The overall social media experience is intended to bring people closer together, but you may feel completely disconnected when it comes to your own children’s online activity. Protecting your children on social media often begins with a simple chat, but there are other precautions you can take for added peace of mind. Because your children may perceive social media differently than you do. Consequently, it is crucial to keep an eye on their social media activity.
Checkout some tips to make it a point that your teenager stays safe on social media
Familiarize yourself with all applications
Facebook or WhatsApp aren’t the only applications a teen must be logging in to. In order to keep an eye on teenager’s social media, the parent has to stay one step ahead. The following social media platforms are potentially on your child’s login history. Instagram Telegram Tumblr Reddit Tiktok Twitter
Fix a specific age for your child to start using social media
It is extremely essential to specify the age for a child. And one should also look for the age limit of a respective social media site. Most of these platforms require a minimum age of 13 years with parental permission to start using them.
Keep child’s profile private
Keeping a child’s profile private will enable only friends to see the content they post online. Furthermore, it will prevent misuse of their data by unknown sources.
Ensure that child is not posting personal information
Social media is an integral part of our lives. As a parent, one has to keep in mind that a teenager doesn’t post any kind of personal information like phone number, home/school address or check in to any location.
Assure a strong password
Guide your child through the process of social media login and the importance of a strong password. Also talk to them about it. Tell them not to share their password with someone at any given condition.
Maintain a strong bond
Communication is one way to make sure your teenager is safe of social media. If you have a strong bond with your child, they will come to you and discuss anything they desire to know rather than relying on anyone else. Ensure that they always come to you when they receive a message from an unknown person. And we recommend discussing repercussions of misusing the internet and cyber crime etc.
Keep checking privacy settings
Most of the social media platforms provide options to keep users’ privacy intact. It includes keeping a profile private. With updates, this option needs to be selected manually. So there is a need to keep checking on the privacy settings to protect teenagers from any unwanted situation.
Set some ground rules/guidelines
Forming rules or guidelines regarding usage of social media will not only keep your teenager safe while using social media but it will instil good habits in them. However, no such strict rules shall be formed. It will increase the risk of your child breaking the rules.
Monitor your child’s behaviour
Having an unwanted experience on social media can affect anyone psychologically. Teenagers may become reserved or secretive. In such conditions, talk to them and ensure that you comfort them.
Elucidate reason behind your actions
Teenage could be really challenging for most of the parents to handle. To avoid misunderstandings, always explain why you are doing something. The child should know that the control and rules are for their safety. Read more:- 10 Ways Social Media Affects Teenagers in the 21st Century
Let’s have a look at different parental control devices to keep your teenager safe.
Jiobit
Tracki
This app is one of the best in the market. It is a satellite based device made of silicon. It is waterproof. It connects with wifi or cellular data at different speed bands like 2G, 3G, 4G or LTE. It is compatible with both android and iOS smartphones. It is very easy to set up. This could be used by paying a monthly subscription.
Angel Watch
Smartwatches are anyways a trend these days. And what could be better than a watch which has a GPS tracker. It works like any other smartwatch enabling video calls, messaging or calling etc. Along with all these functions, a parent could locate their child’s exact location. Not only this, commonly visited spots could also be marked on it. It has a SOS button. It enables the child to call on any three emergency numbers which are set in the list.
and parental control system by Gryphon
This router by Gryphon is a slim and multipurpose divide. All one needs to do is to plug it and install an app. It provides screen time management, browsing history and data filtering etc. It also is compatible to make sure your teenager stays safe on social media and follows healthy browsing. Parents can pause the internet or approve a website before the child starts surfing.
Parental control device by Circle
It is a box looking device which can be plugged with the router. It works with an app. This device offers control over your child’s mobile phone. It can block certain platforms and track time spent on a particular application. It is free for a year with all its premium facilities. However, one has to pay $10 per month for the premium features.
Parental control apps
The world is full of applications assisting people through their lifestyle. There are numerous apps which ensure that teenagers stay safe on social media. Lets walk through some of the parental control apps.
KidsGuard Pro
It is one of the latest released apps to keep an eye on a child’s phone. This app works on the background of the targeted device. Its facilities are, location tracking, setting virtual fences, tracking calls and messages and the likes.
XNSpy
This app works fine with both android and iOS. There are upto 30 different features. It functions as a location tracker, and monitors third-party messages as well. The only drawback is that only one device could be tracked at a time and it does not support desktop monitoring.
Spyzie
Spyzie is quite a popular app to assure a teenager stays safe on social media. This app keeps an eye on every kind of file from different apps on your child’s mobile phone. It runs on android 4.0 or above. And supports iOS 10.00 or versions above that. The best part is that it does not require rooting a device. However its cost could be a drawback.
mSpy
It is another reliable app used by parents. It is very smooth. This app functions remotely on a device. There are 25 functions including social media control. As long as drawbacks are concerned, it enables data view via data dashboard. It needs rooting or jailbreak and it is a bit pricey.
AppMia
This app is worth adding. It works on android and iOS. All the upgrades are free of cost and it monitors different apps including WhatsApp. Jailbreaking is required in iPhone devices. Bottom line Security is the biggest concern when it comes to teenagers using social media. The apps and devices suggested above can help you with it. These parental control apps or devices ensure that your teenager stays safe on social media. Furthermore, the parents can keep an eye on their ward’s activity without being obvious and invasive. Read more:- What Should You Not Share on Social Media?
