Your young daughter has been acting weird. You try to ask her nicely and she says it’s all okay but your gut says otherwise. You continue to press for a few days and eventually, she confesses to using the credit you gave her for emergencies on a game that turned out to be a scam.
She was scared to tell you fearing punishment and your anger. You somehow control your anger and calm her down with a hug. This is a story that many parents are going through as kids are a vulnerable age group.
After all, they are at a precarious age especially and it’s never more apparent when they are alone. With technology making inroads into every aspect of our lives is the Internet the dangers are getting tricky.
This has made even more challenge to give a safe and sound upbringing to their kids. Earlier it was challenges of school and the society around. Now the Internet has brought the world to our doorsteps and bedrooms, for better or worse.
It is also known that nowadays parents even hand their smart-phones to even toddlers with kids themed videos to stop their crying. Various studies have shown that kids as young as three are actively on the Internet.
As such a parental control app for iPhone and Android can be a good tool. As parents, you ought to know the dangers that may befall your kids.
Reasons to Use a Parental Control App
It is not easy to not go restless being a parent in this day and age. The online world has opened up a can of worms for all the anxious parents out there. As many opportunities are there online so are the potential dangers for the kids.
You want to monitor your kid’s activities discreetly but first, let’s go through the major reasons to use a parental control app:-
1. Identity Theft
In the context of the Facebook scandal where personal data of millions of users was shared during elections in the USA and India, Identity theft has become a big problem. Due to the lack of proper awareness and understanding of the consequences of doing so, the teenagers are quite willing to share details of their personal information.
What they don’t realize the potential and disastrous effect this could have if someone steals their online identity. They could post negative posts in their name, engage in an online crime or damage their financial information.
2. Cyberbullying
It is common now to hear stories about someone getting bullied or trolled online for having views too different for a section of the crowd on the internet to stomach. It is almost inevitable to happen to you if you ever post anything online.
But the difference here is that as adults, you are accustomed to people disagreeing with you on a number of occasions. Kids are a different species altogether and at this age, they limit themselves to peers who align with their thinking.
They have small groups of kids they hang out with. This makes them vulnerable to being shocked by such rude and disagreeing response. Few kids have the emotional intelligence to process this shock properly. If your kid has an Android phone which is the biggest OS, a bunch of Android monitoring apps could be of great help to know if he is experiencing such problems.
3. Troubling Posts
Kids, for the most part, lack long term thinking and as such lack patience if things don’t work out in even the tiniest of matters. This makes them act out on their smallest of urges, like to appear cool in front of their peers and sometimes at any cost.
Since most kids nowadays are on social media it also becomes a competition of sorts to see who is more popular. Few kids who are able to keep a level head stay put but most kids get caught in this stupid race and end up doing stupid acts online.
They may even go to dangerous places to do these acts without thinking of the consequences. A reliable GPS Phone Tracker App could help you track them.
4. Problematic Websites
Internet is an open minefield where one wrong click can land you in a maze full of trouble, which can be really tricky to get out of. Humans are curious and nowhere is it true than in the case of kids and teenagers.
They are likely to open websites that are not suited for their age or has content that they are not mature enough to handle.
5. Online Phishing
Phishing is a modern day weapon used by many to earn easy money by preying on the naive. In that sense, kids and teenagers are the perfect targets for these cyber-criminals. Often they research their targets and their interests.
Since, many kids are into gaming and want to earn money as quick as possible, most of the fake links around these topics. They can land into big trouble if they are not properly aware of these threats.
5 Best Parental Control Apps
Do your children have a smart-phone already or are you planning on giving them one very soon? Due to the dangers internet holds and how vulnerable kids are you need a parental control app for iPhone & Android.
This becomes necessary to keep them safe. It’s not a question of their privacy and rather their overall safety. Let’s take a look at 5 best apps for parents:-
1. Spymaster Pro
It is one of the most trusted and reliable parental monitoring apps. Spymaster Pro has been highly rated by tech experts and satisfied customers.
Features
- Listening to Calls
- Geo-fencing
- Remains Hidden
Pros
- 24*7 multiple language customer support
- 30 days back-up
- Highly affordable
Cons
- Doesn’t work on Blackberry and Symbian
2. Qustodio
Qustodio is a parental monitoring software used by many.
Features
- Block Websites
- User-friendly
Pros
- Detailed information
- Multiple devices managed
Cons
- No Geo-fencing
- Costly
- Only monitors Facebook
3. OurPact
OurPact is a cell phone monitoring software for all the worried parents.
Features
- App Blocking
- Screen time management
Pros
- User-friendly
Cons
- Rather expensive
- No call or text monitoring allowed
4. Screen Time
Screen Time is a monitoring software to let worried parents safely monitor their kids.
Features
- Location Tracking
- Web Filters
Pros
- User-friendly design
- Free basic version
Cons
- No Geo-fencing
- Lack of extensive features
5. MMGuardian
MMGuardian is a parental control app for iOS and Android.
Features
- Web-Filter
- Block Calls and SMS
Pros
- Good range of features
- Easy to set-up
Cons
- Gets expensive with multiple devices
- Poor user interface
Conclusion
The Internet has given us many advantages but the disadvantages aren’t something to be ignored either. In fact, the negative side of the internet has almost eclipsed the positive side. Thus, for any dutiful parent, it has become a must-have to have a parental control app for iPhone & Android. Seeing from the competition above you can see that Spymaster Pro is a leading contender to safely and secretly monitor your kid’s every activity on their mobiles.
Spymaster pro 