As
kids approach adolescence, their need for privacy and insistence upon
keeping parts of their life away from the prying eyes of a parent can
make it difficult to monitor their activity. With the advent of
smartphones that allow your child to carry the Internet around with him
in his pocket, the need to make sure that he’s not getting into online
trouble can feel even greater. While it’s usually more effective to
attempt an open dialogue about what is and is not considered appropriate
online behavior before resorting to spy-level surveillance, there may
be times when snooping feels like the only choice.
Monitoring Software
Even less than tech-savvy parents can learn to navigate parental
monitoring software, which is designed to run in the background and be
undetectable by users. There are several varieties of monitoring
programs, all with different features and levels of functionality. One
thing that they all have in common is an ability to reveal all the
things your child is doing online when you’re not there to look over his
shoulder.
Limit Computer Use to Common Areas
If you’ve opted not to give your child a web-capable smartphone or a
laptop, then you may find it easier to snoop while he’s online if the
main computer is located in a high-traffic area of your home. When your
child knows that a simple glance his way could reveal questionable web
content he’s viewing, he’s more likely to think twice about what he
looks up. Not only will you be able to keep an eye on what your child is
looking at, but you’ll also be able to influence him into making better
choices based solely on your nearby presence.
Check Your Browser History
Older kids with more advanced computer knowledge may be savvy enough
to delete their browser history, but younger kids and tweens may not yet
have the required know-how. After your child uses the computer, take a
moment to scroll through the browser history. You’ll be able to access
all of the pages your child has recently viewed, allowing you to get a
good idea of what areas need to be addressed most.
Fake Social Networking Profiles
If your children haven’t deleted you from their Facebook friends list
yet, there’s a strong possibility that they’ve learned to manipulate
the safety and security settings so that they can block what you’re able
to see. One way to make sure that you’re seeing everything posted on
your child’s timeline and every interaction he has is to sign up
for your own fake profile and use it to add your child. Unless he’s
naturally suspicious of strangers, he probably won’t block the
visibility of his posts to a new friend.
Keystroke Recording Software
Every email, every message and every web search can be recalled with a
keystroke recorder, along with your child’s passwords. If you have a
serious reason to believe that something is wrong and you’ll need to be
able to confront your child with concrete evidence to make a difference,
keystroke software may be the way to go. Be warned, however, that a
child who’s not actually involved in questionable activities will almost
certainly feel that she has no privacy or grounds for trusting her
parents. In the event of an emergency, these programs can be quite
valuable tools for parents.
Webcam Monitoring
There are ways to remotely view everything the webcam in your child’s
computer sees, but it’s wise to think long and hard before resorting to
such things. No invasion of privacy is as personal or as upsetting as
being actively watched when you’re not aware of it. Furthermore, there
are some sights a parent just doesn’t need to see.
Smartphone Apps
Do you want to track your child’s movements with an online GPS
service connected to his phone or block content he’s able to view with
the device? There are a slew of kid-monitoring apps available for
smartphones that can help you keep tabs on your child when he’s away
from home.
These methods will help you track and monitor what your kids are
doing online, but there is no app or program to replace the trust that
is almost certain to be lost when your child discovers the depth of your
investigation. Before resorting to underhanded means of finding out
what your youngster is up to, you may want to attempt having an open,
judgment-free conversation about boundaries,
appropriate behavior and the implications of being careless on the Internet.
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appropriate behavior and
the implications of being careless on the Internet.33
