In this technologically advanced age, smartphones are a major part of teens’ lives. They play a big role in shaping their lives – their social behavior, how they interact with others, what they see, who they talk to and more.

The infographic shows that:

• 78% of teens own a smartphone.
• 92% teens go online daily.
• 24% are online almost constantly.
• Teens who don’t have smartphones go online less as compared to those who do.

This shows that most teens own a smartphone and use it to access the internet. Those who don’t have a smartphone don’t go online that often. Smartphones allow them to be online and “connected” all the time.

Internet and Dangers

With the internet, they also access social media, online games, different applications, and websites. This is a rising concern for parents as they can access dangerous and bad things easily. While there are many apps that are helpful, there are also many apps that encourage sexting, underage porn, and anonymous chatting.
Online games expose them to different people. These people can be child predators or harmful strangers. They become vulnerable to cyberbullying, text bullying and harassment as well.
The presence and need of smartphones cannot be denied, but what about the bad effects that smartphone brings?
All these potential harms call for parents to monitor and control the usage of the smartphone. Just like they keep a check on what they watch on TV and apply parental controls so they don’t access any inappropriate channels. For smartphones, there are parental control apps to help parents keep a watch and apply restrictions when necessary.

Keep a Check on Their Smartphones

Apps like FamilyTime parental control allow parents to supervise their children online and smartphone activity. Most parents are aware of the dangers and they take a hands-on approach. But it can also incite reactive behavior in kids, parents can lose their kids’ trust and thus damaging their relationship.

A better way is the digital way, which is a passive approach but gives parents better control, all the while keeping the kids in the loop as well. Here is what parental control apps allow you to do:

Monitoring

You can track their cellular and online activity to see what they are up to and detect any harmful activity.

• Calls and contacts
• Text messages
• Internet browsing
• Bookmarks
• Frequently visited sites
• Installed applications
• Location history

Restriction

You can apply restriction on the following:

• Unsafe and addictive apps
• Device usage by locking their devices

Safety

You can get notified about:

• Specified places through geofencing – check-ins/checkouts
• Emergency Situations
• Pick-me-up alerts
• Over speeding
• Blacklisted apps
• Watchlist contacts

 Ensure Safe Smartphone Use

Smartphones are imminent. They are the needed and help parents stay in touch with their children.
Why not make the usage of smartphone healthy?
Let your children use the smartphone, but make sure they use them the right way. Parental control apps are your digital helpers for making that possible. By enforcing a screening schedule, blocking risky apps and supervision, you can easily help them to avoid the bad effects of using the smartphone!