Should You Monitor Social Media Activity of Teens or Not?

Many parents have closed their eyes to the fact that social media poses threats more than benefits for their kids. The use of a smartphone generally produces more bad effects than good ones. There are various things that are happening around us spontaneously, and the mobile phone with the internet is the best source of being updated about all those things. This advantage has been abused so much that it is now affecting our kids today. Staying updated and entertained is actually costing us much more than we can think.

Kids start using social media for the same purpose as we do. They want to stay connected, entertained and learn more about things happening around them. But in no time, they lose control and focus. They are easily distracted by the glittery fake world of social media thus losing their main focus. They are easily trapped in the things that they are not supposed to do just because of their innocence. That’s why experts recommend parents to monitor social media activity of the kids for their safety.

How Social Media Is Affecting Your Child?

If you think that the changes you are observing in your kid are normal and it has nothing to do with the use of the internet and social media, you need to think more about it. There are several ways in which social media is affecting your kids and their mental health. These dangers are the warnings that induce parents to take a step to protect their child.

·Exposure to Adult Content

It is no surprise that the internet and social media are filled with sensitive sites where there are lots of adult content. There are several things that kids stumble upon and fall into addiction. Even sometimes, when they are searching and doing their regular work, they often are taken to adult content with just one click. This adult content can be related to pornography, adult movies, and much more. Social media is filled with such things and there is no limit to such content there.

·Social Media Addiction

When they start misusing the platforms, they come to the addiction. You might have noticed your kids playing online games continuously, chatting with someone even at night, watching videos that have caught their attention. These things often make them addicted to social media and their mobile phones. When it turns into addiction, the next step is depression and isolation. They get so much involved in the social media that they often get frustrated because of it. Soon, they isolate themselves from the world and fall into depression.

·Depending on Other’s Judgment

The Internet is a good place to share opinions, but it has gone far away from it. People find it so convenient to judge each other through the posts and photos that others share. You post one thing today, you will find several people judging you and making comments on it. This way, kids often take those comments seriously and question themselves for not being perfect. The way people see them become their lens and they often judge their own lives according to that which then turns into a bad thing for them.

·Online Predators

Social media is filled with strangers who are looking for innocent kids that are easily trapped. They search for these kids, make a good impression with them, make them believe that they are sincere with them so that kids can open up with them. Once kids get open, they allure them into sharing things that are rather dangerous for their safety. That information is then later used to manipulate and blackmail the kids. Your kids might not be able to see such threats coming but you must do that for them through monitoring.

·Cyberbullying

When kids have access to social media, they use them for every purpose you can. One of these purposes is to get the grudge out, take revenge, and take their fights to another level. This involved cyberbullying where they share inappropriate stuff about each other to humiliate each other in front of the public. Some can handle, but there are kids who just get panic and don’t know how to handle these things. They might not even tell you at the start about what they are facing but later they can get affected by it bad.

Know more about the dangers of social media: https://effectiviology.com/dangers-of-social-media/

With these dangers of social media, if you think you can leave your child unattended and unguided with the use of social media, you are gravely mistaken. They can’t handle the depth of dangers that they can face over social media. You have to monitor them and be close to them to protect them.

How to Monitor Social Media Activity of Teens

If you want to monitor the social media activity of your teens, it is the right time to do it. You can use the parental control apps available in the market to make sure you know what kids are going through. SecureTeen is one of the best parental control apps that let you monitor your kids’ social media along with messages and call logs. You will also be able to manage their screen time to control their addiction. There are several features of this app that you can use to make sure your kid safe and protected. You will know about their activities and know when they are wrong or in danger.

Along with using the parental control app, make sure you have earned their trust as well. You ought to be close to them so that they can share their problems with you whenever they want to. They shouldn’t feel embarrassed about sharing their issues with you. You must not let them down with your judgmental views about their posts or comments. The only way you can protect your child is to make sure they know that you are there for them no matter what. They should come to you before anyone else when they see danger coming.