Are your kids safe online?
The reality of modern life is that parents need to be able to track their child’s online and social activities. The best way to keep your child safe is by developing trust and clearly explaining to them the dangers of the internet and social media sites. Failing that, there are a range of apps that can help you track your teens’ phones, as well as their social activity, without them knowing.
KidGuard
The KidGuard Phone Monitoring service allows you to track your child’s cell phone and to ‘spy’ on a range of content. The service enables parents to view the location of the phone, so you can know exactly where your child is at any time. Parents can also monitor text messages and are even able to view deleted texts as well. This can be particularly useful for keeping on top of issues such as cyberbullying. The service lets you view all the apps on the device, so you can check the activity on apps such as Facebook messenger, WhatsApp, Photos and Snapchat. Additionally, you can monitor call logs and view the browser history on the phone.
SecureTeen
This app has been designed with the intent of keeping children safe online by protecting them from the hazards of the internet. As with other apps of this nature, you are able to view internet activity, monitor text messages and chat messengers (including WhatsApp) and track the location of your child. You can also block access to content that is not appropriate online and block apps that you may not want your child to use. You have the option to block apps completely or just for a set number of hours (e.g. no access to social media apps in the evening). The app also allows for remote management so that you can monitor the online experience of your child at any time, from anywhere in the world.
Mobicip
Unlike some other apps, Mobicip has been designed to give you more control over your teenager’s online presence, rather than track their phone. Depending on whether they are in middle school or high school, the type of content that is blocked is slightly different. Gambling, shopping, dating, liquor and chat sites are all blocked on the middle school level. Sexual, adult and violent content (including content involving weapons) is all blocked on the high school level.
My Mobile Watchdog
This program gives parents the ability to access call logs, block websites and apps, access text message and track your child’s location all from the dashboard. What’s particularly interesting about this program, is that it offers information to both parents and children about internet etiquette and how to develop safe and positive behavior online. Not only can you help guard your child from any potential online dangers, but by using the program you can help provide them with the tools to spot it for themselves too.
PhoneSheriff
PhoneSheriff provides all the controls offered by similar apps, including content filtering, monitoring apps and messages, location tracking, monitoring call history and remote settings. It also has a feature which allows you to set time limits on your child’s device. This means that you can restrict access to the device for the whole day, part of the day or create a limit, so that an hour only means 60 minutes. The app will cause the device to shut down and lock it at the time limit you set it to.
mSpy
mSpy is one of the most popular apps used to track and monitor mobile phones. It gives you access to text messages, email, internet use, calls, calendar and address book, as well as GPS tracking location. The app also let you to read instant messages, meaning it is easier for you to supervise your child’s social media accounts. The popularity of this app is mainly down to its reliability and simple, user-friendly setup. Children face a range of threats online, from cyberbullying to stalking and sexual predators. Additionally, increased time spent on social media can negatively impact on children’s mental health and self-esteem. Using an app to track their behavior and history online can help you to keep them safe and give you peace of mind.
