Protecting kids from the multitude of digital threats is no easy feat. Most of us detest the idea of becoming helicopter parents who always pry into kids’ lives. Perhaps that is why most parents opt for apps to monitor kids’ phones to keep a close eye on their online activities while respecting their privacy. But what challenges make parents look for a new approach to parenting to raise kids in the modern-age world?
Challenges of Raising Kids in the Digital Age
Kids of the modern world have easy access to technological devices and the internet. Even schoolwork integrates technology. Allowing kids to have unrestricted or unsupervised access to technology is equivalent to advertently exposing them to countless dangers of the digital world. For instance, kids and teens who frequently use social media sites or surf the internet (in the absence of safe search settings) can easily face the following issues.
- Cyberbullying
- Racism
- Catfishing
- Online grooming/sexual predators
- Teen dating apps
- Exposure to pornography
- Digital piracy (of content)
- Viruses/Malware/Hacking Attacks, etc.
It is but a teaser of the internet’s dark underbelly. The list of threats goes beyond the ones mentioned here. However, it is enough to jolt parents into taking preventive measures and safeguarding their kids against these alarming threats. Hence, the need for apps to monitor kids’ phones is dire.
The Need for Apps to Monitor Kids’ Phones
In the face of such terrifying calamities, parents need all the help they can get to protect their kids against digital threats and prevent exposure to age-inappropriate content online. This dire need paved the path for apps to monitor kids’ phones.
These apps, also known as parental control software, offer features like Screen Time Limit, Safe Search, Internet Filter, Call & Text Monitoring, App Blocker, etc., to name a few. In other words, these apps offer viable and practical solutions that help parents fight against issues such as screen addiction, sexting, cybercrimes, teen suicidal ideation, and more.
While this new approach to parenting brought comfort to many modern-age parents, the transition from zero digital oversight to monitoring every action puts strain on the parent-child relationship. Parents can take several steps to smooth things over and strike a healthy balance in their lives.
A New Approach to Parenting
There is no denying that parents cannot protect kids from all kinds of threats (digital or otherwise) without the help of apps to monitor kids’ phones, such as FamilyTime. However, it doesn’t mean parents should leave kids in the dark and monitor their activities without their consent. The bottom line is that parents can take a better road to protect their kids. Here are a couple of suggestions to help you get started.
- Building Trust Instead of Spying on Kids
Kids typically become secretive if they feel they will get in trouble if they tell their parents. An unstable environment where kids get reprimanded for even the tiny bits of naughty behavior will push them to close up to their parents.
To prevent this situation, parents must build an open and trustworthy relationship with kids from the beginning, where they value each other’s opinions. Become friends with your kids while respecting their boundaries. Creating a healthy and balanced environment where kids feel safe to share their insecurities, problems, secrets, and failures with parents can only work if both parties trust each other.
- Collaborating Is Better Than Controlling Them
Gain their trust and educate your kids about the way this world works. Inform them of the dangers of the (digital) world they live in by sharing real examples and scenarios with them.
You can show them cases of cyberbullying, catfishing, malware attacks, piracy, etc., and their ugly consequences. Unveil the dark side of social media for your kids, i.e., unrealistic lifestyle standards, racial bias, trolling, etc., and nip the evil in the bud before they get sucked into depression or loneliness.
Parents can make special efforts to help their kids understand how apps to monitor kids’ phones, such as FamilyTime, are necessary for their protection. Help kids comprehend that these apps do not pry into their lives. Instead, they protect them from real-world and online threats.
- Use FamilyTime, the Best Parental App There Is
FamilyTime is one of the best apps to monitor kids’ phones because it offers some of the best parental control features. It helps parents safeguard their kids against a variety of threats (digital and real-life). It offers protection against threats with the help of services like Screen Time Limit, App Blocker, Internet Filter, Family Pause, Location Tracking, Geofence, SOS/Panic Button, YouTube Monitoring, TikTok Monitoring, and more.
Are you ready to take on the new approach to parenting with FamilyTime’s help?