The rise in smartphone use has brought other challenges, with exposure to inappropriate content among the top ones. As a parent, you need to protect your child against inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and ruining their reputation. At the same time, you also need to protect your information, such as your residence and other private information that your child may unknowingly share. But how do you do that? There are proven ways to monitor and control your child’s online activities effectively, which include:
Use of monitoring tools
With pedophiles prowling the internet, your child is at an all-time risk of meeting one. You can install applications and tools to monitor where your child is, but it limits your knowing who they are communicating with. For that reason, you may require special spy apps and acquire skills like how to see someone’s text messages without the person knowing. Remember that teenagers can be upset if they find out you are spying on them.
Joining the platforms
A lot of social media platforms show mutual connections. You can join the platforms your child frequents and learn how they work and who they are following. Doing so will enable you to see the people your child is interacting with. And if it’s a photo-sharing platform, you can see the comments and other activities that can raise red flags. Note that restricting the use of these platforms can be futile since your child can go around your back and join, hence exposing them without your knowledge.
Using the parental control software
You can opt for parental control software to monitor and block inappropriate content. The majority of this software enables you to monitor chat conversations and comes with measures to alert you if your child attempts to bypass the restrictions. Since most of this software is for PCs, it would be best if you acquire one that has a complete control suite—capable of controlling computers and mobile devices.
Scheduling router time
Modern homes have internet routers which can cause a lot of damage to your child if you don’t control their usage. Some will spend a lot of time online and have insomnia, which affects their behavior and school work. And the chances of falling prey to online predators increase as they spend more time online. You can schedule on and off time on the router to disable internet access when you don’t want the child to be browsing the internet.
Restricting version of the software
Various platforms are taking the risks children face and developing children-friendly versions. For instance, Facebook launched its Messenger for Kids, and YouTube also launched for kids. You can teach your child only to use these versions for their safety. If that doesn’t work, you can restrict access to the standard version and enable the ones you want them to use.
The internet is no longer safe for children. Unfortunately, most children are adventurous and constantly yearning to find out more online. As a parent, it’s your responsibility to sit them down and guide them on internet safety. This is because mastering skills like how to see someone’s text messages and spy on them won’t work if they are unwilling to toe the line.
