Children are becoming increasingly dependent on texting.
The expression “But everybody has one” is common today, and most kids end up getting a smartphone even before their teen years. What’s more, with the growing popularity of texting and social media, the pressure is on to possess a smartphone.
On average, kids spend about 1.5 hours a day texting and about thirty minutes babbling on their phones. Study Shows Kids Tethered to Technology.
At the point when texting becomes such an influential part of your child’s life, there may be measures to take to keep your kid safe. With things to worry about like predators reaching your child via their cell phone, texting, and driving, bullying through texting as well as phone calls, and missing sleep as well as not doing homework because of an addiction to their smartphone, it may be a good idea to monitor your child’s texting.
Rules
Nonetheless, there are many ways to monitor your child’s activity on their smartphone that will help you sleep at night peacefully. There are a few rules that you should set for their smartphones to protect your child’s safety.
Rule 01: One important rule is to limit when your child can text. When your kid goes to bed, ensure that you take their phone away. Buy an alarm clock, so they can’t use the need for a wake-up call to keep their phone, or wake them up yourself in the morning. Monitor when your child drives to and from school (If they can drive yet) and check to ensure they aren’t texting and driving. Do this once in awhile to guarantee that they aren’t texting while behind the wheel.
Rule 02: Remind them that they can’t text in class. If they get caught, it may be a good idea to take away their phone for some time to show them that putting their smartphone before learning isn’t allowed. Making sure that you are consistent with smartphones rules will show your child that you need to be taken seriously.
Rule 03: Finally, it’s nice to have some family time, so if at all possible, don’t allow screen time during dinner. The only other time a phone needn’t be used is if they have any chores to do.
Setting Ground Rules May Not Be Enough
Keep in mind that there are ways that kids can work around the rules and still have the capacity to hide things from you.
Children are exceptionally tech-savvy and have methods to disguise and delete things on their phone.
It is not uncommon for a child to change the name of who truly is texting them or not have a contact name for them at all. Children sometimes don’t understand that their parents set rules in place for their good.
Leverage Mobile Directories (Safety)
On the off chance that there is a text on your child’s phone that you are concerned about, or if you just want to make sure that they are texting who they say they are, you can do a Reverse Cell Phone Lookup.
A reverse phone lookup is a confidential way to find out who a phone number belongs to. By doing a reverse phone lookup, you can find out (if available): First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, address, city, state, other phone numbers that belong to the owner of the phone number that you searched. By doing this, you can figure out who exactly is texting your child.
Check out our Guide on how to use a cell phone directory
Keep in mind that there are concerns that need to be addressed once your child owns a smartphone, and some of these concerns are serious.
One thing that you may need to worry about is predators who might be reaching out to your child. Those who prey on children often will ask their victim to act as though the predator is his or her friend.
You may not spot this unless certain measures are taken. If you do a Reverse Cell Phone Lookup, it will help you determine if your child is texting a best friend or someone else.
Furthermore, it might be a good idea to search all of the contacts on your child’s phone through a reverse phone search to see if the contacts are who your child says they are.
Another concern you may need to address is your child being harassed. If they receive any threatening or hurtful messages and are unaware of who they are from, doing a Reverse Cell Phone Lookup can help you determine who is bullying your child.
There is no limit to bullying in today’s society. Unfortunately, technology makes it easy to bully inside and outside any schools walls, and the hurt that a child experiences through bullying may be a negative life change for them.
Keeping Your Kids Safe By Being Able To See Deleted Text Messages
With the many worries that need to be considered once your child gets a smartphone, seeing what your kid is trying to hide from you is extremely valuable.
There is an app out there that helps monitor your child’s deleted text messages.
TeenSafe is an app that not only screens deleted text messages but also oversees received and sent messages. This app additionally shows where your child is located. TeenSafe likewise monitors other things on your child’s phone such as installed apps, Instagram activity, call logs, internet activity, and a great deal more.
TeenSafe is truly incredible for parents, and by combining the app with a Reverse Cell Phone Lookup, you will know exactly who is contacting your child and how often.
Money Saving Tip: How to Find Someone's Cell Phone Number for Free
Monitoring What Your Child Is Saying To Others and Vie Versa
Children reveal more personal information through text messaging than you would expect. If your child is hiding something from you, they may be sending some clues through text messaging. An extreme case of this would be like the case of Michelle Carter, a young woman who, when she was seventeen, sent her boyfriend texts telling him to “kill himself.” At the time of these texts, her boyfriend was depressed, and her frequent and persistent texts are encouraging him to commit suicide gave him just enough willpower to do so.
This case may have been an extreme case of what could happen when texting isn’t monitored, but it is still a possible example of how important it is to supervise your child’s activity.
Remember That Kids Think They Are Invincible
Kids will text and drive if they feel that they can get by with it. A child may be reckless simply because they can’t comprehend the risk they are taking as a result of their actions. Life is exciting and energizing to kids, and they think that on account of them being young that they are invincible. This is why it's important to remember that privacy rights come with age.
It may feel intrusive to monitor the activity on your child’s phone, but it could potentially save their life. It is important to remember that innovation may make the world slightly more dangerous for your child but with the right parenting skills, innovation can also help you keep your child safer than ever. With strict smartphone rules and regulations as well as tools like Reverse Cell Phone Lookup Websites, you can ensure that your child is safe and sound.
Most Importantly…
The most important thing you can do with your child though is always to ask them questions to show that you care about them. Make sure they are comfortable enough with you to be able to talk to you about anything, but still be firm on your rules. They may feel scared or embarrassed to come to you with their problems, especially if it is a big concern for them. By showing interest in their lives and letting them know they can come to you with any problem, your child will feel safer to share their concerns with you more than anyone else.