In today’s digital age, with the focus on technology being used in every aspect of life, parents face the daunting task of shielding their children from the darker corners of the online world. There are many potentially dangerous apps for kids, emphasizing the need for parental guidance and oversight.
Predators know how easy it is to start online chats and groom children to share personal information. Many apps allow children, tweens and teens to hide messages, photos and videos, and they identify locations. For young people who are lonely, being bullied or feeling disconnected, they are easy targets for bullies and predators.
From anonymous messaging platforms that can be breeding grounds for cyberbullying to seemingly benign social media apps that may expose children to inappropriate content, there are many apps that warrant a closer look by parents and guardians. It’s crucial for parents to stay informed and proactive in discussing online safety with their children, setting appropriate boundaries, and utilizing parental control features where available. Minimizing online time each day is also a good idea to consider for tweens and teens.
With tech-savvy teens, parents need to know about jailbreak programs. These are not social media apps. They are tools that basically hack your own device to lift restrictions on allowable applications. Then undesirable or sketchy 3rd party apps not sold by the Apple Store or Google Play can be downloaded. “Jailbreaking” refers to iPhones and “rooting” to Android phones. It’s difficult to say how many teens have jailbroken their mobile devices, but instructions on how to do it are readily available on the Internet.
Cydia is a popular application for jailbroken phones, and it’s a gateway to other apps called Poof and SBSettings—which are icon-hiding apps. These apps are supposedly intended to help users clear the clutter from their screens, but some young people are using them to hide questionable apps and violent games from their parents. Be aware of what the Cydia app icon looks like so you know if you’re getting a complete picture of your child’s app use.
Internet and social media safety is very important for all ages, but it is crucial for children, tweens, and teens. So, what can parents do next? Here’s what we suggest.
Sit down with your child and find out which apps are being used, how they work, and whether any issues have surfaced with them, such as cyberbullying or contact with strangers.
Look into apps and products that help you monitor your child online.
If your main concerns are web browsing and social media safety, we recommend Qustodio. They provide a comprehensive dashboard to help you monitor your child's online activity. Their premium subscription allows you to track kids' location, block certain games and apps, monitor calls and text messages, and more.
If your main concern is filtering web content and setting internet time limits for multiple kids and/or devices, Net Nanny is a great option. The software automatically filters web content for each user based on whether they fit the Child, Pre-Teen, Teen, or Adult profile. It allows you to "mask" profanity on web pages. It also makes it easy to prevent web access during homework time or bedtime.
You can set up age limits on your child’s device. The above-mentioned 2013 Pew Research Center survey found that nearly 40% of teens say that they have lied about their age to gain access to a site or create an account, so restricting kids’ access to apps by age rating is a wise move. You can’t join every site or app and monitor your child’s every move online; teens will always find a new platform that their parents don’t know about yet. Rather than hovering or completely barring your child from downloading every social media app, sit down and go over some general rules to keep them smart and safe online.
Tell your child to let you know if someone is hurting her or making him feel uncomfortable online, even if the person is acting anonymously. Use the Cyberbullying Research Center's “Questions Parents Should Ask Their Children About Technology” to guide your discussion.
Get yourself some resources. This printable anti-bullying pledge and parent/child online agreement are useful tools, and you can access them for free on Family Education!
Make a rule that your child must ask for permission before downloading any apps—even free ones—just so you’re aware of them. When your child wants to join a new social media platform, go through the security settings together to choose the ones you’re most comfortable with.
Keep passwords private. Advise your child not to share passwords with anyone, including best friends, boyfriends, or girlfriends, and make sure you are aware of any little kids’ passwords yourself.
