Internet Dangers – How to Monitor Kids Cell Phone?

Today’s teenagers are like digital divas and it seems like they had computer chip installed in their minds as soon as they were born. They get the latest news, they share and receive pictures, they know how to tweet, they are all mastered with the apps they use. What is out there on the internet that they don’t know?

According to a recent study, young adults and teens spend almost 200 minutes of the day on the internet. With that much usage and addiction, they are bound to encounter risks and experiences that might be unpleasant. Parents are freaking out about this now more than ever. And that’s why they are on the mission to learn how to monitor kids cell phone.

This fascinating new study also reveals the ways through which parents and teens already sense the dangers but don’t talk to each other about it. The more parents freak out about the dangers their kids might face, the less likely teens are to share with them. Teens, at last, think that they are on their own to manage these issues because of this big gap between them and the parents.

Internet Dangers That Your Kid Might Encounter

Technology is now an everyday part of teens’ life and so with this much interaction, they are prone to face many issues. Such as:

·Pornography

Viewing pornography, especially from a very young age, has devastating effects on a kids’ mental and physical health. Frequent exposure to sexually explicit content is closely related to how the kid will behave in the future with relationships and sex. It is seen that more than 1 on every 8 web searches have erotic content. 79% of youth are exposed to pornography unwantedly and unintentionally.

Some of the effects of pornography on kids are as follows: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/29/sunday-review/does-porn-hurt-children.html

·Cyberbullying

Bullying now happens on both the digital world and playgrounds. The bullying has been advanced to cyberbullying due to advancements in technology and the internet. Through the internet, harmful words are exchanged, rumors spread easily, and there are plenty of ways that can be found to humiliate someone through the use of technology.

20% of teens have reported that their peers are cruel and unkind to them on social media as compared to real life. 24% of teens have reported that they read things about themselves that aren’t true. With cyberbullying, comes plenty of ways to disturb someone’s life and humiliate them. 

Read about different ways of cyberbullying: https://www.secureteen.com/cyberbullying/examples-of-cyberbullying

·Social media platforms

Social media platforms like Facebook are very popular among teens and adults. They can share stuff over there and explore many other things. But, there are some serious threats associated with it. Invading someone’s privacy, extracting personal information, sharing false information, spreading rumors and talking to strangers are a few of those dangers. 

Despite the age limit of 13 for sign up on Facebook, younger kids are seen using it frequently. Kids are seen to be addicted to the scrolling and commenting part of Facebook. But, at the same time, it is the biggest source of humiliation and cyberbullying especially for the kids. If parents are not looking out for it, they are missing something. 

·Predators

The internet encourages kids to explore new information and entertainment, and meet new people. Kids love to explore the internet and they show a keen interest in knowing new people. But, are all these new people safe for your kid? 

Online Predators come in the form of these kind strangers and lure your kid into doing stuff that they shouldn’t be doing. Some even make kids share their personal information including address. Kids are impulsive. Their desire for new relationships and sexual experiences make them do anything that sees interesting if it means impressing a stranger. 

·Gaming

Online games and consoles are very much fun, interactive, and offer educational experience. But, there are some hidden dangers associated with this fun. Games now usually include violent, cruel, and sexual content. While you think your kid is just playing games, he might be learning the things he shouldn’t. Internet-connected games enable kids to connect and chat with strangers while playing games. This conversation sometime goes beyond limits and can cause real harm to your kid.

Some more dangers associated with digital media for the teens: https://www.allprodad.com/5-dangers-of-social-media-for-teens/

How to Monitor Kids Cell Phone?

Knowing your kid can be in so many dangers can cause every parent to freak out. Not only these threats are dangerous for your kid’s mental health but, if you see some studies and cases, you will see how kids have indulged themselves in self-harming activities because of the humiliation and embarrassment they feel. 

Here are the things that parents should do:

·Open Communication

Keep an open communication policy with your kids. Let them know that you are there for them no matter what happens and that they should share things with you first. It can only help if you stop freaking out over little things and not make your kid embarrassed. When parents fail to admit their kids’ mistakes and embrace them, their kids hardly share anything with them. So, communicate with them about the things that they might face and tell them how you can help them in every crisis. 

·Parental Control Apps

Using parental control apps can make things easy for parents. It is the smartest way to keep your kids in check and know their activities. You can monitor their messages and calls logs, know what they are doing on social media, and know their communication with strangers. Also, you can manage their screen time. 

With these features, you can always make sure if your kid is fine online. Any trouble and you can foresee it. Once you know that they are in trouble, you can be there to help them manage those things. So, be there for them. You don’t need to suffocate them, but you must make sure that they know you are there for them all the time. Sometimes, they don’t know what’s coming can be bad for them, but with your experience, you can know it easily. So, help your child grow brightly in this period of their life.