Giving your kids a cell phone is undoubtedly useful so that they can make good use of it during emergency. However, nowadays, the usage of cell phones by kids has taken an unnerving leap, which has threatened the aspect of safety. Unfortunately, a creepy new trend has been popping up, wherein the kids and teens see and send nude or semi-nude MMSs via cell phones. Similarly, the cases of talking with strange people who try to lure kids by different means are also evident. Such misuse of cell phones can result in declaring a kid a criminal for the rest of their lives in case she/he is caught with an offensive photo, text, or video on the cell phone. This means, it becomes very necessary for the parents to monitor their child’s cell phones. So, here are some effective ways to do so.
Know your kid’s cell phone technology
As a first step, you need to know and learn about the technology that used in the cell phone of your kids. For example, it can be Android, Symbian, Blackberry, or iOS; which are actually the basic platforms on which the various mobile facilities work but in a different manner. Do not worry; you need not have to be an expert of these platforms. What you actually have to know is how facilities work on these different platforms. So, be familiar with how to see the phone book, Internet history, sent messages, recently dialed numbers, and e-mails. If you know this, you can easily make out whether your kid in making a good use of the phone or not.
Prefer using an online method or software to track the usage
Nowadays, many mobile phone tracking software are available in the market. One such reliable software is My Mobile Watchdog, an app that you need to install on your child’s cell phone. Once done, you can track the usage online on its Web site wherein you can see a listing of all activities, view all MMS/SMS/phone calls, know where your kid is, change the permissions, and block access to Internet and mobile apps. In addition, expect alerts for messages and calls from a specific number that you suspect and reports. Some more mobile tracking apps to consider are PhoneSheriff, TextGuard, and iWonder Surf.
Start speaking frankly but nicely with your kids
It is high time for the parents to start communicating honestly with the kids. This means that you must make your kids understand about the risks of misusing the cell phone. Also, there is a need to explain them politely to avoid speaking or chatting with the strangers, for they are the ones to take the undue advantage later. Try explaining 2 to 3 times and set rules for the mobile usage. As a tip, you too should stick to the rules so that it becomes easy for them to follow you. Let your kid trust you first and then you establish that trust for her/him. But if the kids do not heed you after so many trials, do not hesitate in setting clear punishments for them.
Consider giving a basic phone
Any phone with too many communication features simply increases the risk. Therefore, it is good to gift a cell phone that only allows for making calls on pre-programmed numbers.
In this way, you can protect your kids from the unwanted dangers in the mobile world!