Danger!!! Is your child ready for a cell phone?

How many parents out there actually check the call logs on your child's phone? Do you have all of their passwords to social sites, emails, apps, etc. In this day and age our children are exposed to way more than the children of the 70's, 80's and even 90's for that fact. With the cell phone now becoming just as important as a home computer (often times even more important) it is essential that we as parents and educators take the necessary precautions to keep our children safe.

Let me tell you my story as hopefully a red flag that you might not have thought about. On the second week of school our 12 year old daughter became increasingly obsessed with her new cell phone. The only time she is allowed to have her phone is before and afterschool and on the weekends. We only have it connected to Wi-Fi to limit the interaction she would have with complete strangers. My husband and I were checking her phone every couple of days to ensure she wasn't logging onto unapproved apps and sites. We thought we were on top of everything as this is her 1st phone. Well she must have gotten comfortable since we hadn't said anything about her having her phone and one night she took the phone to bed with her. When I asked her for the phone she made it a point to turn the phone off. Parents....This was a red flag. I began to look through the phone. All seemed normal until I found hidden deep within the apps the IG (Instagram ) app. This was one of the "Do not download apps" she was not supposed to have. Without getting graphic there were pictures on the phone that should not have been and they were sent through the DM (direct mail) option of IG. This prompted deep conversations about the do's and don'ts of the phone again (this was done when the phone was originally purchased but you know how kids are). Needless to say our 12 year old isn't yet ready for a phone. Are you familiar with all the apps that are out there that kids have access to? Do you know what apps allow strangers to connect with your child? IG is one of the main ones that we forbade as anyone with the app can contact anyone else if that person posts pictures.

I called one of my best friends who has a 14 year old and she gave me a few options to assist with monitoring our child when ever she gets her phone back (2 month suspension on the phone and limited access to her tablet was her punishment).With that below are the top questions parents should ask themselves when trying to determine if your child is ready for a cell phone or not. Some of these might seem redundant however we thought we'd share just in case.

1. Do you know about and are familiar with all of the thousands of new apps on the market that allow children to be exposed to stranger interaction? If your answer is no you should probably spend some time reading through the tech section of any blog or website to stay on top of the new trends, trust me your child is 3 steps ahead of you if your not tech savvy.

2. Do you have all of your child's passwords for all of their emails, social media and apps? You can set your child's Gmail account up to bcc you on any email they might receive in their inbox, so you know when a new friend request or any other interaction has been had!

3. Do you allow your child to take the phone to their room at night, or anytime of the day of that matter? This is a slippery slope as if they are doing something they have no business you would have no knowledge and they can delete any unwanted items before you even knew they were there. If you are concerned about this you can visit mymobilewatchdog.com. They charge $9.95 per month but they give parents full access to all messages and sends alerts when sent from unapproved sources.

4. Talk about the danger of Sexting and how it is illegal. Make sure you pull real examples as many children or parents for that fact do not realize that the police can arrest and the DA can prosecute all parties involved in sending or receiving sexually explicit text messages even if they are a minor. Google child sexting illegal for more details.

5. Do you know All of your child's friends? If you don't you should.

6. Are you prepared to take the phone back? You must be willing and able to take the phone when the rules have been violated. This is to keep your child safe.

#Phones #Instagram #Sexting