If there’s one thing that’s clear from watching teens use technology, it’s that it can be a double-edged sword. My kids use their phones for plenty of things that improve their quality of life like keeping in touch with friends and discovering new interests. But there’s also a darker side to the interconnected age in which we live. Bullying and online predators are just two things that quite frankly keep me up at night. Balancing technology’s good with its bad becomes immensely easier with a monitoring service to keep tabs on your kid’s phone activities. I like TeenSafe and I wanted to outline some of what you can expect with such a service.
How does it work?
A monitoring service allows parents to view a range of aspects of their teen’s phone usage. One of the reasons I like TeenSafe is for its large number of features in this area. It can monitor texts, call logs, phone location, web history, and some third-party messaging apps. To use the service, you log in from a central dashboard where you can then see how your teen is using their phone.
Why use a monitoring service?
Monitoring services allow me to act as a safety net for my kids. I’m not looking over their shoulder constantly as they use their phones, but I do want to make sure that they haven’t gotten in over their heads as they explore the wider world. Let’s face it, kids don’t always have the best judgement and the internet is full of things that can get them into trouble.
What to protect against?
I don’t want to raise stress levels too much by diving into the possible threats on the internet, but it is important to be aware of what’s out there. A big one for me is cyberbullying. With social media use so prominent these days, instances of bullying online have shot way up. While some may think of bullying as a normal part of growing up, it can pose real mental health risks to affected kids. A monitoring service can help to nip those situations in the bud.
Another big one that I stay vigilant about is the potential for my kids to get exposed to inappropriate situations online. This can come in the form of sexually explicit or violent content, but can also come from other people. It’s a sad fact of life that there are negatively intentioned adults out there who search for teens to prey on. By keeping an eye on my kids’ communication, I can make sure they’re not mixed up with something or someone that they shouldn’t be.
How to involve your kids?
The use of a monitoring service can be a tricky topic to broach with a teen. One of the ways I handled this was to really communicate why it was important and what I was trying to protect them against. Involving them on the ground floor of this kind of thing will help make you and your teen a team that works together to keep them safe.
That’s a quick guide on using a monitoring service to help protect your kids. Like I said, I like TeenSafe for this as they’re considered a leader in the field, but do your own research to find one that fits your needs. In the end, the most important thing here is helping our kids grow and explore the world in a safe and responsible manner.
Photo by Andrik Langfield on Unsplash
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