Yes
, Parents should monitor their kids or teen's Facebook & other social networking sites. Just as we prepare our kids for life in the real world, we should prepare them for life in the Online world. Cyber Bullying and Cyber Threats are serious problems. … Every parent should read about Cyber Bullying and Cyber Threats.
They can make bad decisions like sharing photos with only “one friend” that quickly finds itself viewed by everyone at school. They can be cyberbullies themselves. Besides being victimized, they can also
be exposed to all kinds of inappropriate content
, from adult websites to foul language and inappropriate videos.
The study revealed that kids tend to be more helpful after playing pro-social games. This is another reason why parents should allow their kids to use social media:
children can become more compassionate and empathetic
, and even feel like they have to protect their friends and share stuff with them.
Monitoring lets you know if your child (or their friends) post something damaging.
Identity theft
. Because they are prone to give out too much information, it's easy for someone to steal your child's identity to open up credit card accounts or other instances of fraud. Viruses and malware.
Parents should check through their children's messages on social media sites
to see who they're corresponding with. … On some sites, you can even adjust the privacy setting so that your child's profile won't appear in search results, preventing predators from contacting them.
Why you shouldn't track your child's phone?
No amount of spying on our kids
is going to make them safer. In fact, it can lead to a host of unwanted consequences, like building mutual distrust between you and your children. It can backfire and encourage them to try even harder to hide risky behavior because they know you're looking for it.
Is it illegal for parents to go through your phone?
As a general rule, she notes, “
unless a court has ordered that the child have access to the phone
, the parent who has the child at that time is in charge of issues like managing technology use and discipline. Parents should generally be able to put limits on technology use when the children are at home.”
Why Parents shouldn't take away phones?
When phones are taken away as punishment, Dr. Peters says,
kids tend to withdraw from the parent
. “They don't try to solve their problem. … Some kids feel that when parents confiscate their phone the potential invasion of privacy is worse than the loss of access.
Why you shouldn't read your kids texts?
Reading a child's text messages
demonstrates your lack of respect for your child's privacy
. It also can affect the level of respect your child has for you. Again, if your child has done something to make you think she might be taking inappropriate risks, it's understandable that you may decide to read her texts.
Why are parental controls bad?
The unfortunate truth is that the choice to use
parental controls undermines the trust in your relationship with your children
and it reduces your children's opportunities to make smart choices and to take responsibility for their actions.
- cyberbullying (bullying using digital technology)
- invasion of privacy.
- identity theft.
- your child seeing offensive images and messages.
- the presence of strangers who may be there to ‘groom' other members.
Social media harms
However, social media use can also
negatively affect teens
, distracting them, disrupting their sleep, and exposing them to bullying, rumor spreading, unrealistic views of other people's lives and peer pressure. The risks might be related to how much social media teens use.
Bullying
on social media sites can be even worse than real-life bullying, because those people can act freely and most often do it anonymously. While bullying happens no matter how old you are, kids under 13 are the most affected by it because that's when kids' self-esteem starts to form.
Why parents should look through their child's phone?
Yes, parents should check their child's phone
use and monitor their internet activity
. Above all else, it is the fundamental duty of any responsible parents to protect their children from potential harm. In today's world checking a child's phone is a massive part of that responsibility.
- Pro: You Can See What They're Doing Online. …
- Con: It Can Cause Them to Sneak Around. …
- Pro: They Can Live Outside of the Internet World. …
- Con: It Can Make You Paranoid. …
- About the Author:
Programs that provide parental controls can
block websites
, enforce time limits, monitor the websites your child visits, and their online conversations. Follow your child's online accounts, and tell them that you are monitoring their online activity to help keep them safe.
