Should Parents Monitor Their Kid’s Mobile Phone?

Should you monitor your Kid’s Cellular Phone?

The Internet is awesome. However, it has created an unclear line when it comes to the boundaries between a child’s privacy and parenting.

Nearly all adolescents perceive their cellular phones as an essential link to their social life.

Indeed, it’s an extension that connects them to their colleagues, friends, and probably their romantic partners.

To them, having their parents and seniors monitor their mobile devices and any form of technology that allows anyone to read someone’s text messages is an invasion of their privacy.

However, this is a big and common misconception about monitoring your child’s activities online and how they use their mobile devices.

The form of privacy that your child expects comes with more independence.

Some kids feel free to indulge in inappropriate behavior probably because of the massive content and accessibility associated with the internet.

A recent report released by PEW Research Center indicates that among the parents and guardians of 13 years old to 17 years old kids, 94 percent own a laptop or a desktop, 76% have a tablet, a smartphone or any other mobile device.

Also, the report indicated that 84% of these parents access content online using a smartphone and 72% use Facebook.

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These numbers prove the luxury most children have in being able to dabble in much of what internet can provide.

This is enough reason for you, the parent, to ask yourself whether or not you should start monitoring your child’s activities online and probably their text messages.

This isn’t a new question.

Even before the introduction of smartphones, parents were checking around in their kids’ bedrooms.

Though the privacy boundaries and level of monitoring may vary depending on the parent, experts recommend that you should be aware of how your child is using the internet.

Decide whether or not to monitor your child’s phone

Deciding whether you should monitor your child’s phone or not depends on many factors. Here are important questions you should ask yourself.

Is it important to know what your child is doing online?

Even if you decide to monitor your child’s activities online, keep in mind that kids need to be taught the appropriate ways to use the internet.

Get to know what they are currently doing online, correct them where necessary, and teach them the right things to do online depending on their age.

Can you trust your child?

Having a good relationship with your child is important when it comes to staying on the loop and knowing what’s happening in your child’s life.

Find out if your kid has been showing great conduct and can own up to this misdeeds when asked.

Is the child mature enough?

Generally, the internet is amazing for numerous things. However, it has a dark side that can trap kids who aren’t mature enough to handle it properly.

Find out if your child knows how to behave well online by knowing the right content to view and share.

The world looks and feels more dangerous in the eyes of parents.

While your parents and grandparents had the same thought, the internet has worsened these dangers and made more accessible to children.

Some of those dangers include online predators, sexting, exposure to inappropriate content, and more.

This is the reason you should monitor your child’s activities online.

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