3 Techniques to Effectively Monitor Your Child’s Online Activity

Love it or hate it, the internet is now part of everyone’s lives, and children are no exception. Today, kids of all ages have internet access even at extremely early ages. They interact with it and feel comfortable using it. Maybe they can even understand it much better than the earlier generations. 

Combine this with the fact that modern devices have become more usable and portable, and you’ll see why technology is now a staple in the lives of children. 

However, while there’s no denying that opportunities to learn are abundant online, this realm also happens to be filled and proliferated with hackers, inappropriate websites, pornography, and a million other things that parents wouldn’t want their little ones to see. 

The question now is, how can you effectively monitor all the online activities of your child? This article delves into the three techniques you can try that can help you do exactly just that. 

1. Use Mobile Parental Control Apps

There is one simple but obvious reason why mobile parental control apps are enjoying a rising demand, and that’s because more and more kids use mobile devices these days. 

Mobile parental control apps allow parents to set up content filters and keep tabs on their child’s online activities. Many of these parental control applications also allow parents to monitor pictures, text messages, calls, and transactions, as well as a complete list of phone logs. 

The market is now filled with different mobile parental control apps that vary in price depending on the number and types of features they offer.

When looking for mobile control, make sure you know the specific features you need to help you choose the right app that will meet your requirements. 

2. Take Advantage of Spy Apps 

Some of the most popular and in-demand methods of blocking access to and monitoring unsuitable content online are the so-called spy apps. 

Depending on your needs, most of these spy apps let parents monitor social network activities and chat conversations, impose restrictions on screen time, and block access to inappropriate sites and content.  

The more advanced spy apps also include protection from attempts to bypass the app and allow parents to set up hardware-level filters. A few of these apps can also filter HTTPS content and proxy sites.

These spy apps give parents more power and even allow them to have better control over the online access of their children. 

3. Schedule Router Time 

Parental control routers are recommended for most households today where family members, including children, often own and use several internet-capable gadgets or devices.

Today’s average consumers have smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, laptops, and more, making it even more challenging to find a good solution that will let parents monitor every single device. The good news is that a lot of developers right now have further expanded their horizons as they came up with software filters applicable even to routers. 

With the help of parental control routers, parents can easily filter and monitor online content on the devices connected to the routers. Depending on the software’s features, parents can also apply web filters and set up time schedules to ensure that access to unsuitable content will be denied on the devices connected to that router. 

Why Talk about Online Safety with Your Child 

A lot of children today, specifically teenagers, never take it too well when their parents try to limit or monitor their screen time or use of the internet. It is this very reaction that leaves most parents wondering if there is a way for them to track their kids’ online activities without them realizing or knowing it. 

For many parents, however, the risks and consequences associated with not tracking the online activity of their children pose a more serious concern compared to their protests, complaints, and tantrums. The most suitable approach is to combine honest communication and monitoring. 

Although a lot of parents admittedly want to evade arguments regarding device monitoring, a more proactive approach could help establish a culture of trust regarding safe and responsible use of the internet in your home. 

Here are a few tips for discussing online risks with your children:

How to Monitor Your Child’s Internet Activity: 3 Essential Tools

A simple Google search for tips on how to monitor your child’s online activities will give you a long list of results. However, not all the information you will find is useful or even helpful. After all, rebellious gamer kids can always look for ways to dodge basic restrictions, not to mention that smartphones’ built-in privacy features often experience glitches. 

To ensure that your kids will always stay safe and protected online without worrying constantly or wasting time, you need dependable solutions. Mobile parental control apps, spy apps, and router time scheduling are the three techniques you can try to keep tabs on your little ones and enjoy peace of mind, knowing that they won’t be exposed to any negativity.