With technology on the rise, watching over kids is become increasingly difficult by the day.
Computers, television, and Game Boy have been adequately replaced by smartphones with cheaper data packages. As parents, we always want to shield and protect our kids from any wrong and harmful influences. And sometimes this quest only ends up making relations bad between us and our kids. We try to place sanctions on their movements and behaviors which may seem unreasonable to them but are in reality just cautionary measures to protect our little ones.
Even if as a parent you don’t believe in giving your teen a smartphone at an early age, maybe the following pointers would help change your mind. Monitoring your teen’s whereabouts and activities will not only help you build a better relationship with them but also help you understand your teen better because after all you are from a different generation and might not be as aware of the intricate lives of teenagers today.
1. Tracking their location:
Whether we like it or not, our kids have reached an age where they demand some freedom. And sanctioning them against it is only a way of aggravating their demand. But at the same time, the news is flooded with thousands of kids going missing every day. For instance, the research highlighted a teen going missing every 3 minutes in the United Kingdom. So what can be done to keep everyone happy?
The answer is simple. Today software gurus have been able to develop parental control applications that allow you to track your teen’s every movement. These applications also keep track of the battery levels of your kids’ smartphones hence you don’t have to worry about the battery dying when they are away. You can also set safe zones via these apps and if your teen moves out of a safe zone you will immediately get a notification.
2. Tracking Internet Activity:
Teenagers are inquisitive young adults always trying to explore and get into new things. With mobile spy app you can keep an eye on everything your teen browses on the internet. You can also block particular sites that contain inappropriate content like pornography. Also if your teen manages to work around these blockades, you will still be notified regardless which means you can take disciplinary measures accordingly.
3. Protection from Cyber Bullying:
Unlike the good old conventional way of bullying, cyberbullying tends to be ten times worse. Your teen could be involved in it without knowing the source of it. And since it is on the internet, it could grow faster than wildfire. Therefore, for your teen’s protection, you are recommended to install parental control applications on your teen’s phone and other gadgetry that will keep you updated on who your teen is in contact with and what they are talking about. These apps can store messages and chats even if your teen has initially deleted them. Moreover, they also give you some access to social media sites that your teen is actively using. This way you can keep a close eye on what your teen uploads on the internet as well.
4. Keeps Kids from wasting time:
This is the prime time when your teen should be focusing on positive character-building activities but instead is busy wasting time on the internet. These smartphones and gadgets are very addictive especially for kids and keeping them focused on what is important at the time like studies, sports and other extracurricular activities is very important. However, now there are ways to constructively manage their smartphone and another gadgetry usage. Parental control apps allow you to keep a track of the time spent on various sites, chatting or just playing games. Some even allow you to place restrictions on a particular amount of data usage.
5. Stay Updated about Kid’s Friends:
Your teen is in a vulnerable place and the kind of people that he or she hangs out with is going to have a strong impact on their personality development. Sometimes kids tend to hide some friends from their parents that they know are into activities that their parents wouldn’t allow. However, rather than finding out too late, its better if you are aware of the friends your teen makes from an early age. Parental control applications are one way to keep you updated with your teen’s daily hangouts and peers. With their names and numbers, you can easily find out additional information about their families as well.
Some people might thing that parental control applications are in some way abusing your teen’s privacy. But with intricate and detailed options that today’s parental control applications offer, you can easily set limits on yourself as well while at the same time keeping track of your teen’s whereabouts and daily activities.
Author Bio:
Brooke is an author. Tech and digital parenting expert. She mostly writes about the latest technology news and reviews of mobile monitoring software like TheOneSpy.