Can’t remember the last time you went a whole day without checking social media? That’s not surprising. Social media has become essential for over 5 billion people worldwide, especially young people.

Many children, perhaps even your own, have practically been growing up on social media and can’t imagine a world without it. And this unfortunately means that digital dangers are closer than ever.

So as a parent, naturally you’re concerned about your children’s safety online. What you can do to get peace of mind is download a phone monitoring app to track your kids’ social media and other activities. Of course, there are both advantages and disadvantages to consider.

We bring you the biggest pros and cons of parents monitoring social media, so you can navigate the situation and make the right decision.

Pros and cons of parents monitoring social media

Pros of tracking kids’ social media apps

Protecting your children from online dangers

As you’re aware, the digital space is full of various suspicious people and activities. The threats are truly endless, from scams, to cyberbullies, to inappropriate content, to the worst nightmare of all – predators – and more. Kids can be exposed to this on any app or platform. However, social media stands out as the biggest breeding ground for all kinds of dangers.

Monitoring kids’ social media apps allows parents to identify potential risks and react promptly. For instance, if strangers are reaching out to your child, there’s no way they can hide this if you’re using Phone Monitor.

The app allows you to see the exact time stamp, full content of the message, even contact details and files. (P. S. You can see how it works here.) 

You can then remotely block this contact, keeping your children safe from potential risks. What’s more, you’re not only protecting your kids, but in most cases also your entire family. Criminals in the digital space often try to get as much information out of their victims as possible. A lot of this information refers not only to their own personal lives but also their close circle, putting friends and family in danger too. 

Building trust and transparency

A crucial part of any healthy parent-child relationship is communication. Good communication is open, constructive and effective. Your children should feel comfortable coming to you with any issue.

As soon as you’ve instilled fear in them, you’ve gone about it the wrong way. This will only cause kids to distance themselves, stop sharing, and start hiding things or lying.

Therefore, it’s crucial to encourage calm, supportive, effective conversations. In the context of online safety, a phone monitoring app for parents can be helpful. The reason for this is that it allows you to initiate exactly those types of conversations. 

With Phone Monitor, you’d be able to see even the tiniest details on your kids’ social media apps. This provides plenty of material for discussion. You can open up conversations about online harassment, respectful communication, what information is OK to share and what isn’t, and so much more.

However, keep in mind that you should avoid a confrontational or accusatory tone. As long as you clearly come from a place of support, guidance and care, phone monitoring will not be a bone of contention in the household. On the contrary, your kids will know this and be willing to open up. That way, you can foster mutual trust and strengthen your bond.

Spotting potential struggles

Social media can have a huge negative effect on mental health for many children. It increases the risk of developing anxiety, depression, self-image issues and other struggles. The causes for this may come in different forms. On the one hand, it can come through direct communication – harassment, cyberbullying, ridicule, threats.

On the other hand, simply the content they’re exposed to can trigger negative thoughts and feelings. For example, they might be following pages that promote unhealthy behaviors or dieting habits, idealized lifestyles of wealthy people they’ll compare themselves to, etc.

By using Phone Monitor, you can keep an eye on all your kids’ online activity and detect signs of struggles. You can see it through their online behavior, pages they follow, chats with their friends and more. The earlier you notice it, the earlier you can ensure your children’s wellbeing. This can be through screen time limits, social media usage rules, professional counseling, and so on.

Improving your kids’ digital literacy

From the day your children get their very first smartphone, you should strive to teach them digital literacy. Simply put, this is the ability to use digital tools and technologies confidently, effectively, safely and responsibly. Fostering digital literacy means helping your child develop critical thinking skills to properly navigate the online world.

They need to be able to know where to look for information and content, how to evaluate it, and be mindful of what they’re creating and sharing as well. The more you know about your kids’ social media activity, the better you can educate them about risks, appropriate content, digital footprints, and so on. This fosters their independence in decision making and protects their online reputation.

Understanding your child better 

Using a phone monitoring app for parents can help gain better insight into your child’s life. Tracking your kids’ social media apps, you can find out what interests they may have. For example, if you notice that they’re passionate about a specific hobby, you can encourage them and support them in pursuing it. 

Teaching responsibility and moral values

As you’ve seen throughout this article, monitoring your kids’ social media apps is most valuable for two purposes: education and safety. This last advantage we want to emphasize is no different. In fact, this one combines both.

When using a phone monitoring app, you can see if your children are engaging in any unsafe, prohibited or even illegal activities. You can see all their interactions and identify if they’re associating with suspicious individuals. This is especially important to keep in mind when they reach their teen years. Teenagers are intrigued by ‘forbidden’ things and rebellious behavior, such as alcohol or drug consumption, impressionable, and may succumb to peer pressure.

If something like this is going on, chances are you’ll discover signs and evidence on their social media. Then you can react and take all the measures you think are best

Cons of tracking kids‘ social media apps

Privacy concerns 

When talking about the pros and cons of parents monitoring social media, privacy is usually one of the first things to come to mind. This is for good reason, as the majority of children feel like a phone monitoring app is a violation of their privacy and autonomy. This is especially true for teenagers, who need more freedom and space as they are developing their identities and social circles. Being monitored may make them feel restricted, secluded or unable to express themselves.  

Potential resentment and conflict

Monitoring your kids’ social media activity can definitely trigger negative reactions. They may feel mistrust and resentment, leading to a strained relationship with you and causing conflicts. So while you only have their best interest in mind when deciding to use a monitoring app, you might actually end up with the exact opposite outcome. 

That’s why it’s extremely important to communicate openly. Explain your concerns and reasons for using a tracking app, and come to a mutual agreement. Once you have rules in place that both sides can agree on and you take a reasonable, mature approach, things should be much easier.

Hindering the child’s independence 

The last disadvantage we want to point out is an interesting one because you can also find it among the pros we mentioned. As we’ve said before, monitoring your kids’ social media apps can help educate them about a variety of skills and values. That in turn leads to them making better decisions and navigating the online world more independently.

The flip side of the coin is that you could also wind up hindering their independence as opposed to strengthening it. You may come off as intrusive, distrustful and controlling. Moreover, they might simply rely on you for intervention. All of this results in an inability to make their own responsible choices and handle things on their own. 

The bottom line

Now that you know the biggest pros and cons of parents monitoring social media, which way are you leaning? Are you going to try a phone monitoring app for parents? Or do you think monitoring kids’ social media apps is not the best idea?

We would recommend you try it. Communicate openly, start monitoring, and keep your children protected online!