app downloads and purchases to prevent unexpected costs and potential security risks.
Other practical tips include ensuring parents log out of profiles before handing devices to children and securing the home Wi-Fi network. Collard also highlights the importance of limiting administrator account access to parents only, preventing accidental installation of malware or access to inappropriate content.
For an added layer of security, Collard suggests enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) on online accounts. “This will add another layer of security even if someone else has access to saved passwords on shared devices,” she explains.
Perhaps most crucially, open and honest communication underpins successful device sharing. Regular discussions about screen time, digital safety, and the family’s tech agreement are essential. Collard emphasises the need for children to feel comfortable reporting issues to parents, who in turn should model the online behaviour they expect.