Privacy or Safety? – Monitoring Your Child’s Cell Phone

Growing up with technology has countless benefits. Early on, kids learn valuable skills like typing and communication. Working with computers becomes second nature. They have access to endless information right at their fingertips to be used for school research projects or just to feed their curiosity.

With programs like Adobe Suite their creativity is unlimited. Through social media sites they can share the things they love with other kids with similar interests. There’s even just the practical benefit of being able to call or text your kid to keep track of them.

But even with all of these positive aspects of technology, there are some downsides. We hear about the dangers of technology addictions and the threat of online predators, identity theft and cyberbullying. While we shouldn’t ignore all of these things, there are some things you can do as a parent to protect your child while still respecting their privacy.

Setting Cell Phone Limits

When it comes to limiting cell phone use, it can be hard to tell exactly where to draw the line. Maybe you just want your child to spend less time looking at their phone, in which case you could create a rule like no phones at the dinner table. While a rule like that might be resisted, it’s not asking too much to take a break from cell phones for a short time each day.

However, you might be faced with bigger concerns about your child’s cell phone use.

If you’re worried they might be at risk for something like cyberbullying or online predators, it’s important you act on those concerns right away.

Here are some behaviors to look out for that could suggest something’s wrong:

• Your child acts withdrawn, they don’t talk to you like they used to or they spend a lot of time alone in their room.
• Your child hides their phone or computer when you walk in the room.
• You notice they’re texting, calling or chatting with someone you don’t know or recognize.
• Your child receives letters or packages in the mail from someone you don’t know.

Obviously, these aren’t all of the possible warning signs something’s wrong and even if you notice one or two of these it’s not immediate proof your child is in some kind of danger. However, if your child is acting differently with their phone or computer it’s important to check to make sure everything’s OK rather than ignore the signs that something’s wrong.

How You Can Protect Your Child

Studies show the majority of parents don’t monitor their child’s phone or internet use. This lax approach could be putting kids at risk of bullying and all of the emotional problems that can result from that, stalking, threats, sexting, technology addiction and hurting their own image online by posting inappropriate content.

Talk to your child about safe online behavior. It helps to talk and educate your kid and remind them of basic things like not sharing personal information publicly or giving it to strangers, not posting revealing or inappropriate pictures, and reporting anyone who makes them feel uncomfortable for any reason.

If someone is bullying or harassing them online, make sure they know they can come to your for help. Talk about the consequences of posting inappropriate things online, like hurting someone with mean comments or losing the chance at a job or acceptance to a college or university because of something they posted.

You might hesitate to monitor your child’s cell phone or computer use because you want to respect their privacy, but what really matters is keeping them safe.

If you think your child is at risk and talking isn’t working, setting up restrictions and monitoring their behavior the best you can and getting them the help and information they need to make good decisions is worth it if it keeps them safe.

Camille McClane is a journalist who lives in California. She has a passion for writing about technology and parenting since she has a son of her own. He is entering his teen years and she wants to make sure he knows the dangers and how to properly use social media.

Are you going to take the path of safety or privacy?  What influenced your decision?