The emergence of new technologies in our daily lives has brought us very positive advances in many areas of our existence, but it also entails a series of risks and inconveniences for families and, specifically, for those who face the tasks of raising their young children. .
Both mobile phones and tablets, video game consoles and technological devices in general are used by children at increasingly younger ages, which is a logical concern for parents who do not know how to regulate their use. Luckily, today there are parental control resources that help control the exposure of the little ones in the house to certain content on television and the Internet.
If you want to know more about this help for parents, keep reading. Below we will briefly summarize How can we introduce parental control in parenting? and what are the best current parental control applications.
Keys to applying parental control strategies in raising children
It is a fact that, in a world guided by the desire to make money, not all Internet and television service providers care about compartmentalizing audiovisual content to ensure that each person only receives what interests and/or interests them. it’s convenient. The norm is that websites and television channels tend to constantly “bombard” us with stimuli to try to get us hooked on at least part of what they offer, regardless of the circumstances in which this occurs.
For avoid overexposure of young boys and girls to this type of electronic devices and prevent them from accessing inappropriate content Nowadays we can use a wide variety of parental control applications that make it easier for us to raise our little ones.
These parental control resources offer an interesting variety of functions and make several tools available to parents to monitor and supervise your children’s activity on websites, social networks and mobile applications But… how to apply this to parenting?
1. The importance of communication
As psychologists recommend, communication is essential when introducing any new measure in raising children, regardless of their age.
When applying parental control measures We must communicate it to our children and not do it secretly so that they also feel like participants in that decision, making them understand that this is good for them and for the entire family.
Putting into practice an open communication model in which the opinions of your children are taken into account will positively influence their development both cognitively and socially and will help them learn important social tools for their future personality.
2. Strengthen the agreement
In addition to communicating correctly with our children, listening to them and paying attention to their opinions and what they have to say, it is also important to always reach agreements regarding the application of parental control.
This means that at all times we must ensure that the children agree with the control measure that we have taken and know what parental control entails and what its reason for being
In addition to that, we must try to resolve small arguments or disagreements that may arise regarding the content that they are allowed and not allowed to see, or the pages they can visit.
3. Show trust towards them
Trust is also essential for raising children, since A home in which there is full complicity between parents and children has a much more pleasant, safe and comfortable atmosphere
Children who know that their parents trust them develop much better and have fewer psychological and emotional difficulties in their future adolescent and adult lives.
Providing enough trust so that children can have a mobile phone, tablets or other mobile devices also helps to make coexistence better, and the children will place great value on this gesture.
4. Set limits
Despite the use of parental control, parents must trust in their children’s ability to use the technology at their disposal well, but limits must also be established, as in any normal parenting.
This means that The hours in which you can use your cell phone or other devices will be previously established and if the children do not comply, a series of consequences will be imposed in the form of punishment or other forms of positive discipline.
5. Accompany at all times
Support for children It consists of being available to them at all times whenever they need it and in providing tools at all times so that they know the dangers that can be found both on the internet and on social networks.
It is important that children do not underestimate the real dangers of social networks and the virtual world and that they are aware that it is not a game.
Finally, we must make it clear to them that we will always be there for whatever they need and that they can tell us any problems they may have.
The best parental control apps
These are the parental control apps that as parents we can download for free to ensure supervision of our children when using all types of electronic devices.
1. Custodio
Qustodio is a parental control application that also has its premium paid version for those parents who want to request it.
The main features of Qustodio are its content filter and apps to monitor the content our children visit, a time limitation and monitoring of interactions through the web
In addition to that, it also allows geolocation of the boy or girl, monitoring of daily calls and also usage reports and alerts.
2. mSpy
With mSpy you will find a free application for parents with quick and easy installation that will provide us with the security that we need so much for our children.
This app allows you to monitor more than 10 activities, including notifications for each use, reading chats on social networks, reading history, real time location call monitoring and internet searches.
3. Kids Place
Kids Place is the free application par excellence to supervise at all times the applications that our children use.
This application is for the mobile phone, and with it we can give access to the applications that are allowed to be used, as well as eliminate those that are not allowed.
4. Confidant
Confidant is the application that allows you to take care of your children using a mobile device with real-time location and with which you can see and hear what your children are doing at key moments.
This application also allows you to check and monitor your travel and visit history throughout the week.
5. Securekids
Securekids is a free application that allows you to block applications and restrict their use and time of use at any time we want.
Once downloaded you can monitor the pages your children visit and block them if necessary.
Are you looking for psychological assistance for families?
If you are interested in having psychological support to help you raise your children, contact us.
In Psychotools We can assist you in person and online.
