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The holiday season is perfect for buying your child a new laptop.
With malware and identity theft on the rise, your childs laptop must be protected from cybercriminals.
Our list ofthe best VPNstakes an in-depth look at the quality of top VPNs on the market.
For a quicker understanding, take a look at the shortlist below:
1.
ExpressVPN combines this with a robust suite of security features to confirm your childs every click is safe.
If youre uncertain, take advantage of the exclusive Toms Guide 3-month free trial.
NordVPN: fastest VPN out thereNordVPN reigns as the most widely used VPN.
However, NordVPNs biggest asset is its speed, ensuring a zero-lag experience even while streaming.
Surfshark: top cheap VPNSurfshark is the best VPN for budget-conscious customers.
While it sits at a mere $1.99 a month, it offers comparable performance to ExpressVPN and NordVPN.
While its UI might not be quite as high-quality, its still a great choice for everyday use.
While all VPNs are looking to do the same thing, they are not all built the same.
The speed, UI quality, consistency, and additional features can make or break your childs experience.
However, if theyre using their laptop quite a bit every day, consider a privacy-first solution like ExpressVPN.
Cost:Your top choice should be priced so that you hardly even notice it.
We then use this data to assess which VPNs are the best fit for your childs needs.
We test each VPN on everyoperating systemits available on, prioritizing the Windows implementation.
Then, we have a go at push each feature to its absolute limit.
The biggest factors are encryption quality and streaming performance.
We try multiple servers to check that that each location is working well.
Then, we turn on Netflix and monitor the streaming experience for any lag.
VPN FAQs
Are VPNs safe?
Is it legal to use a VPN?
Certain countries like Turkmenistan and China outlaw the use of VPNs.
Are VPNs easy to use?
These days VPNs are very intuitive.
ExpressVPN even has a one-click connect feature that instantly connects you to the fastest server for you.
Its Lightway protocol facilitates this, instantly choosing an encryption protocol and ideal server based on your options.
With cyberattacks growing more complex every day, theres no operating system thats safe from them.
Malware in particular can be devastating.
Its effects can be anything from making your childs laptop slightly slower to making it unusable.
These attacks can also be used to steal money from your bank account.
Bitdefender: Best overall antivirusBitdefender Antivirus Plus has an extremely user-friendly interface easy for a child to use.
Its malware, identity theft, and phishing protection is top-notch, ensuring your childs safety.
All of this in a budget-conscious package.
Norton: Total peace of mindNorton has multiple security suites that offer everything you need for total laptop protection.
If you’re able to afford it, theres really no better choice.
Opening immediately in Gamer Mode, this antivirus reduces distractions and increases protection during gaming sessions.
The first step to choosing an antivirus is identifying your needs.
Threat Database:The best antivirus should maximize the number of threats its protecting you from.
Additional Features:Identity theft protection, data encryption, and the like can elevate your childs laptop protection.
We place a premium on features thatll help you with soft cyber threats like phishing attacks and identity theft.
The longer it takes the gear, the heavier the system load.
Once our tests are complete, we judge each piece of software in each category.
From there, we aggregate the results into a list for your perusal.
To find out more about our in-depth testing process, take a look at ourhow we testpage.
Antivirus FAQs
What is the best antivirus of 2023?
In our testing, Bitdefender leads the charge against malware in 2023.
The antivirus is lightning-fast while maintaining an extremely low impact on system resources.
To top it all off, Bitdefender has very reasonable pricing.
For a more in-depth look, read our guide to thebest antivirus software.
What does antivirus do?
The file is then compared to known threat databases and an algorithm that detects suspicious patterns.
If the file meets the criteria for malware, it is not allowed entry.
Scanning all of the files on the rig and doing the above with them.
If a threat is found, it can be deleted or quarantined.
Do I really need antivirus in 2023?
As time goes on, the need for antivirus software has been steadily increasing.
Cyber attacks are getting more sophisticated by the day, and your childs laptop can be a prime target.
A good antivirus will protect not only their data but also their identity.
Is free antivirus enough?
Free antiviruses are almost as good at detecting malware as their premium competitors.
Due to this, your childs laptop can be a perfect target for cybercriminals.
This can also happen if a website your child uses repeated login information for gets breached.
The solution to this is password managers.
They not only help your child create strong passwords, but they will also remember and autofill them.
Here is a taste of what the best password managers have to offer.
Additionally, Nordpass is available across multiple platforms, as well as across multiple devices.
Dashlane: most secure password managerDashlane is the password manager for you if intuitiveness isnt your first priority.
It boasts the most robust security features, with a VPN and document storage included in the software.
Dashlane is available across platforms and browsers with individual and family plans.
Password managers all offer extremely similar core functions.
Cost:Your ideal password manager should fit your budget.
Finally, we recommend picking a password manager that saves your data in the cloud.
While local storage is slightly more secure, cloud storage is more convenient and child-proof.
We have also tested each one with three browsers:MicrosoftEdge, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome.
Our testing includes a stress test where we put a variety of credentials into each password manager.
Then, we browse normally to confirm the autofill function is working as intended.
We also ensure each of the password managers listed supported operating systems are working with the full feature-set.
To learn more about our testing process, take a look at our article onhow we test tech.
Password managers FAQs
What is the difference between free and paid for password managers?
Although both options give you similar levels of protection, paid password managers provide more supplemental features.
All of these bring paid password managers a cut above free options.
How does a password manager work?
Do password managers work with apps?
Yes, modern smartphones can even complement password managers with face ID and biometrics.
Are password managers safe?
Can password managers be hacked?
All software is possible to hack.
Password managers utilize high-level encryption to see to it your childs passwords are as safe as possible.
Should you use your online window password manager?
Aura: full privacy suiteAura includes everything you’re gonna wanna protect your childs laptop.
It has a parental control app, VPN, antivirus, password manager, and even ID protection.
Aura is incredibly intuitive and you might download it by simply scanning a QR code with your childs laptop.
Its available on a multitude of platforms and gives you the basic features of a parental control app.
With that being said, it can be bypassed with a VPN.
Apps can also be blocked or restricted.
Price:Your ideal tool will fit into your budget.
Then, we test the service for how well it can block different types of inappropriate content.
We also consider other factors during our 10-hour testing period involved with each app.
Generally, we make an effort to compare apps on their performance on the same platform.
However, we do note apps that have a jump in performance when changing platforms.
To get a more in-depth look, read about how we test products at TechRadar.
Parental control apps FAQs
Will parental control software block all inappropriate content?
This can vary a lot depending on what you consider inappropriate as well as the age of your child.
What are the best practices to keep your children safe online?
To keep your child safe online, youll need to maintain frequent and open communication.
you should probably teach your child as much as you could about how to browse the internet responsibly.
What features should I look for in a parental control app?
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses.
For example: 1.
Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).
Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.
We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services.
Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
