How often do you scold your child for not watching what they shouldn’t? How often can you overhear and then listen to what they shouldn’t? Is your child actually listening to you, or just letting all your complaints and commands pass? Is there anything you can do to discipline your child the least you can do for your growing children is to ask them a second time and warn them of adverse consequences if they don’t listen.
Cons: What are the potential challenges of exercising control over children?
Although every parent wishes to monitor their child’s progress and keep an eye on what they are doing online, they are not necessarily able to do so. This can be due to their work limitations, Plus, they realize that if they curb their children’s desire to watch the television or computer, they would want to binge, get anxious, hyper-focus, or sneak out when they are actually not watching.
Banning the gameplay, or making strict rules around screen time can be tough. How can you do this without letting them know that you are actually keen to monitor what they are listening to, or what they are watching online? How much control is too much? Can you easily navigate all the conflicting advice and convince them politely what to do and what not to do? Can you simply make them aware of the potential side effects of increased screen time?
| But did you realize that if you stop your child from using technology, they will never get to learn what their mind tells them to do? |
Actionable: How can parents do better?
Just like we explore new varieties of food, new places to hangout, new friends to talk with, and new places to travel, our bodies send us signals to keep us in balance; we can often feel uncomfortable, restless, get flared up; but every small emotion plays a part on our heart and mind to a major extent. Over time, with parents’ gentle support, children learn to listen and respond to these signals. But not if they never get a chance or we impose potential limits on what they do every time.
Moreover, by limiting the use of technology parents are limiting what their children can learn from using it. Parents don’t know that many video games/online games are very difficult and take time to learn. There are skills to be acquired and the logic of the game to be understood.
And do you realize that when you stop your inquisitive children from doing something, exploring something, or getting to learn something, it evacuates their minds, and enforces them to shut all arenas of innovation? Do you realize that children gain confidence when they get to learn something new? When engaging deeply with a game and mastering it, they immerse in a genre of movies or a few channels on YouTube to completely absorb the information and spark their imagination. The more you get involved, and connect with their interests, the more you will learn about your children and observe what they are learning.
And do you realize that if you limit the restrictions upon the use of technology you will strengthen the bond with your child? Sneak in only to know what they are playing, and if can you play with them. Let them relish their gaming experience over a certain time period, after which you may jump in to involve them in other routine tasks, including food, cleaning, outdoor play, and studies.
Meaning: What is parental control?
You will realize that administering parental control and a mutual agreement with the children open’s up a new world for you. It becomes a world of shared play, connection, and adventure where they met challenges and learn together.
Now we know that parental controls are features or software that enables parents/guardians to monitor and restrict what their children are doing online. There are many software programs that block, and filter websites, advertisements, and potentially dangerous content record their activities, limit their time online, and view their browsing history and all correspondence.
Available Alternatives: What are the famous parental control applications?
Juggling between smartphones, computers, television, tablets, and smartwatches, kids have access to all corners of the internet from the very beginning. They are fearless, but they make their parents fear what the situation can turn out to be. Thankfully parental control applications give them the ability to monitor and restrict the unadvantageous usage of internet resources on smart devices. Parents can track the location, calls, text messages, and real-time alerts, and ensure that their kids are in a safe place.
When parents are overwhelmed trying to find the best app for the welfare of their family, there are some best ones available in 2023:
- Best for Budget: Google Family Link
- Best Overall: Qustodio
- Best for Real-Time Monitoring: NetNanny
- Best for Older Kids: Bark
- Best for Younger/older Kids: Canopy
- Best for Location Tracking: Life360
- Best for Time Monitoring: FamilyTime
- Best overall: Bark
- Best contact monitoring: MMGuardian
- Best free version: Qustodio
- Most management tools: FamilyTime
- Best for full access: SentryPC
- Best Overall: Screen Time
- Best Budget: unGlue
- Best for Real-Time Monitoring: Qustodio
- Best for Location Tracking: Norton Family
- Best for Younger Kids: Net Nanny
- Best for Time Management: Kaspersky Safe Kids
- More options: Google Family link, Bark, MMGuardian, Qustidio, FamilyTime, and SentryPC
What does it offer: What are the features of the parental control app?
Parental control apps fall into four categories: content filters, monitoring, usage controls, and computer usage management tools. Most of the time such applications limit access to internet content, by blocking potentially unsafe content, setting the age limit for the audience of the content, keeping kids-friendly content free to view, and barring them from watching adult-specific content. Best features for parental control apps:
- App management
- App usage history reports
- Texting history reports
- Screen time management
- Content filter
- Website blocker
Rates to develop: What is the cost to develop parental monitoring app?
The decision to choose the best parental monitoring app can be zeroed down on the age of the child, types of devices, budget, features of the app, unbiased opinion on the app’s features, and performance.
A premium parental control app must offer multiple features, ease of use, and affordability for families. It should provide monitoring online activity, social media use, screen time, GPS tracking, geofencing, detailed reports, YouTube search monitoring, content blocker, filtering for web browsing, managing screen time and set limits, real-time location tracking, free trial, filtering for social media, monitor time spent on devices, report location changes, set up text alerts, ability to block apps, physical activity tracking, ability to control social media use, reward chores with extra screen time. The rates for parental control app development depend upon the availability and accessibility of these features.
Conclusive: How does it become a win-win for parents and children?
Research has shown that limiting screen time inhibits young children’s ability to read faces, pro-act, learn social skills, and co-relate what’s happening in real life. Of course, there are children who are not so addicted to their phones and computer screens, but a relative study reveals that the ones who are, fare off well and are proactive in their day-to-day. These become key factors to develop empathy. Face-to-face interactions are the only way young children learn to understand non-verbal cues and interpret them.
Discerning the flaws of mobile phones, a poem by Brian Bilston says,
“Streets shrug as we roam back to our homes,
obstacles courses of lampposts and cones.
For we shall stare at mobile phones.
Landmarks languish and attractions close;
statues, cathedrals, Byzantine domes.
For we shall stare at mobile phones.
Reading gets shelved, poetry and prose,
with the dusty rebuke of neglected tomes.
For we shall stare at mobile phones.
Conversation falters, dries up, inflows,
feelings once said, lie buried, unknown.
For we shall stare at mobile phones.
Yes, we shall stare at mobile phones,
when we’re together and when we’re alone.
For we shall stare at mobile phones.
And when we die, let’s hope they’re thrown
into the pit with our crumbling bones.
So that we might stare at mobile phones.”
Every word of these stanzas holds true, in wake of whatever is happening in the modern world. Our children know it better than we do. They may surprise us by outshining IQ and intellect.
