A few years ago, it would have seemed a huge thing to buy your kid their first smartphone. Times have changed now. We are living in a digital age where communication is inevitable without smartphones. In fact, smartphones are no longer considered a luxury item but have become a necessity in every household.

Landlines and payphones have become a thing of the past now. Almost every household is using smartphones for basic communication. Along with parents, even kids and teens now require cellphones to communicate with others.

Gone are the times when teens would call their parents through a payphone to tell them that their classes are running late. Similarly, a teen girl who would want to sleepover at her friend’s place wouldn’t have to rely on her friend’s landline to call her parents to seek permission. It has been proven in several studies that a smartphone is the most practical way for a kid to stay in touch with his/her parents and vice versa.

It is true that smartphones have become an integral part of every kid’s life. However, that doesn’t mean that parents should hand over the smartphone to them without considering a few important points. You can give your kid a smartphone but you should also keep a check on their cell phone activities. Have you ever heard the phrase “how to hack someone’s phone without touching it?” Well, you do not need to do that. You can simply monitor their smartphone activities with the help of a cell phone monitoring app.

Several studies have proved that excessive use of smartphones leads to severe physical and mental problems and can also severely impact the personality development of your kid. As a parent, it is your responsibility to adopt certain precautionary measures before handing over a smartphone to your kid in order to protect them from any potential negative effects of the device.

Here are a few important points that you need to consider before handing a smartphone to your kid.

Have a Good Reason

You need to make sure that you have a good reason to give a smartphone to your kid. It is better to ask yourself a few questions before handing over a smartphone to your kid. Here are a few questions that you need to ask yourself:

  • Does your kid really need a smartphone?
  • Is a smartphone important for their education?
  • Is there any other better way to fulfill your kid’s academic and social needs?
  • Is your kid mature enough to use a smartphone safely and responsibly?
  • How much access should be allowed to your kid?

It is impossible to keep your kid away from a smartphone forever and you do not even need to do that either. You just need to decide when is the right time to hand over a smartphone to your kid and you also need to make sure that they can use it safely and responsibly.

Educate Your Kid About Benefits and Dangers of Smartphones

Before handing over a smartphone to your kid, it is important to sit down with them and have a conversation about smartphones. You need to highlight the key benefits and dangers of smartphones so your kid knows everything about them.

You can simply tell them why smartphones are being used for communication all over the world and how they have helped people and communities to come closer. On the other hand, you should also warn them about its dangers and how it can damage lives if not used properly and responsibly. Educate your kid about the positives and negatives of smartphones so they can decide what’s best for them.

Set Smartphone Usage Limits

Before you decide to hand over a smartphone to your kid, you need to set smartphone usage limits for them. If you do not set any usage limits then your kid is likely to experience several health problems. The majority of studies have shown that prolonged and continuous smartphone usage can lead kids to sleep deprivation, suicidal risks as well as depression.

You can also define some rules and boundaries before giving your kids access to smartphones. For example, you can tell them not to use cell phones during meal times, in their bedrooms and bathroom, before going to bed, and during family gatherings. Tell them to use the devices safely and responsibly and use them only when it’s needed. They should not use mobile phones unnecessarily.

Use Cell Phone Monitoring and Parental Control Apps

To protect your kids from stumbling upon unwanted and harmful online dangers while using smartphones, you can install cell phone monitoring and parental control apps on their devices. On Google, you will come across solutions that tell you how to hack someone’s phone without touching it.

In reality, no such monitoring and spying solutions exist. You need physical access to your kid’s smartphone to be able to install a cell phone monitoring app on their device. Only then you can manage, control, and monitor their smartphone activities and keep a close eye on them.

Therefore, next time when a spying or monitoring app on the internet claims to teach you how to hack someone’s phone without touching it, you simply need to avoid it. Instead, focus on finding the most reliable and professional monitoring app to monitor your kid’s smartphone activities. Mobistealth is one fine example of an effective cell phone monitoring app.

Monitor Them on Social Media

Kids and teens love connecting and communicating with their friends on social media and instant messaging apps. Social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. are some of the most popular platforms where kids love socializing with their friends.You can buy instagram followers here.

However, the same platforms are also invaded by online dangers like cyberbullying, online predating, sexting, pornography, and even data theft. In fact, cyberbullying has become quite common on WhatsApp group chats.

WhatsApp Spy Free Download App Lets You Monitor WhatsApp Chats

WhatsApp spy free download apps can help you monitor your kid’s conversations on the app and protect them from internet dangers like cyberbullying. WhatsApp spy free download app won’t spy on your kid without them knowing and it is also not for free. The app can be downloaded and installed on your kid’s smartphone to keep a check on their WhatsApp activities. You can inform your kid about the WhatsApp spy free download app beforehand to avoid any confusion.

If you tell them why you are installing the monitoring app on their smartphone in the first place then they would not create a scene and let you keep a check on their activities. The purpose of using monitoring apps should be clearly defined to them. These apps are meant to protect kids from online dangers and not invade their online privacy.

Be a Good Role Model to Your Kids

As a parent, you need to become a good role model to your kids. You need to encourage healthy and safe use of technology so your kid can also follow your footsteps. It is true that kids see their parents as their role models and tend to follow their lifestyle.

If you do not want your kids to use the smartphones during meal time, in their bedrooms, before going to sleep, or during family gatherings, then you need to stop doing that yourself. Encourage your kids to read more books, play outdoor games, and spend time with friends rather than using smartphones all day long.

Remember, they will only engage themselves in other activities if they see you doing the same.