What are geofences and how do they protect children?

Despite the increasing popularity of mobile devices there is still concern about how we protect children in the digital world

Posted by Joe Lawson-West | June 01, 2017 | Technology

• #geofence
• #mobile-guardian
• #mobile-devices
• #mdm
• #e-safety

Despite the increasing popularity of mobile devices both in and out of school, there is still concern about how we protect children in the digital world. Thankfully there are lots of ways that technology can be used to help keep children safe, such as the use of geofences.

Geofences are virtual boundaries that apply to real locations. A geofence can be any shape or size and once determined it can be used to track devices, create alerts and limit what can be accessed via a device dependant on its location.

Here are just some of the ways geofence technology is being harnessed to help keep children safe:

Block inappropriate content on and off campus

In the classroom teachers can monitor what children are looking at on their devices but what happens when they venture outside of the school walls? By creating geofences that go beyond the school grounds access to unsuitable apps and websites can be limited on devices long after they’ve left school grounds, regardless of the network they are connected to.

 Alerts to help you keep track of children’s whereabouts

You can’t keep children in your sight at all times but knowing they are where they should be can give parents and guardians extra peace of mind. Geofences can help to keep track of a child’s location and send alerts when they have arrived at school or if they have wandered into an area they shouldn’t be in.

 Locate and disable devices to protect the user

Losing a device not only has financial implications but it can also compromise the privacy and security of the user and owner. As devices become more commonly used by children the risk of loss and theft also increases. Defining geofences can help you locate and disable any devices that have gone AWOL and protect any sensitive data hosted on it.

Mobile Guardian Mobile Device Management (MDM) uses geofencing and lots of other technology to help protect children at school, home and on-the-go. To find out more about our MDM book your free demo now and let us show you our technology at work.