I love the internet and I love my smartphone, but to be honest these
technologies are not always the safest for kids. Our son isn’t old enough yet
to have a phone of his own, but I’m already planning for the day when he does
and I’ve been wanting some sort of way to protect from some of the dangers out
there. After doing my research I centered on TeenSafe, a phone monitoring
service, as a way to make sure he stays safe when using technology. Here’s a little
guide to the service and why I’m planning to use it once our son is old enough.
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Dangers out there
One of the issues that worries me most when it comes to the use of
technology and smartphones is the potential for our son to have negative
interactions online. A big concern these days is cyberbullying and I know that
most kids who are victims of this tend to not share that information with their
parents. Since the practice can cause real harm to kids, I’d want to know if
such a situation were going on with my son so that I could help him.
I’m also aware that there are online predators out there who single
out kids for a variety of negative aims. I don’t want to worry excessively
about it but it is something I want to be aware of. If it does seem like my son
is communicating with a stranger, I want to be able to stop it before it gets
out of hand.
Monitoring service features
TeenSafe has so many tools that are useful for parents, which is why
I ultimately settled on it as the service
I’d use. A major one for me is the ability to monitor phone call logs and text
messaging. By being able to see who our son is talking to, and what texts he’s
sending and receiving, we’ll have a better idea of whether or not he’s staying
safe. This type of monitoring even extends to messaging apps like Kik and
WhatsApp.
Two other important features are website monitoring and location
tracking. This would allow us to see where our son has been both online and in
the real world. I don’t need to track every step he takes, I of course want him
to have his freedom to explore the world and hang out with friends. But it is
important to me that I can keep tabs on him to make sure he’s not getting mixed
up with things he shouldn’t be. Honestly, kids sometimes don’t have the best
sense of judgement and they can benefit from an adult steering them in the
right direction.
The importance of talking
That’s a quick look at what TeenSafe can do to help you keep your kid safe. Remember,
while these tools are really helpful for parents who want to take an active
role in protecting their kids from some of the harms of modern life, they work
best when used in addition to talking to your kids! So I definitely recommend
some kind of monitoring service if your child has their own phone, I also
suggest taking time to talk with them and let them know why you’re using the
service in the first place. After all, your goal is to keep them safe!
More about TeenSafe on YouTube
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