The Internet has made our life easy and is full of information like we can get any tips or tricks on anything we want or know about the places we want. Almost every person carries smartphones nowadays with full internet access. There are billions of people of different ages using the Internet and getting full benefits from it.
Smartphones and the Internet are very popular among kids and teens. They constantly use social media to keep them connected with others or meet new people. Also, social media profiles have become a kind of identity now.
The Internet is full of information that can help your child grow, but it is also filled with inappropriate content and frauds who can still provide information. The rise in cyberbullying has resulted in lowering a child’s self-confidence and self-esteem. These kinds of actions can hurt kids mentally, so as a parent, you should be aware of the things your child is doing on the Internet.
Why Should You Track Your Child’s Phone?
Every parent loves their children and worries about them. No matter if they are at home or school or anywhere outside. Same way, you should also be tracking them if you are using the Internet. Track things like who they are communicating with or lying to you about the places they visit.
You should track your child’s phone for a variety of reasons:
- Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is one of the biggest reasons you should track your child’s phone. Cyberbullying means to harass or threaten someone online. More Internet usage and more screen time during the pandemic have caused a rise in cyberbullying.
According to cyberbullying research, 21% of children between 18 and 21 have been cyberbullied. These actions hit kids mentally; they may also suffer from anxiety disorders and depression. So, you should always track their online activities before it’s too late.
- Adult Content
The Internet has beneficial content and inappropriate content that can change kids’ mentality to view the things around them. Adult content is everywhere on the Internet, so there is a high chance that your kids encounter that content.
This adult content can drive their minds to do wrong things and also make them addicted. They may be addicted to porn sites or other mature content, and teens may start sexting with each other. So to limit these activities, you should track your child’s phone.
- Frauds
Scammers and fraudsters exist on the Internet, seeking to deceive people into hanging up their personal information and data. They use different phishing techniques to lure people into their traps, mainly kids and teens.
Teens are very active on social media platforms, and they share everything. Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat are the most popular social networking platforms among teenagers. While sharing with others, they might share personal information, which can be harmful to them. So you should track the things they share on social media platforms and make them aware of frauds.
- Health Issues
Kids nowadays are addicted to digital devices. They may be addicted to the Internet or some games or apps. They start using the devices when they open their eyes in the morning to when they sleep.
Many hours of screen time will directly affect their health, and this can be a major issue. Also, they might be addicted to taking selfies or posting stuff online. So limiting their screen time and letting them play outside or do other activities might help.
Should I forbid my kid from using the Internet?
As said above, many problems are arising from Internet usage, but does this mean you should forbid your child from using the Internet? A big NO. The Internet has a lot of resources that your children may utilize to improve their abilities. You should watch their online activity so that they don’t come across any improper information.
Instead of completely forbidding them to use the Internet, applying screen time limits, blocking adult sites or contents, tracking their web histories might help. These actions help your child to get access only to the contents that are suitable for them.
How Can You Track Your Children’s Phone Stealthily?
- Using Parental Control Apps
If you are looking for a way to spy on your kids without them having the hint of it, I really would recommend you use parental control and monitoring apps.
Parental apps are software that allows you to track your kid’s smartphones online or offline. These apps are used to view kids’ location, web history, and activities online. These apps can be very helpful to parents to keep their children on the right path.
Some of the popular parental control apps that work stealthily on your kids’ devices are:
- MobileSpy App
MobileSpy is one of the best software to access and manage controls over a child’s phone activities. It’s compatible with iOS and Android smartphones. It is completely undetectable.
It works in your background once the app is installed on the device. To install the app, you need to have physical access to the target device. Then root the target unit. Rooting is required if you want to use all of the MobileSpy App’s capabilities.
You can start tracking right away with a few single clicks. You need to sign in to your MobileSpy account to use the control panel. From the control panel, you can view and manage all the activities of the target phone.
The amount of devices you may track is determined by the subscription you buy. MobileSpy App has different subscription plans available and has different prices.
Pros and cons of the MobileSpy App
Pros:
- Affordable price for many features.
- Rooting or jailbreaking is not necessary to use basic features.
- Proper data backup services
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Ability to hide the icon in the target device so that the person cannot know they are being spied on
Cons:
- Only works on devices having Android versions 4.0 or higher
- Rooting or jailbreaking is needed to use all the features
- You need to have physical access to the target phone to get the app installed.
- Qustodio Parental App
Qustodio is one of the popular parental apps you can find on the market. It provides every feature you want to track down your kid’s phone. For instance, features like location tracking, web content filtering, web histories, etc. Available for both iOS and Android devices.
You can configure and customize Qustodio’s dashboard as you want. But it is pretty expensive as compared to other parental apps and lacks strong social media tracking tools.
