As cellphones continue to gain more and more popularity among teens, so is another practice called sexting.
“Being that it has now become a tool more than anything, you want to make sure that you have access to your child’s device, so you can look through and check their text and Snapchat,” said Justin DeLaurier. He goes on to say that kids are raised in to believing sexting is the norm.
Communication and education go hand in hand. Parents should let their children understand the dangers of sexting, and they should also learn how to monitor their teenager’s messages.
An app like Gallery Guardian, immediately notifies a parent when a suspicious image has been sent to their child. If your child tries to download the app they will be asked if they have permission, which only the parent can grant.
Another app is SaferKid, the app allows you to securely view your child’s message history, and even allows parents to turn back on privacy features if they are turned off.
Webwatcher screens photos that are taken by your own child, ensuring reputation damaging photos are not sent out to others. The app allows parents to see who and what your kids are texting.
It tracks your child’s social media activity, and it monitor’s your child’s app usage.
Phone sheriff is a cross platform app that is very user friendly. The app limits the number of downloads a teen can get, and limits access to certain apps as well.
ScreenGuide Parental Control, limits a child’s screen time, restricts access to inappropriate websites, and can lock a device completely anytime and from anywhere.
MamaBear displays your child’s social media activity, video history, and their received and sent text messages.
Many cell phone providers also allow you to set up a restriction pass code that can turn off texting at certain times of the day.
