Sometimes parents feel the need to track their children’s online activity in order to check upon them. This might be done for a number of reasons; maybe you’re worried about your child being bullied online, or they’re showing behavior you find suspicious and you want to make sure what they’re doing out in the world is kosher. Whatever the reason, something might be setting off your parental “hunch” and you want to look into what your kids are up to, and that’s perfectly okay. If you’re curious, there are a number of ways to track what your teens are up to online.
IMAGE: PEXELS
Installing A Key-Logger On Their Computer
If you’re especially worried about what your kids are doing on their computer, you can always install a key-logger. If you Google “Key-Logger” I’m sure you will be presented with a myriad of options to choose from. There’s far too much to offer a concise review here, but there’s lots that are free and are going to record every keystroke that’s made on the device.
This can allow you to track what they’re searching, what they’re talking about, what their plans are, and if they’re a victim of online bullying. Rest assured many of these programs operate incognito and aren’t observable from someone who doesn’t know what hotkeys to use to activate the program.
Tracking Their Phone
Let’s face it, most kids have their phones attached to their hip and it’s probably their main source of communication and way to access the internet. Luckily, there’s plenty of programs that will allow you to track their online activity even if they’re using this device.
If you’re at all concerned about monitoring someone’s phone, the experts at The Tool Report help break down the legalities of the process. They mention that in almost all cases, monitoring your child’s phone is completely warranted, and a right that parents have (as long as you own the device).
FlexiSPY
FlexiSPY is one of the more recommended monitoring apps used today, and it allows for both Android and iPhone use. You can monitor the device in real-time from anywhere and you can also listen in on phone calls while in progress. This is the biggest feature of this app and I don’t know of any other program that offers this capability. The cost associated with this ability runs pretty high, so it depends on how much you want to monitor your teens.
iKeyMonitor
Like the name implies, this product works best with an iPhone but can operate with a rooted (jailbroken) Android device. You login via the iCloud account that you want to monitor and voila, you have access to messages sent within various apps. The two-factor authentication needs to be turned off in order for you to access these services. However, if the authentication is already turned off, you don’t even need to touch your child’s phone in order to access the data on it.
SpyFone
This is another app that works well on both Android and iPhone and has some additional features that make it quite unique. It allows for accessing the microphone, and front and back camera, giving you access to what’s going on around the device whenever you want. This might seem excessively invasive to some, and these features aren’t going to appeal to everybody. So depending on the situation this may or may not be a feature you’d like.
Should I Monitor My Kids Online Activity?
Deciding to monitor online activity is really dependant on the relationship you have with your child. If your child is studious, plays sports, and doesn’t engage in any activity you find reprehensible, chances are, you should take a step back and trust that you have a good kid on your hands. Monitoring their phone can impact your relationship with them, and children are smart and may find ways to circumvent you tracking their online activity. The choice is really up to you.
If you have any concerns regarding your teen’s online behavior, there are plenty of options to choose from. If you just want to throw a key-logger on the computer “just to make sure”, or if you want to track their phone and location those are choices you can have. Some of the available programs offer potentially invasive features, and it’s really up to you to decide if monitoring your child is worth the potential risk to your trust with them.
Sometimes you just want to make sure they’re okay, and that’s okay, it is your phone after all. Online bullying has become an issue in recent years and making sure your child is safe is always your number one priority. Just make sure to establish a relationship of trust with them, and make sure they feel safe telling you anything.
If you are interested in even more lifestyle-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
COMMENTS