Long ago, an announcement came on television stating “It’s 10 o’clock. Do you know where your children are?” But if any such announcement is to come now it would something be like “Do you know who — and what — your child is texting?” While in the past, children had to meet their parents’ GPA requirements in order to get their separate landline. But their parents had always a chance to know who and what their children are talking. But in this day and age parents have no chance to know who their children are talking to. They don’t even get to hear a conversation because the children are always texting. And as a result, there is now quite a lot of talk among people about how to deal with kids and cellphone use.
Whenever someone is asked about the virtual misuse of mobile phones in children, the person is like there is a lot of misuse but my child is not a part of the act. But when kids are getting phones at the age of 7 and hardly any parent know what their child is doing on the phone then even really smart children can do really stupid things. So the question arises ‘should parents monitor the cellphone activity of their children and under what circumstances?’ Well if you don’t sense any trouble with the activity of your child then just basic parenting could work well. Like stay general when asking something from the kid and don’t make them feel like you are trying to judge them.
With the advancement in technology kids now have access to unlimited information, raising the question that “Should You Spy on Your Child’s Cell Phone Use?”. John Quain answers it in really simple words that “privacy ends where safety begins.” Folks have justifiable reason motivation to be concerned — from the amount of time children spend gazing into screens, to the applications they’re utilizing, to the destinations they’re going by and the data they’re sharing. As per Pew Research, 80% of young people use cellphones; almost 50% of those are advanced mobile phones. Another review uncovered that one in four children say they’ve been cyber-bullied. Different studies assess that anywhere in the range of 10% to 40% of adolescents have sent or gotten sexually express instant messages or photographs.
To understand “why do cyberbullies indulge in cyberbullying” see the infographic
As kids enter the age of adolescence they demand privacy. But as John Lehmann says there should be a direct link in between the honesty of the child and the privacy he is allowed to have. And if the child is behaving responsibly then he should have his privacy as he deserves. But the game changes when you find any wrong or criminal behaviour of the child. Then it is your responsibility to look into their rooms or cellphones in order to know what exactly is going on. Parents can also take certain defensive measures to protect the child. Like not giving him smart phone until he is mature enough, or they can take help of parenting control services mobile carrier companies provide. They can also make use of different Third Party children monitoring apps that gives them the access to their child’s mobile phone. But one should always remember that children are really tech adepts these days. And they can always find a way to dodge these measures taken by the parents. However, all these steps taken by the parents should not be considered spying on the children. The experts now say that taking such steps is not spying but is “parenting” in the 21st century.
