When you were kids, did your parents take away the privilege of going out with friends, play outdoor games, or attend birthday parties? Certainly the answer is no. At your young age, this was how you used to spend your free time but today times have changed. Everything has moved from traditional ways to almost completely digital.
In these digital times, kids have stopped going out and socializing with friends and family. With technology being on the front foot, teenagers today are hooked on smartphones. As parents, it can be difficult for you to manage how your child is using technology.
Parents often end up being in a tough spot as to how to deal with their children when such a situation arises.
Teens’ exposure to technology: good or bad?
Today, everybody is relying on technology and kids, especially teenagers are no different. Having a smartphone with internet access has become a necessity for all. Just like how you need a smartphone to connect with people around you, to be available for professional reasons, scroll through social media, similarly, your child also needs a smartphone to keep in touch with friends and family, to watch educational videos, and play games.
As an adult, you have control over what content you explore, there is no restriction to it. To an extent, if your child also has a smartphone of their own then they can also come across stuff online that may not be appropriate for them. This could be both intentional and unintentional.
It’s easier to tackle with kids who are under the age of 12 years because till that age most of the kids are attracted to watching kids’ oriented content like cartoons, rhymes, knowledgeable videos, etc. But when they are entering the teenage, their approach changes. Your child would watch music videos on YouTube, visit different websites and much more.
How were your growing years different from your child?
As a parent, you would do anything and go to any extent to ensure that your child is brought up in a healthy manner. Teaching them values is of utmost priority for parents. But have you wondered how technology may affect your child’s upbringing?
When you were younger, you were connected to your friends and family in person but in today’s times, kids have stopped going out and even if they are connected to people around them it is because of the access that they have of the ever-growing technology.
We cannot ignore that kids need a device with internet access to study but they can go beyond it and explore various platforms. So, what should you do to ensure that they are not surfing something inappropriate?
Can taking away your kid’s phone help?
One way is taking away your child’s phone. Well, as a parent, it is completely your call if you want to take away your child’s phone but remember that in the long run this may get difficult for you as kids have their study material on their phones and if not for anything else, at least for their studies they need a device. And let’s consider that you take away the access completely from your child, do you think they will not hunt for a smartphone secretly?
Taking away your child’s phone can be a temporary solution but if you force this on them and they get to know that you did it on purpose then they may try to look out for ways through which they can get their hands on a phone without your knowledge. This will also lead them to intentionally view inappropriate content out of curiosity.
Can using a phone spy app help?
In the times of technology, one must know how to use it and when you are a parent whose teenager child is also exposed to technology then you must be one step ahead. With the increasing concern in the digital age, the demand for android spy app has also increased.
If not used wisely, your child could get into illegal activities and it could be dangerous for them.
Also referred to as digital parenting, through a phone spy app you can check your child’s online activity. The Phone spy apps give you features such as monitoring your child’s calls and text messages. You can track their live location and social media history.
These insights can be helpful for you to understand what your child is up to. Kids easily trust people they come across online, so much so that they unknowingly share their personal details with them like where they live, which school they go to. This can raise questions on their safety. They could be involved in something that might cause problems like online abuse and cyberbullying or the unknown person may try to have a physical meeting with your child.
Using an effective spy app
With an effective spy app like Onemonitar, you can monitor every move of your child. The Phone spy app comes loaded with multiple features like a hidden call recorder for times when you want to monitor the incoming and outgoing calls of your child. With this feature you can discover who your child is talking to and what they are discussing.
With Onemonitar’s WhatsApp spy feature you can scroll through your child’s account and see who they are chatting with, if they are exchanging any alarming content with friends or any strangers. If your child is at an unknown or an unusual place, with the help of a GPS tracker, you can locate that too.
The Phone spy app for android gives you access to the web browsing history of your child’s account and see which websites they are visiting, if they are viewing any exploiting content or if they are making any unwanted online purchases.
Conclusion
Well, this discussion could go on but being a parent, only you would know your child the best and do what’s good for them. Giving the digital privilege to your child or to take it completely away from them is totally up to you but remember to evaluate the pros and cons of whichever way out you choose.
One response to “The Digital Parenting Debate: Taking Away Your Teen’s Cell Phone or Using a Phone Spy App?”
very informational blog. thank you for sharing