5 Reasons To Spy On Kids Text

Messages
HE LE N GA MB LE DE CE MB E R 2, 2016 NO COMME NTS .

Text messaging remains one of the most popular forms of communication for
kids who own phones. A 2015 survey found that 88% of US teenagers aged
13 to 17 have access to a mobile phone of some kind and a majority of teens
have smartphones (73%). This number rises to over 90% of teenagers if you
include other devices.

The popularity of text messaging is growing amongst children and teens, as it

is a quick, convenient and often free form of communication. The rise in the
number of free messaging apps bears this out.

Most of our kids are using text messaging responsibly. However, there are
still many good reasons for monitoring kids messages. Here are our 5 top
reasons:

1. Inappropriate content

Youve spent years educating your child not to swear, not to be mean, not to
bully. You feel like youve done a good job. But the nature of text messaging
means its easy for kids to forget these lessons. A seemingly innocent text
message can hurt or offend. An inappropriate picture sent as a harmless
flirtation can be shared around school. Peer pressure can easily lead to
bullying. Your kids know these things and yet they so often fall into the trap of
taking part in this kind of inappropriate messaging. Therefore monitoring
your childs message s both what they send and what they receive
will enable you to reinforce what you have taught them all along:

They should be speaking and behaving appropriately at all times, no

matter who they are talking to or how they are communicating.

2. Look whos talking

Its not unreasonable for parents to want to know who their children are
communicating with. It was easy back in the day when friends had to call
each other via a landline and declare to the person picking up the phone who
they were and why they were calling. That ease of knowing who our children
are communicating with has long since disappeared. Kids exchange numbers
and IDs with each other and with strangers without a second thought. These
days were all aware of the dangers posed by online predators those who
befriend our children online with sinister intent. But what about those text
messages going back and forth between your daughter and that boy you said
was too old for her? What about the messages your son is exchanging with a
group of boys who you think are a bad influence on him? As parents we
should be guiding our children in their relationships and the choices
they make. Monitoring their messages can help with this important aspect of
parenting.

3. Distraction

Constant text messaging provides a great distraction from the real world
from schoolwork, homework, outdoor pursuits and socializing. It can even
distract from other screens! (Who hasnt seen a person texting at the same
time as supposedly watching a movie?) Many youngsters today are addicted
to texting. Like gamblers, they feel the compulsion to check for new
messages constantly. They lose sleep, have problems focusing on other
things and lie to cover up their behavior. All these can have a negative
impact on academic performance, as well as the ability to socialize and
communicate face-to-face . Its a good idea to set some boundaries when
you provide your child with a mobile device. Make sure that there are periods
when the device is switched off and check incoming and outgoing messages
regularly to see if your child is sticking to the rules.

Many youngsters today are addicted to texting[it] can have a negative

impact on academic performance, as well as the ability to socialize and
communicate face-to-face
4. Sleep deprivation

There is no magic number regarding the amount of sleep children need, but
most pediatricians, as well as the National Sleep Foundation, recommend 8
to 9 hours of sleep per night for 10 to 17 year olds. However, with the
use of mobile devices on the rise, studies have shown that many teenagers
are falling short of this target. The National Sleep Foundation found that 87%
of US high schoolers are missing out on the recomme nde d amount of
sleep and this figure is rising. Many teenagers take their phones into their
bedrooms at night and dont switch them off when they are sleeping, meaning
they often wake up when the beep of the phone signals an incoming
message. The compulsion to send and reply to messages at all hours is
contributing to this problem, with many parents blissfully unaware. Want to
know why your child looks like a zombie in the morning? Checking the times
of incoming and outgoing messages could be a good way to find out!

5. Building trust

We all want what is best for our children. We want them to be happy,
considerate people who can function well at school and in society as a whole.
We want them to be safe, whether they are outside playing, or communicating
with each other on their phones. Monitoring your childs messages is an
important means to keep them safe, set boundaries and teach them how to
behave. When you give your child a mobile device, let them know what your
expectations are and tell them why you have decided to check up on
their messages. Having an open and honest conversation with your child can
only help to build the trust so crucial to raising kids in the digital age.

Having an open and honest conversation with your child can only help to
build the trust so crucial to raising kids in the digital age.

About Us

KidGuard's sole m ission is to protect your children online. Our team spends
every waking hour thinking about how to bring awareness and inspire
solutions on issues of cyber bullying, online predators, teen suicide, and
childhood depression in the age of technology. KidGuard em ploys a team
of researchers and writers to educate parents on solut ions to digital
parenting problem s and also runs a popular child cell phone m onitoring
software to allow parents to stay involved in their child's life online.