Social networks have reached a very high level among the main accesses made by Brazilians. The popularization of these platforms happened in a very democratic way. Making users of all profiles and ages start to use it intensively, as is the case with Instagram and TikTok.
However, this type of access can also be very harmful for companies. This is because accesses carried out during working hours can significantly harm the productivity of your employees. And, consequently, generate delays in the delivery of demands and activities that are expected by managers.
For this reason, there is a growing demand from companies looking for more efficient tools to ensure the blocking of social networks on the corporate internet and on devices used by employees. This way, the company can more assertively control which resources can be used by employees and, thus, avoid problems caused by improper access.
This is an extremely legitimate concern, mainly because Brazil ranks third in the number of hours spent on social networks such as Instagram and TikTok (data from Comscore ). Although these platforms provide entertainment, they are real productivity traps within the workplace.
Instagram and TikTok: social networks on the rise
As mentioned above, Instagram and TikTok have been gaining more and more popularity among Brazilian users. Within these platforms it is possible to find instructive, fun and informative content, serving different audiences. According to data from Comscore , around 97% of internet users in Brazil have an account on some social network . However, when it comes to productivity, the use of Instagram and TikTok can be a real problem.
It is important to remember that more and more brands and companies are looking for great opportunities on these platforms to promote their products and services. However, along with these brands, scams and cyber threats also emerge that put data confidentiality and cybersecurity within companies at risk.
Just as cybercriminals are able to deploy traps on websites and pages on the internet, they are also able to use these platforms with malicious intent. Through them, they seek to reach an increasing number of users and implement digital traps.
Instagram and TikTok at work
Taking into account the standard of access in the country, accessing content on Instagram and TikTok is very harmful. In addition to being a major enemy of productivity in the workplace, it can also encourage cyber scams and create points of vulnerability for the company.
Even if the company has an Internet Access Policy that establishes the ideal posture expected of employees, inappropriate access can still occur during working hours. It is clear that there are essential resources for carrying out activities, but certain pages such as Instagram and TikTok can harm performance, cause delays and distractions, among other problems.
Taking this into consideration, it is important that the company uses tools and strategies that help block access to these platforms and prevent employees from being distracted by social media during working hours . The more assertive the organization's strategy for blocking social networks, the better the productivity of employees who are involved in its activities.
It is essential that employees understand the importance of adopting a preventive stance to avoid the incidence of cyber attacks and ensure that company information remains confidential. In addition to this culture change, it is equally essential to establish solutions that help increase productivity and avoid cyber problems that could affect the company's smooth running and growth.
Time spent using social media at work
According to the Comscore survey, Brazilians reached third place in the number of hours spent browsing social media. Data collected by the World Health Organization – WHO between 2022 and 2023, showed that Brazilians spend around 53% of their lives surfing the internet , with a large part of this time being wasted on social media.
Considering how much time a user spends awake, this frightening amount of hours spent surfing the internet may coincide with their work schedule. In this sense, social networks have become great villains for companies in all sectors.
More and more users are using social networks massively, a factor that causes harm to their productivity and the results expected by their managers. For this reason, companies have been looking for alternatives to block certain tools during working hours and prevent their employees from being distracted during this period.
Use of social networks at work and the impact on productivity
When access to social networks is fully released within companies, there is a great risk of a drop in productivity among workers. Although access to social networks may be considered harmless, many employees fail to perform essential tasks due to the distractions caused by these platforms.
We know that the internet is an essential tool for carrying out various activities in the workplace. However, this tool must be used intelligently and strategically so that certain resources do not promote more problems than solutions.
Except in cases where certain tools are essential for carrying out daily activities, such as email tools and WhatsApp, for example, it is important that managers are able to adopt solutions that help block expendable resources . An example of this are social networks, gaming and betting platforms , entertainment websites, violent or pornographic content, streaming platforms, among others.
Do Instagram and TikTok threaten the digital security of your business?
In addition to social networks being unnecessary for carrying out most tasks within a company, they also represent a real risk to information security. Just as cybercriminals take advantage of other resources in the digital environment to promote cyber scams, social networks are also an unreliable environment.
Numerous types of scams are already applied using these platforms, such as fake stores and improper collection of information. Many cybercriminals take advantage of users' naivety and lack of attention to steal information and encourage the installation of malicious applications on company devices.
By sending links with malware or viruses, these cybercriminals end up deceiving users and companies in a very simplified way. Contamination by this type of file can represent much more than just an unwanted program on the company's device. There are applications, such as spyware , that can monitor activities carried out within devices and steal very valuable information for the organization.
Beware of data security
It is common that, through fake profiles, cybercriminals provide malicious links to make users contaminate their devices with viruses and malware. Therefore, Instagram and TikTok pose a real risk to data security within your company. Depending on the segment of your business, there is stored information that can be stolen, and its leakage can cause losses to its holders and the organization.
The General Data Protection Law establishes fundamental protocols and paradigms for organizations to be able to protect the data stored by companies. Failure to comply with the standards established by legislation can result in security breaches and substantial fines.
There is no point investing in security tools that can monitor traffic and prevent contamination by viruses and malicious applications. If indiscriminate access to the internet favors the creation of points of vulnerability in networks and devices within your company.
How to block Instagram and TikTok?
The good news is that it is now possible and very simple to block social networks on your company's networks in a simplified way. Through Lumiun DNS your company will be able to block tools, such as social networks, e-commerce, pages with pornographic or violent content, and much more. With this, your company will be able to prevent indiscriminate access from causing cybersecurity problems within your organization.
This tool guarantees control, security and assertive monitoring of accesses carried out within the company's internet. In addition to blocking Instagram and TikTok, Lumiun Lumiun DNS also allows the application of web content filters and access monitoring through artificial intelligence.
To prove the efficiency of the filters, you can watch the logs in real time:
Furthermore, with the aim of making the internet more democratic and encouraging relaxation in the work environment, Lumiun Lumiun DNS offers customization of blocking times. In other words, it is possible to grant access to Instagram and TikTok at certain times. Taking into account that, often, the manager's objective is not to prohibit use, but rather to reduce access to these platforms.
Lumiun Lumiun DNS has a low latency infrastructure and allows for optimized website filtering. Thus, thanks to these advantages it can be a true ally in your organization's security strategy.
