Most kids have mobile phones today. Whilst you may choose to not allow your kid to have a phone until they are a certain age, perhaps they have come to the age where they want and need a phone and they are engaging in texts and conversations with their friends. That is great, promoting a healthy social life is great for your kid but there are times when you may be worried that they are talking to people outside of the friendship circles who may not have their best interests at heart. Phones in general can have a negative impact on kids’ health. Some of the issues may include:
- Disturbed Brain Activity – An inability to turn off or feeling restless or needing to check their phone constantly.
- Academic Performance – They may lose interest in their school work and want to spend more time being social on their phones.
- Inappropriate Media Usage – They may not be using their phones for the right reason and using their social media in poor ways.
- Sleep Disruption – They may struggle to get enough sleep which will not help their education.
- Medical Issues – Eye strain, eye problems such as dry eye, including headaches and migraines which can make you feel sick, dizzy or anxious.
- Mental Health – They may feel depressed or anxious over things going on in their social life and may feel the need to reach out to more people online.
If you are worried about who your child is texting because you have a hunch or perhaps you have seen something unusual on their phone then asking them about it is the first port of call. If you are worried that they will think you are spying, then you should rest assured that as a parent you are more than within your right to be checking up on your kids (within reason). By spying, you may worry that you do not have their consent. This is an issue that you will have to deal with personally as every circumstance is different but on the other hand you must be aware of tracking calls and text messages may even save your child’s life.
You can monitor phones in a safe and secure way today. It is becoming a very popular choice for parents, so they do not have to try and steal their child’s phone and then try and scour through their messages. Here are some great ideas for getting started. A lot of apps will allow you to keep on top of things without having to tell your child that you are doing so, but monitoring things is a great way to keep your child safe and it is completely legal. Even if it feels morally wrong to you, then you can at least rest assured that you are keeping your child as safe as possible in this dangerous world. Keeping your kids safe is not just teaching them about road safety and hygiene, but also making them aware of the other dangers.