iKydz offers a method of internet control, addressing the lack of government legislation and successful self-regulation
The internet has created a world of information and opportunity, but for children, it can be an overwhelming and even dangerous place.
With children getting online at younger and younger ages, parents have become fearful of the real dangers presented by the internet, as well as the effect too much screen time may have on their children. The internet has evolved faster than regulators, the government and parents can keep up with.
The internet poses a number of potential threats to children, from online predators and unsuitable material, to the seemingly more trivial effects of social media. However, even social media has the ability to magnify and distort typical teen angst and cause real harm to children. This was highlighted by the landmark case of Molly Russell, a 14-year-old girl who in November 2017 committed suicide after becoming involved in an Instagram community that circulated content relating to self-harm.
With no foreseeable government regulation on the horizon, the failure of tech giants to successfully self-regulate and many parents lack of tech knowhow, other options are coming to the table. iKydz is one such tech solution – a router plug-in allowing parents to set limits on content and times of use across an unlimited number of devices connected to the network.
Co-founder and CEO of iKydz, John Molloy developed the idea building from his personal life. “It was my twelve-year-old daughter – with her two younger brothers following suit – and what they could do on the internet and how it was totally uncontrolled,” he says. “I just needed to find some way that I could – wherever I was in the world – turn her off the internet, except for the various bits and pieces that she needed. That was the driver.”
