Connected toys, the perfect spies at Christmas

Connected toys, the perfect spies at Christmas

Electronic devices can be a danger to the privacy of children if they are not used well

  «Dear Magi Kings . This month I've behaved very well and that's why I want to ask you for the latest cell phone with the best cameras, a bluetooth drone and a speaker to talk to him. " Today many letters to the magicians of the East or, for those who prefer, to Santa Claus.

The connected toys or smart devices are already the protagonists in the presents every Christmas . Spain is a world leader in the penetration of smartphones, with 88% of unique users, 22 points above the global average, according to data from the CNMC.

  The age at which young Spaniards begin to have their own smartphone comes forward year after year. According to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the disposition of a smartphone increases significantly after 10 years. Thus, three of every four children of 12 years have a mobile phone, and half of the children with 11 years old also have it. As of 13 years (86%) the tendency rises until reaching 93.9% in the population of 15 years.

Children are a primary objective for brands and aware that they are the consumers of the future focus on them their products. Traditional toys become intelligent and connected and in many cases the risks of their use are unknown.

"Connected toys offer new play possibilities, promoting the interactivity and participation of the child, being necessary to know the simple recommendations that allow avoiding the risks derived from this new dimension of play", explains the Incibe in a statement.

The purchase of a toy connected is an important action, so the public body has launched a guide for families and avoid cases like the Cayla doll, which lit all the alarms in the United States allowed anyone to listen and record the conversation that keep with the doll.

Therefore to enjoy the gifts of Kings is necessary to change passwords and default codes for connection with other devices. It is also advisable to keep the updates to correct security failures and turn off the toy when we are not using it so that it does not collect data when it is not needed.

Cayla's case is not the only one. In the United States, VTech Electronics has had to pay a fine of $ 650,000 to the Federal Trade Commission of the country after learning that the company had collected digital data of children without parental permission and without guaranteeing their safety.

In this case it was about tablets, a device widely used in recent years by minors, whether to play, learn or even watch videos on YouTube. From Incibe, security experts encourage you to use the parental control of your mobile or tablet to prevent access to other applications or unauthorized purchases, and, in addition, check and delete the message logs and other personal data stored in the systems. manufacturer.

Finally, remember that it is important to secure the WiFi connection to block access to other people.