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Cape Town - Parents now have the option of additional protection for children who use smartphones or tablets.
Security company Eset announced that it is providing a free version of its beta Parental Control for Android application.
"ESET Parental Control app for Android has been designed to provide parents the confidence to safeguard children on smart devices by giving them protection, user experience and performance through a number of free and premium features," the company said in a statement.
The application is a response to an increasing number of children who have access to smart devices.
An Ofcom report suggests that 20% of 8 - 11 year-olds and 65% of 12 - 15 year-olds own smartphones.
The increased access to smart devices has made children more vulnerable to cyber bullying.
According to research by security firm Kaspersky Lab in conjunction with B2B International, 22% of parents cannot control what their children see online and 48% are concerned that children may be bullied.
The company also found that 36% of women and 28% of men take no precautions when handing over their mobile device to friends or family because they perceive "no threat".
The Parental Control for Android app mirrors the native application in Microsoft (formerly Nokia) Lumia devices that were shipped with a Kid's Corner application that allowed parents to ensure that children were safe when using the smartphones.
HTC has also been refining its Kid Mode platform on its devices which allows users to assign specific functionality for children on the smartphone.
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