(I would like to start off by saying that today’s post is a true ‘on the fence’ topic – to monitor your child’s mobile use for safety purposes, or not to monitor their use arguing that it’s a complete invasion of their privacy. I decided to post this, as evil lurks among us, and many parents want to know their options- ED)

By Guest Blogger Sharon Stouffer

The technological advancements we have made have resulted in the entry of new generation mobile phones which are smart enough to perform multi-functions. With the advent of the smartphone, kids are now increasingly utilizing these mobile devices for their various activities. The internet option helps them to browse websites; the inbuilt camera allows them to capture pictures, and so on. Most of these are beneficial, while some of them can be dangerous.

Kids make use of these incredibly advanced features beneficially at most times– such as looking up study content, keeping their parents informed of their whereabouts, playing games as a means of entertainment, and so on. But unfortunately, the cyber space is laden with cyber crimes especially against children and teens, such as cyber bullying, child pornography and pedophiles stalking kids online. As a parent, you are naturally worried and would like to prevent such abuse. In case you did not know, mobile monitoring applications can come to the rescue.

These mobile monitoring applications are designed with the features that enable you to safeguard your child from potential mobile threats. It is very simple and also easy to install these applications on your kids’ phones. There are various such applications available in the marketplace such as Mobile Spy, Mobistealth, Flexispy, just to name a few. I recommend that parents make use of such monitoring software to ensure that kids can use their mobile phone safely.

An overview of some of the monitoring software features will provide an insight on the cyber crimes affecting kids and how the monitoring software helps you to protect them:

Detailed record of calls

The monitoring software will record all details of the calls made or received on your child’s phone. You can view the phone number as well as the time at which the incoming or outgoing call was made. It is also possible to check the duration of the call. By examining the call register, the parent can easily keep tabs on the child’s contacts.

Mapping internet usage

With this type of software, you can easily trace the websites that the child has visited. The software maintains a record of all the websites accessed, even if it has been deleted by the child. By making use of this feature, you can check if your child is watching any objectionable content.

Restrict access to applications

The monitoring feature will allow the parent to restrict the usage of the mobile phone during class hours. It can also be effectively used to completely block access to social networking sites and access to other messenger chat rooms. This is the area where kids usually fall prey to pedophiles. Just as you make use of the child lock on other appliances, this monitoring application can be used to prevent your child from viewing prohibited websites.

A trail to your child

The GPS tracking feature will lead you to your child in emergencies like kidnapping or the child getting lost. The details of the location can be accessed by the parent through the available user account.

To conclude, your responsibility as a parent does not end with buying a smart phone for your child. It is often wise to monitor your child’s mobile usage and protect them from predators and evil that lurks online.

Be safe. 🙂

~Sharon

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About Sharon Stouffer

Sharon Stouffer is an active blogger who loves to blog on the latest mobile technology. Visit her website to read more.

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So here is the On The Fence discussion today- are these mobile monitoring apps a complete invasion of your child’s privacy, or do you as their parent, have a moral responsibility to keep them safe? It’s a big loaded question. I’d love your response.

Happy weekend!

xoxEDxox