While the thought of parental monitoring might make you feel a little uneasy, it is your responsibility to understand exactly what is happening in your child’s life.
You might believe they have a right to privacy, but they also have a right to safety, and they will not be mature enough yet to understand what is best for them. If you need a little more convincing, below are five reasons why you must monitor your teen’s online activity.
- Identify Cyberbullying
Sadly, many children who suffer harassment by cyberbullies fail to share their emotional distress with their parents due to fear or embarrassment. That is why it is vital to routinely monitor their emails, social media accounts, and browsing history. Viewing their profiles and search history could alert you that one child or more is cyberbullying your son or daughter online so that you can take swift action.
2. Identify Potentially Unhealthy Behaviors
Falling in with the wrong crowd could result in your child embarking on unhealthy behaviors, such as shoplifting or taking drugs. Once you have identified their actions, you must sit your child down to discuss the problem head-on.
By doing so, you can identify if they are guilty of the negative behaviors and can take the best course of action, such as entering them into one of the best drug rehabilitation programs.
3. Protect Their Personal Information
Children can often unintentionally reveal a considerable amount of personal information on the internet. For example, your son or daughter could detail their whereabouts on social media or inform digital strangers about the school they attend.
Reviewing their online activity can help you to identify if your child is being careless with his or her information. As a result, you might need to take control of their profiles to hide them from the public or remove their accounts altogether.
4. Safeguard Your Child’s Reputation
Once a person publishes a post on social media, it becomes public property. Routine online monitoring could potentially safeguard your child’s reputation in the future, as their actions while they are young could negatively affect their chances of being accepted into college or securing their dream job.
5. View If They Are Attempting to Access Adult Content
Both teens and children will have inquisitive minds, which is why they might search for adult content online. It is your job as a parent to stop them from gaining access to the materials. Not only should you routinely monitor their internet usage, but you should also set parental controls to prevent them from downloading content that isn’t for young eyes.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a number of reasons why you must start monitoring your child’s online behavior, from preventing cyberbullying and protecting their information to stopping your kids from walking down the wrong path. In addition to routine monitoring, you also should limit their screen time, so you will know exactly how much time your child is spending online.
great app