Life without the Internet is impossible these days. It can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. Overall, all adults enjoy having their devices available to them 24/7. However, what about our children? The Internet is not a place for children and yet they are all obsessed with it for obvious reasons. As parents, it is our duty to ensure our children’s safety and wellbeing. The Internet is full of mature harmful content that can affect children’s mental health and development. Not to mention the number of creeps and strangers that can have full access to your child’s personal information and even start communication with them. All of these pitfalls of the Internet are terrifying to any parent.
Many see the solution in parental control apps. They are accessible, easy to use, and come with a wide range of different services. However, are they as reliable as we expect them to be? Are there any downfalls to these apps that we need to know before installing them on our kids’ phones? There are some misunderstandings about how such applications work. This guide shall answer some of the most common questions and explain how to make the most of the parental control apps. Here are ten things about parental control apps all parents need to know.
1. Parental control apps are very different
Most parental control apps serve various purposes. Of course, the goal of such applications is just one – to ensure your child’s wellbeing. However, the ways these apps go after these goals are very different. Overall, such apps help parents to gain bigger control over Internet use and protect them from outside influence. Any parent needs to learn about all various options of such apps to know which ones fit their purposes best.
2. How does it work?
Since parental control apps are so different, they also operate differently. In general, these applications work on negotiation. Most applications won’t really work the way you want them unless you make an agreement with your children about the terms and conditions of their Internet use. For instance, apps can’t help when children aren’t using the profiles they’re supposed to use or create secret accounts on social media. Thus, most such apps work on trust before anything else.
3. How much control can I have
In general, a parent on parental control apps can have almost full control over what is happening on a child’s phone. Parents can monitor the devices, see the time their children are online and offline. Parents can also monitor all chats on most social media. Most applications also restrict access to some chats, block users, or even hide their child’s profiles in the Internet search. Parents can also set time limits on Internet use or set reminders for taking breaks. Some apps even go as far as allowing parents to change settings on children’s phones and protect those settings with a password. Hence, the range of control here can seriously vary depending on the applications a parent uses and the intentions of this usage.
4. Can I filter content?
Yes, this is why these applications are there in the first place. However, you need to be more specific about what your final goal is. If you just want to limit your child’s access to certain pages and content, you can use your browser’s free settings. All browsers and many streaming platforms have child settings, like on Youtube or Netflix. Usually, such settings do a pretty decent job in limiting your child’s exposure to mature content. You can also just block certain sites that you find unsafe for a child, and that will be it.
However, such settings will work if you want to ensure full control over undesirable content, you better install an app. Parental control apps can give you larger access to your kid’s Internet use. You can watch over their messengers and searches. You can even set special trigger words, for example, such as “pay to do my assignment,” “party,” or “depression,” so you can stay alert.
5. Can I see what my kids are doing?
Yes and no. Firstly, it will all depend on the apps you are using. Many good parental control apps can give you full access to your children’s devices. However, this control comes with certain limitations. For instance, you are monitoring your kid’s activity only from their profiles and accounts. In case your child starts a new account on Instagram or goes incognito to search for a speedy paper discount code, you will not see what they are doing.
Many applications will also operate if you know the passwords to your child’s accounts. So, in case they change their passwords, you won’t be able to observe their online activity anymore. Thus, most parental control apps work only when you are in partnership with your child, and your kid allows you to monitor their Internet use. In all other cases, having parental control apps can be almost meaningless. Considering that they all come with a high price to pay (for each kid separately), you better negotiate the terms with your children beforehand.
6. Can it track location?
Many parental control apps are specifically designed to track your child’s location via GPS. However, such applications will detect your kid’s location only if their phones are on. So if they don’t want to be found, you won’t be able to help it.
7. Whether to tell your child or not
Now, it is solely up to parents to decide to tell or hide from their children the truth about using parental control apps. It all depends on a variety of different factors. For one, a parent’s relationship with a child plays a big role in how a child may receive news like this. Parental control apps are aimed to protect children from harm. So, as long as your child understands that and believes in the goodness of your intentions, they should not have any problems with you installing such applications. Overall, it’s better if you and your child work as partners in your mutual attempt to create a safe Internet zone.
Of course, the age of a child can also be a big factor in whether to have such a conversation or not. As we all know, the teenage years can be the hardest years in the lives of parents. It is the time to rebel and show their dissatisfaction with everything their parents do. Hence, your teenage children may have many issues with parental control apps. There is no one way of telling your child about it and not getting into a long discussion about their privacy and your need to protect them. All we can wish you here is good luck.
8. Open communication
It can be argued that having open and sincere communication with your kids is the best way to keep your kids safe and well. Surely, it is very much true. Talking to your children can be the best way to ensure 24/7 parental control. Having a good relationship with your children is priceless. However, parental control apps are not just about you checking on your kids. They are also about protecting them from the world outside and the dangers of the Internet, which is way far from perfect as we all know it.
The Internet is generally not a place for children. Just be sure that if your child wants to find something on the Internet you won’t approve of, they will still be able to find it, with or without your control over their phones. So, if your child is using a device with open Internet access, you should have a conversation with them about the dangers the Internet can bring. Often, having a healthy and trusting relationship can often be your only way to ensure their online safety. However, you should also install a number of parental control apps to ensure they stay out of trouble.
9. Install more than one app
As you can see from this guide, many parental control applications cover different Internet use areas for your child’s safety. It’s better to use a few different apps and child settings on your browsers to have full certainty in your child’s safety. Just in case.
10. Can my child hack it?
Well, it depends. As we have said, the apps work best when your children cooperate with you. However, if they don’t and you have installed an app anyway, your kids may find their way around it. They may not notice that their phones are being monitored if that is your prior concern. However, you may put yourself in an awkward situation when the truth will be revealed one way or another. Also, as it was mentioned before, you kids can have many ways to hack your control attempts if they suspect anything. Moreover, these days many apps can detect any external intrusion on your devices. Thus, your child can just simply use another app to block your presence on their accounts.
