Keeping our children safe online is tough. That’s why I’ve put together this list of 8 ways you can monitor your kids digital use.
8 Ways You can monitor your kids Digital use
We are living in a digital age, and parents are raising this whole new generation of techie kids. Toddlers are using tablets, teens are addicted to screens, and so are adults. Schools have also jumped on the tech bandwagon, with many schools are using tablets and gadgets. On average, a kid gets his first phone by the time he is 12-years-old. Now the main idea is to be in touch with children, but the spread of smartphones has changed parenting and the responsibilities that come with it in a myriad of ways.
Digital Parenting – A challenge
Parenting has become a lot tougher than it used to be. With the fast pace of technology that keeps presenting problems and issues regarding privacy and safety, parents are trying hard to catch up. The internet poses so many threats that apart from keeping their children safe online, protection against digital dangers has also become a top priority. Parents are split between the decision of giving their children digital freedom and also mapping out the boundaries while knowing that they cannot entirely restrict internet access but have to be cautious of the online threats.
What’s the solution? Luckily, thanks to technology, there are some excellent parental monitoring apps out there that can greatly reduce parents’ worries. But, parents have to face another dilemma. And that is comparing the pros of cons of the various parental monitoring apps.
I decided to make the decision easier for you by researching various apps and found a few I really like.
It’s important to find some factors that will help you get the best monitoring app.
It’s important for apps to have certain features like:
- Affordability
- Compatibility
- User Friendly Interface.
- Helpful features for the user.
- Offline monitoring even when there’s no internet connection.
- Most important customer service for queries and assistance.
Most important good apps should be able to
- Protect Your Child from Inappropriate or Dark Content
There are tons of content out there. And search engines can find anything you ask for. The reality is that a simple word search could display age-inappropriate results on the screen. The child could access infinite dark or explicit content by mistake, and then they cannot help but feed in their curiosity.
Children use the internet for entertainment, communication, as well as for education. So, banning it out of question. But you can keep them safe from inappropriate content. One I really liked was
One app I really liked is Xnspy . This app was particularly designed for parents so they can be in the know and keep an eye on their children’s digital activities.
2.Monitor Your Child’s Conversations to Prevent Unfortunate Incidents
You must keep tabs on your children’s conversations. Kids nowadays text away all day, chat with people online. That’s why a good app can monitor text messages, emails, and instant messenger chats . With this feature, you can stay on top of your child’s messages with their time, date, and contact details.
As tweens grow into teens, they go through physical and psychological changes. Curiosity also kicks in, and they might get into sexting and other activities. Some will even let you keep an eye on them by adding particular words to the app’s Watchlist, such as “drugs,” “sex,” “beer,” “alcohol,” “bunk class,” or any other matter you think would require your immediate action and intervention.
3.Track location in Real-time with Geofencing and Ensure Their Safety
Xnspy parental monitoring app offers this feature as well and lets you know your child’s whereabouts in real-time. You can always know where they are, and also know about their recent location history. This feature comes in handy when parents have to work long hours. They can always check that the kids have reached home safely.
There is another benefit too. We all were once teenagers, and surely, have been grounded or got a curfew a couple of times. There are many places teens want to try out, and even though you forbid them to, they will find some way. But with Xnspy, you can ensure that no rules are broken.
The app’s GPS location tracking feature works with geofencing that lets you create virtual boundaries of the app. You can add locations to the app’s Watchlist and set alerts upon the exit/entrance of your child in that area. The app is going to inform you immediately. At the same time, you must teach your children that they should avoid posting their locations on social media as stalkers could misuse that information.
- Block Apps and Sites to Prevention Pollution of Mind
As stated earlier, there is a lot of content on the internet you surely wouldn’t want your kids to access or even know about. For example, the Dark Web. It is a dark place where some of the most horrific activities take place. Then some websites have adult content. Being able to block apps and sites that are harmful impacting your child or are age-inappropriate is a must.
- Listen to Conversation and Surroundings to Stay Informed
You must stay involved in your child’s life. With excessive screen time and social media, bullying from the schoolyard has slithered into our inboxes. If your child becomes scared after a call, looks withdrawn, or is not confiding in you after multiple attempts, there are apps that have call surround recording features. Kids tend to share things with their friends this app lets you turn on a mic and let you record the surroundings for 30 minutes.
- Monitor Online Activity and Social Media Conversations to Prevent Wrong Actions
It is not always that something could be bugging your child. Your child could be up to some questionable activities too. He might be bullying someone, engages in online shaming, shares inappropriate content, or talking to a pedophile or a sexual predator. Anyone can pose as anyone on the internet.
The best way to be in the know and keep an eye on their online activity and social media conversations. Tweens and teens are young minds just getting used to having a grownup body. They need to be properly educated. Their brain is constantly developing and learning new things. They need your guidance even if they don’t say it upfront. Keep an eye on them and begin to teach them early so that they do not engage in risky online behavior.
- Limit Screen Time
Screens are addictive. Whether you are playing games or it is social media, once you pick up the phone, it is hard to put down. An adult gets mentally detached from their physical surroundings. It is a lot more difficult for kids to break free from the shackles of screen addiction. Excessive social media use leads to depression and lower self-esteem. And excessive screen time, in general, leads to poor sleep, poor eyesight, dry eyes, obesity, and bad posture.
Apart from establishing healthy lifestyles and strict rules regarding technology use,monitoring apps can lock or shut down the device remotely if your child is not studying or using phone way past bedtime. Set boundaries and set time limits that define when and for how long they can use their phones.
- Teach Them the Cyber Etiquette with Parental Monitoring
When you hand over your children their first smartphones, let them know that this is a privilege. And till they know better, you are going to keep an eye on them. With children know they are being monitored, and there is nothing they can do about it, they become responsible. They learn cyber etiquette. You have to let them know that they have to take up the same, maybe even more safety precautions than the real world when they are on the internet.
Final Thoughts
There are many apps that provided an effective solution to the parents that not only resolve their problem of digital monitoring but make the children understand that digital threats are serious matters. And they have to be careful. This parental monitoring app that is not going to disappoint you. You can use it to stay atop your child’s online activities. However, as they grow up and mature, you could opt for a bit laid-back approach and do random spot checks. As kids grow into teens and finally go to college or university, they need their space and privacy. Eventually, you will have to let them do things on their own.
When you are using this app or any other tool on them, be careful that you do not get overboard but maintain a balance.
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