Both children and adults spend a bit too much time on their phones today, and it’s quickly becoming an epidemic. Many don’t realize how much our cell phones impact our mental, physical, and emotional health and our relationships and general goals in life.
Unfortunately, children don’t understand the risks behind their cellphone usage, which is why we must discuss the importance of parental controls on smartphones. Let’s explore why parents must make an effort to monitor their children’s activity on their phones.
Keeps Children Safe
Most kids typically use their phones to interact with friends via social media sites like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and more. When a child goes on a website they shouldn’t be on, either intentionally or by accident, parental control technology informs you so you can put the activity to a stop.
Many children and teens may view parental controls as “controlling” or “limiting their fun,” which is why it’s essential to communicate with your child about how parental controls keep them safe.
While you don’t need to disclose everything that parental controls track on their phone, try to be open and honest about establishing good habits.
Track Conversations
Many parental control software allows you to track conversations between your kids and their peers via text, social media, FaceTime, etc. At the same time, this may seem like a breach of privacy; it’s critical to know who your child is interacting with on and offline.
It’s essential to remember that it’s not necessary or recommended to “spy” on your child’s conversations often. This can create an unhealthy habit and build mutual distrust in your relationship with your child.
Understand Their Locations
Parental controls also enable you to track your child’s locations. While analyzing a child’s online presence is debatable amongst many parents, most would agree that GPS tracking is vital to their safety.
Apps such as Life360 is a location-based service that enables families to share their locations. Approximately 27 million people use this app monthly due to the increasing dangers of our communities.
Monitor Websites
The internet can be a wonderful thing. It allows us to do our jobs, homework, and connect with our loved ones. But there’s also a dark side to the web that not many know about and can accidentally stumble on if they’re not careful online.
While adults know about the dark side of the internet, many children are vulnerable to inappropriate content. This is why parental controls allow you to monitor your child’s websites to prevent them from visiting sites they shouldn’t be on.
Prevents Over-Charges
With the overabundance of mobile games offered on app stores, it’s easy for your child to spend money on your card (if it’s linked to their account). Many mobile games require in-app purchases, which means they ask your child to pay money to level up in their favorite game or buy a costume for their avatar.
Parental controls give you the ability to require authentications for all purchases made on your child’s phone. That way, they don’t unknowingly spend more than they realize on video games. This can also be a great time to teach them about financial responsibility and to be aware of their spending.
Prevents Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying has only increased as smartphones become more accessible to children. Although parents and school staff can help minimize bullying in school, it’s more challenging to manage bullying online without the help of parental controls.
Bullying causes many issues in children and teenagers, including:
- Depression
- Low academic achievement
- Sleep issues
- Suicidal thoughts
In fact, 59% of teens in America experience cyberbullying at some point in their lives, which will only increase if parents don’t actively manage their child’s online presence.
Parental controls allow parents to either prevent their child from being a cyberbully or save them from becoming victims.
Helps Establish Healthy Habits
Children are naturally active when away from their phones, video games, and other lazy hobbies. When they spend too much time on their smartphones, they begin to develop unhealthy habits that lead to mental and physical concerns. This is why many parents buy used iPhones for sale to reduce their child’s desire to go on their phones as often as they would with a brand-new device.
Mental/Physical Health
Many adults have self-esteem issues due to spending too much time on social media. Unfortunately, this issue is even worse for children. Too much time on social media can be detrimental to a child’s mind.
Parental controls allow you to limit how much time your child spends on their smartphone, giving them a mental break from the internet. This can also help their physical health as well, as the child may develop other, healthier habits such as:
- Mindful activities (meditation, meals, etc.)
- Creative hobbies (music, art, sports)
- More playtime
- In-person hangouts with family and friends
Stops Them From Over-Sharing
When people go on vacations or hang out with others, it’s fun to take pictures of the entire experience—silly selfies, landscapes, celebrations, etc. While this can be a fun way to remember their time, it’s where the photos go during or after the trip that can potentially be dangerous.
For example, if your child is at the mall with friends, they might take selfies with their friends at that specific mall, which is fine! However, if they post the photo on social media, they let others know where they are, making it easy for someone to find them.
Parental controls help you remain conscious of what they’re posting and on which site, preventing them from over-sharing their personal information. Furthermore, when families go on vacation, it’s essential to remind children not to share that information with others until they return home.
Keep in mind that parental controls are there to help keep your children safe. Be sure to communicate the importance of parental controls on smartphones with your child. If they think you’re monitoring their activity to limit them, they’ll be tempted to rebel. Try to sit your child down and talk about the dangers of the internet and how to be safe.
Just as parents are responsible for managing their children’s behavior offline, they’re also accountable for what they do online.
