To appease the 21st-century kids, mobile phone screens comes handier than the old school jingling keys. However, parents should also weigh out the benefits and the possible dangers that the instant calming tool brings with it. Kids learn fast and there is a possibility that they will be ordering gummy bears on Amazon without you knowing. This parenting dilemma has been solved by the researchers from the University of South Caroline and China’s Zhejiang University.
The researchers have developed an algorithm which measures a user’s interaction with the mobile device and can tell if the user is an adult or a child. If it detects that the user is a child, it blocks the apps like email platforms or retailers as well as the websites which are inappropriate to watch. To construct the algorithm, the team developed an app which tracked the movement of the user’s fingers. It records the measurements like the surface area of the tap, pressure applied by the finger and length of the swipes.
The researchers have gathered data from a group of children aged between 3 to 11 and a group of adults aged between 22 to 60 years. The data was taken using a game which recorded the data while the subjects played a number-based game on the phone. The age-detection software proved to be 84% accurate in determining whether the user was an adult or a child. The software can determine the age using only a single swipe. The accuracy increased to 97% after the number of swipes reached eight.
The algorithm has not been integrated into an operating system yet, however, the software will be presented at HotMobile Conference. Cybersecurity is one of the most growing concerns in the current age of technology. This new algorithm will surely come in handy!
Where or when will the software be available