KC has launched a new service that lets parents protect their children when they go online and keep all of their online devices – not just PCs but smartphones too – free from security threats.

KC’s Family Care service lets parents who want to monitor and stay in charge of their children’s online activity limit access to the internet to specific times of day or to specific websites.

The service also provides online security for up to five PCs, Macs, laptops, Android tablets and smartphones with just one licence, protecting them from viruses, spyware, spam, ‘phishing’ and hacking attacks. It also protects lost or stolen Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian or BlackBerry smartphones by letting customers remotely block access to them.

Research carried out by communications regulator Ofcom earlier this year found that half of parents (48%) with children aged 5-15 who use the internet at home think they know less about the internet than their children do, and this rises to 70% of parents of 12-15 year olds.

With more than 40% of children aged now accessing the internet from their bedrooms, Nick Thompson, KC’s Director of Consumer Services, says the new service will give parents peace of mind.

“We know that many parents have concerns about when and where their children go online but that it isn’t always possible to monitor children 24/7.

“We’ve been looking for some time for a service which offers a way for parents to regain control even if they’re not internet-savvy themselves, and we think this is the ideal solution. It lets parents set specific times that children can access the internet, and determine which sites they can or can’t visit. It’s completely flexible – you can tailor the controls for each of your children so that teenagers can stay online longer than younger children, for example.”

The Family Care service costs £7.99 per month and includes lots of extras including:

• One free engineering visit per year for your phone line and another for your broadband service to fix any faults or wiring problems within your home
• An annual healthcheck for up to two online devices such as PCs or laptops to make sure they’re performing at their best
• 25% discount on calls to national, international and mobile numbers from your KC landline
• 20% discount on KC’s MyTech service, which offers router/equipment configuration, wireless security and general help with equipment and connection for a small one-off fee.
• A lifetime warranty on routers supplied by KC

To find out more or sign up to KC Family care call 01482 602555 or click here

Notes to editors

The online security and parental controls package included as part of KC Family Care is provided by world-leading online security firm Kaspersky. It’s the first ‘universal security’ solution to let customers protect several different devices from a range of online threats with just one licence and was launched in the UK in October 2011.