This article presents the Social Monitoring feature in Bitdefender Parental Control.
We know being a parent is the most difficult job in the world. And, with kids today using apps like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger to share thoughts, information, photos, and videos, parenting has never been harder. How do we know what requests they are getting and what kind of content they are sharing? And how do we keep our kids safe without being obtrusive?
What is the Social Monitoring feature?
Bitdefender Parental Control uses AI to scan online conversations for potential bullying, meeting requests from strangers, and disclosure of personal information like a personal address or credit card details. You can use the tool to keep an eye on the images your child receives or sends. When something suspicious happens, we’ll flag it for you in Bitdefender Central.
The social monitoring function allows Bitdefender to scan your child’s conversations and notify the parent if there is any violent language used. This takes place 2 hours after the conversation stopped (after the last message is sent) so that the Parental Control can check the context of the discussion.
It is worth mentioning that even if there is a 2-hour scan time for the conversation messages, the pictures will be scanned instantly and blocked if they are inappropriate.
ⓘ Note: This feature is available only for English conversations.
What platforms work with Parental Control Social Monitoring?
This feature from Bitdefender Parental Control works on devices running iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS.
It checks the following:
- Messages sent in WhatsApp (Android, Windows, and macOS), Facebook Messenger (Windows and Mac), and Instagram (Android);
- Images sent or received in WhatsApp (Android, iOS, Windows and macOS), Facebook Messenger (Android, iOS, Windows and macOS), Instagram (Android and iOS);
- Images sent or received on any app – available on iOS.
How do I enable image gathering for the Social Monitoring feature in Bitdefender Parental Control?
On Android, the Bitdefender Parental Control application checks for the following:
- Messages sent through the WhatsApp and Instagram apps
- Images sent through the Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram apps.
However, in order to check for images sent through Messenger and Instagram, users will have to activate certain features in these apps.
For Facebook Messenger
- Open the Messenger app.
- Tap on your profile picture, in the upper-right corner of the screen.
- Tap on Photos & Media.
- Click on the switches next to Save Photos and Save on Capture and activate them.
For Instagram
- Tap on the low right Profile icon.
- Tap on the ≡ menu in the upper-right corner of the screen.
- In the lower part of the window, tap on Settings.
- Tap on “Original Posts” then enable Save Original Posts and Save Posted Photos.