SOCIAL MEDIA SAVVY - December 2021
A Guide to Social Media for Somers Point Families
10 Ways to Monitor Your Child's Social Media Use
Over the last ten years social media has bloomed into this important aspect of many people’s life. It keeps people updated with the news, friends, and families while letting you connect to new people who have the same common interest as you. But when you have a tween and teen at home social media is not always the best idea to have in your house.
But if your teen instance on creating a Twitter or Facebook account there are ways for you to monitor your child’s social media use. So keep reading to discover ten ways to monitor your child’s social media use.
10 Friend Them On Their Accounts
One of the biggest things to do whenever your child creates a new social media account is to friend them on it. Though you won’t be able to see any private messages you will be able to see what they are posting and what their friends are posting to them.
This can help you navigate what is going on in their lives and if they are going to post things that they should not be into. Also being their friend on social media like Facebook allows you to see what type of pages they like.
9 Link Their Accounts To Yours
Google is a tech giant for a reason and with its Google Family Link tool, you will be using Google a lot more than just to look up random things. Google Family link is perfect since it allows you to monitor what your child does online and censor apps and social media apps you do not want your child to use.
This tool allows you to set screen time, completely lock their devices, and manage their apps. Let your child online without worrying about their social media accounts with Google Family Link.
8 Encourage Open Communication
This one might feel silly when it comes to monitoring your child’s social media use, but hear us out. Encouraging open communication with your kids can help them come to you if there is an issue that arises on their social media.
Monitoring your child’s social media is not just about what they posted online, but who is contacting them and what they are saying to your little one. You do not want anyone, not age-appropriate talking to them nor do you want any classmates bullying your child online. So being judgment-free when they come to you with a problem can open the door for them to talk to you about social media problems as well.
7 Only Allow Social Media On Computers
A wonderful way to monitor your child’s social media use is to only allow them to use social media on computers. Smartphones can allow your child a lot more access than you want since it can be hard to always know what is going on with social media accounts like Snapchat.
But instilling a rule that you only allow social media on the computer lets you keep full control of what social media accounts your little one is using and is a lot easier to monitor when it is on a family computer.
6 Get KidLogger
If you are looking for a free app that allows you parental control on your kid’s phone, computers, or tables is KidLogger. KidLogger is a wonderful app since it tells you what sites they were on, how long they were on it, what pictures were posted, who they contacted, and, the best part, it tells you what they wrote to friends.
This gives you full control over what they did online and lets you see what they did. Make sure to look into KidLogger for a free app that allows you to monitor your child’s social media use.
5 Download RealizD App
Apps are now the way we use technology. From the apps on our phones, T.V.’s, and computers there are now apps for everything. A wonderful app that helps limit your child’s time on their screens is the RealizD app.
This app lets you set time limits on how much time they spend on their phone or laptop. RealizD creates easy-to-read charts that you can review so you know how long your child is on these devices and what apps they frequent the most. So this app is perfect if you want to ensure that your child is only going to be on social media when they are home and you are around.
4 Look At Their Social Media History
This one might sound like a no-brainer, but can be easily forgotten, so make sure you check your child’s social media history. You can view their full browsing history of the internet online on a computer, there you can see the tabs they open to message people and what they posted.
Also on their accounts, you can see the last few things they searched for and the people they message as all accounts keep this tracked so they can better show us ads. So use this to your advantage so you can monitor your child’s social media accounts.
3 View Their Profile Frequently
Since kids are still growing and developing they are not as wise about making the right choices about things like we adults are. Kids are known for making mistakes and sometimes this involves social media.
Your child might be sharing something too personal or connecting with people they do not know that could end up putting them at risk. When you view their profile frequently you will be able to see what they are posting and who they are making friends with so you can address anything that is of concern right away.
2 Lock Certain Settings
On both your child’s phone or on the family computer you can lock certain settings on their devices. This allows you to keep your child off of social media websites that you do not approve of and just grants them access to your approved sites.
Not only can you lock these sites you can also password protect them so your child cannot just turn on and off the settings at their own will. Doing little things like this helps monitor what sites your child is using when it comes to social media so you know what is going on in their lives.
1 WebSafety App
If your child has a smartphone you might feel like you do not have any control over what is happening on their social media accounts. But with apps like WebSafety, you can monitor their phone just by downloading one app.
This app allows you to monitor their time on the phone, the other apps they download, and lets you view their social media and browsing history. This app does charge $15 a month to let you have parental access but is a definite if you are afraid of your young kids getting into the wrong side of social media.