Pros and Cons of the Qustodio Parental App
Pros:
- Apps and
- Websites Blocking
- Supports cross-platform
- Well designed and customizable interface
- Comprehensive-time limits
Cons:
- Expensive than other apps
- Lacks strong social media tracking tools
- VPN break web filters
- Only strong Facebook monitoring
- Kaspersky Kids
With the ability to track on an unlimited number of devices, Kaspersky is also a good option for tracking your kids’ activities. It is available for iOS, Android, and PCs. It comes with different features like web filtering, web activities, location tracking, time limits, etc.
Even with all these features, it lacks something that other similar apps offer. Kaspersky Kids comes at an affordable price and is fully featured or customizable.
Some of the pros and cons of Kaspersky Kids
Pros:
- Affordable pricing for many features
- No limits on connected devices
- Robust web and content filtering
- Location Tracking
- Extensive alert system
- Flexible control of a device
Cons:
- Some limitations on iOS devices compared to Android devices
- Content filtering is limited to some browsers
- Complex web interface
- Strong tracking of some social platforms like Facebook and VK
- Norton Family
Most parental apps let you monitor your child’s phone activities in stealth mode or without them knowing. But Norton Family encourages parents to talk to their children and make them aware of the rules they will set.
Norton Family can track an unlimited number of devices and comes with features like location tracking, phone media file viewing, geofencing capabilities, etc.
Pros and cons of the Norton Family App
Pros:
- Affordable to use
- Excellent location tracking
- Configurations and setups are easy
- Unlimited devices tracking
- User-friendly interface
Cons:
- Does not support Macs. Browser extensions
- Unable to block some specific apps
- No social media tracking is available
- Unlocking iOS devices break monitoring alerts
- Boomerang
Boomerang comes with all the basic features; apart from that, this software lets you construct geofences, monitor Youtube activities, phone calls, and texts, etc.
Most of the app’s features are for Android devices and are a little expensive than other affordable alternatives. If you need to track only a single device, then consider other options than Boomerang.
Some of the pros and cons of the Boomerang App
Pros:
- Good device usage controls
- Web filters and content blocking
- Supports geofencing
- Android’s calls and text supervision
Cons:
- Only available for mobile devices
- A single subscription is expensive
- Limited features for iOS devices
- Require users to sideload Android app
- Google Maps
Google Maps is software that provides information about geographical regions and sites around the world. It allows you to track someone’s location sneakily, but you should access the phone you want to target first.
Step 1: Download the Google Maps app and install it.
Step 2: Go to the menu and choose “location sharing.”
Step 3: Select the “share your real-time location until you turn this off” option.
Step 4: Choose your phone to share the location.
After all these steps are completed, you can track the target’s location.
- Using iCloud
If your kids use Apple devices like iPhones or iPads, you can track their location using iCloud, but you have to know their credentials. Apple provides you with a feature called “Find my iPhone,” which helps find the owner’s phone.
You can use this feature as a spy app to track down your kid’s location. With this feature, you can also erase the data remotely, play a sound on the device from anywhere, and turn on lost mode.
To start tracking, you should follow these steps:
Step 1: You need to log in to iCloud using their correct credentials.
Step 2: Click “Find my iPhone.”
Step 3: Go to Interactive Map and choose the device.
Step 4: View the target’s phone location.
With all these steps, you can track down your child’s location using Apple devices.
- Using Android Device Manager
If your kids use Android devices, consider using “Android Device Manager,” a built-in tool in the system by Google for GPS tracking.
You may use Android Device Manager to track down your phone, delete data from it remotely, lock the screen, and change the lock screen password.
To start tracking, follow these steps:
Step 1: Log in to your Google Account.
Step 2: Check for the connected device located at the bottom of the screen.
Step 3: Choose the device which you want to track.
Step 4: View the location of the target phone.
Is It Legal to Track Your Children’s Phone?
Children are innocent, and they need guidance for the things they do. If parents won’t teach them between good and bad, who will? Parents should educate and teach their children about the dangers of using the Internet.
Parents have every right to track every little thing their children do. According to the law, it is completely legal to track your kid’s online activities if they are underage or a teen. It is also legal to track their children’s digital devices but under certain rules and regulations.
To sum up
Raising children in this digital world is not easy. Children and teens are glued to their phones as the Internet has provided them with different facilities like communicating with others, entertaining content, etc. Since the Internet also contains negative content that can harm children, parents should be extra careful.
Parents should monitor their kids’ activities online, but monitoring doesn’t mean hindering their privacy. And, if you want to track your kid’s phone without them knowing, we recommend using parental control and spying apps like the MobileSpy App.
Parental control apps provide every feature that can help you track your kids’ phone activities. With this app, you are always aware of their online activities, where they are going, with whom they are communicating, etc.