How to Monitor Kids’ Text Messages
Being a parent isn’t easy. You know that there are many ways that they can find danger. This is why you get a pit in your stomach when you hear your child’s cell phone buzzing at midnight. Is everything okay? Are they making good choices? You have a million questions and no easy answers.
The world is full of danger, and some of that danger can seep into your child’s world through their phones. There are predators, bullying, sexting, and more. It feels like the digital landscape is a black box that you can’t protect your child from.
While you want to protect your child’s privacy, it’s more important to take care of their overall well-being. It’s possible to monitor your child’s text while avoiding some of the pitfalls. Kibosh LLC can offer you a safety net that’s more than reading your child’s text. It’s time to learn more.
The Hard Truth About Text Monitoring
It seems like monitoring your child’s texts should be easy, but it isn’t. Encryption is at the root of many apps and programs, making it more difficult to see your child’s texts. Apps, such as iMessage, WhatsApp, and Signal, use end-to-end encryption.
Some platforms and hardware makers design their programs to make it almost impossible for you to see your child’s text. This is called a “third-party barrier.” This barrier is used by Apple and Google, which they say makes their users’ privacy their main focus and priority.
There is also a trust factor that you need to consider. It’s difficult to monitor everything your child texts, but if you’re caught trying to do this, it can cause rifts in your parent-child trust bonds.
Beware the “Spyware” Trap
Despite the difficulties and impossibilities of seeing what a person is texting, some companies claim to offer you total access to another person’s messages and texts. Spyware is an app that claims to provide “total invisible access” to texts.
Many of these apps want you to go around the phone’s security protocols. This means you’ll need to jailbreak or root the phone, which voids its warranties. Once you bypass security to allow the app to record texts and personal information, you’ve also made it easier for hackers to get what they need from a phone or other device.
There has to be a better and safer way. You should focus on legal solutions. You are the parent, and this gives you certain rights and controls over your child’s interaction. You can work with transparent parental controls rather than “spy” tactics.
Better Than Spying: The Kibosh Safety Net
The truth is that you don’t have to read every “LOL” text your child sends and receives to keep them safe. You need to intervene and avoid the consequences of a bad message. Kibosh has a way to provide a safety net and keep you from spending hours decoding texts.
For example, someone sends your child a link to a funny video or a free game, which is actually malware that leads to a cam site or a phishing scam. Your home’s wifi blocks the link if your child clicks on it. Kibosh detects the malicious destination and blocks it before the page even loads. You didn’t need to read the conversation for Kibosh to recognize the danger and protect your child.
Proactive Steps for Parents (The “Hybrid” Approach)
There are other things that you can do to protect your child while they’re online. Apple offers a built-in “Communication Safety” feature that blurs sensitive images. This can protect your children from lewd or violent images. You can require spot checks of your child’s phone. This can provide transparency and provide you with the opportunity to see the type of material they receive on their phones. Kibosh activity logs can show you if your child is trying to see blocked categories. Always strive for a conversation and not a confrontation.
Protection Without Intrusion
While you might not be able to read every text your child receives, you can control the environment. Safety is your focus. You might think that knowing what your child is saying over text is safety but it isn’t. The safety comes from ensuring that the outside can’t come back at your child through their screens. Stop worrying about the “what-ifs.” Secure your home network and block dangerous text links with the Kibosh 3.0 Router. Contact us now.
Image credit: // Shutterstock // VH-studio