Bark in South Africa? It’s no longer just a rumor! Families in South Africa have something to celebrate when it comes to online safety. Bark is now officially available to the more than 59 million people who live in the country.
We’re thrilled to be able to offer our comprehensive safety solution to a different part of the world and provide many more families with helpful digital parenting resources.
What Bark in South Africa Means for Families
Kids in the U.S. aren’t the only ones who struggle with digital dangers. A recent study analyzed the online behaviors of more than 2,600 children ages 9 to 17 in South Africa. Here are just a few of the eye-opening stats from that study:
- 70% of children surveyed use the internet without parental consent.
- 25% confirmed that they have added people whom they have never met face-to-face to their friends or contacts list.
- 18% have sent a photo or video of themselves to a person they have never met face-to-face.
- 67% of child participants who have seen sexual images were exposed to them on an online device.
The Importance of Monitoring and Parental Controls
There’s no handbook for raising kids in the digital age, and today’s children have access to technology and devices we never could have dreamed of. Bark enables parents to get alerts if there’s something going on in their child’s world that they need to know about. This includes issues like bullying, suicidal ideation, depression, predators, and many more. Our service allows you to block websites and apps and create custom screen time schedules to provide your kid with healthy boundaries.
Looking to the Future
Bark plans to build on its presence in South Africa and beyond by building partnerships with ISPs. In addition to offering Bark in South Africa, we also offer content monitoring in Spanish in the United States. It’s our hope that one day every family that needs Bark’s help will be able to use our service.
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Bark helps families manage and protect their children’s digital lives.
