We are witnessing a time when it is impossible to imagine a day without the use of smartphones, both for adults and children. It could be said that we have also become slaves to modern technology, because no matter how useful it is on the other hand, it takes away our free time if we do not know how to set a time limit for ourselves. The same case is with children. Parents resort to the techniques of using the phone when they need to feed their child when they want to drink coffee in silence or to put them to sleep.
We cannot say that using the phone is completely useless because children learn many things through the media. So, you shouldn’t be surprised if your toddler started inserting foreign words into his vocabulary, or learned a lot of songs that you don’t even play. In order for the use of a smartphone to be effective, it is necessary to take into account how much time a child spends in front of the screen, but special attention should be paid to the content they are watching.
Source: time.com
Children who spend a lot of time using computers and phones experience nervousness, anxiety, and slowly shut themselves off in that virtual world. Also, they often know how to show aggression if you deny them this kind of entertainment. Every good parent should create healthy habits for the child, to limit his use to, for example, half an hour a day, or only on weekends. Children should not forget about sports activities and hanging out with friends, because it is something that no game can replace.
Many parents are aware of the potential danger lurking online, but unfortunately, there are also many who do not see any danger but only benefit as long as their child is calm.
What you need to do if you have small children, and especially teenagers, is to somehow allow them to use the phone safely. But how? One way is, of course, to check browser history from time to time, messages, and posts on social networks if the child uses them. This is not about not trusting the child, but that they are very often naive and know how to fall into the trap of various predators such as pedophiles. Recent studies showed that 78% of teens own phones, and probably the same percentage of younger children have daily access to parent’s phones. But many parents are busy and not able to check their child’s phone, so they resort to another solution.
Source: techcrunch.com
The use of device control and monitoring applications, such as Getcellphonespy will make this job easier for you. Software like this is very easy to use. All you have to do is to install the app on your and secretly od your child’s phone. Once when you install it, you will be able to check your child’s smartphone at every moment. It is good to know you are able to check the contact list of your teenage daughter, and she won’t even know it or be angry about that you are denying “her privacy”. Children see this from their point of view, not that you are just trying to protect them in the best possible way because very often they are not even aware of the dangerous situations in which they may find themselves inattentive.
In addition to checking the contact list, the advantage of these applications is through other options, such as GPS location, text messaging monitoring, checking of call history, and so on. GPS will make parents feel relax, being able to check the exact child’s location. Also, thanks to geofencing, the device will alert you a child is going somewhere he shouldn’t. Do not hesitate to use the option to check its calls and messages. Another useful option is lock/wipe, so, in case your child loses its phone, you can delete all information and data via the application. Many of these applications are easy to use, and will not take a lot of your free time.
Source: parenttoolkit.com
For those with younger children, there are many apps that will limit the usage of the internet and ban certain applications. By this we mean limiting the time of using the phone, banning access to pages you consider insecure.
Sometimes it’s better to be a parent-monster too than to let your child get in danger. It is important to follow the content and pages that children visit and not allow them to use social networks because they are prohibited for children under 18 years of age.
Many of us have probably heard of various dangerous games circulating on the Internet, and they start when a child receives a message with a dangerous challenge that must be fulfilled. Very often it is a matter of self-harm, and if the child does not want to do it, threats follow. Unfortunately, many children took it seriously, and in fear of something happening to their loved ones, they even took their own lives. The appearance of these messages is something you cannot prevent, but you can certainly talk to your child and convince him that the best thing he can do if he receives a message is to tell you. Also, it is very important to let them know not to share their personal information with strangers.
Source: nationalreview.com
Another thing that every parent can do for your child is to adjust parental controls and phone settings. This is a setting that the iPhone has and allows you to monitor the applications and functions that are used, but you can also disable those that you consider inappropriate.
t is very important that you talk openly with your children about everything, even the dangers of using the Internet. It is important that they have confidence in you and that they will be able to tell you everything that is suspicious to them without fear of being criticized or blamed.
