The Internet has dramatically changed our lives. It has shaped our culture, revolutionized communications, and provided new ways of entertainment. We use it in almost everything we do, from shopping and paying bills to sharing a happy moment with a friend. What about our kids? Well, the truth is that while the Internet is highly useful for us, it can be pretty dangerous for our children. This is where parental control apps come into play. However, the question is whether we really need them or not?
Parental control apps and online dangers
As you know, today’s kids are hooked on their smartphones and tablets. They can spend hours communicating with their online friends, playing games, or simply surfing the Web. Even if you don’t allow your kids to go online at home, it does not mean they don’t do it elsewhere using their phones. The problem is that the online world is full of risk for teens and tweens, which has actually led to the appearance of parental control apps designed for kids’ protection. Some of them, which can be clearly seen at https://www.mspy.com/parental-control.html, have even exceeded all expectations by making the mobile monitoring process as easy as never before. However, let’s first look at some common dangers our kids can come across online:
- Sexually explicit material that our children are exposed to online can skew their views and shape their attitudes about sex, not to mention that Internet porn can shock and even traumatize innocent minds.
- Cyber-bullying. Hate mails, offensive messages, rumors, threats, and other forms of harassment that have moved from the playground to the digital world can easily lead to hurt feelings, anger, depression, low self-esteem, and even suicide, which makes cyber-bullying another serious problem of the Internet age.
- Social networks. Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks can influence our kids’ behavior and how they perceive themselves, which may affect their emotional and even physical development, as well as cause frustration and stress.
- The problem of sexting (sharing nude or semi-nude images) has grown with the appearance of instant messengers, and it continues to gain momentum and size as time goes by. Unfortunately, most kids simply don’t understand the consequences of this risky behavior and how it can influence their lives.
- Online predators. One more serious Internet danger is related to online predators who prey on teens and tweens in chat rooms, forums, and social networking sites, trying to establish with them further personal contact.
As you can see, the Internet is indeed full of dangers. Thereby, you should do everything you can and even more to protect your kid online, which brings us back to the question of parental control apps. How can they solve all these problems?
Features provided by parental control apps
Keeping in mind all online dangers mentioned above, let’s look at the features provided by parental control apps. A reliable app designed for kids’ protection gives parents the ability to:
- track browsing history and bookmarks;
- block age-inappropriate content and websites;
- receive keyword alerts (e.g. porn, pregnant, violence, etc.);
- read SMS and emails, even if they have been deleted;
- view messages shared via Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, Tinder, WhatsApp, and other IM apps;
- monitor calls and address book;
- track route history and current GPS location;
- view photos, videos, and other multimedia files;
- control installed apps and block inappropriate ones.
These are only the most important features provided by reliable parental control apps. In fact, there may be more of them, depending on what exactly you are looking for. In this way, the answer to the set question is obvious: we do need parental control apps. After all, they are the best way to prevent our kids from getting into trouble online.
