Raising Tech-Savvy Kids in Digital Age: How to Limit Screen Time with Limit Screen Time App

The challenges in today’s digital world are getting out of control especially, when it comes to parenting. From screen addiction to cyberbullying, every parent is worried about the safety and security of kids. 

Kids in today’s era are stringed to technology and stopping them requires a great amount of effort and time. However, it is not impossible because there are plenty of ways in which parents can get involved and keep their kids protected and safe from the threats. In this article, we are going to reveal some of the tips and tricks to raising tech-savvy kids without breaking the sweat. Let’s dive in. 

Develop Healthy Screen Time Habit

One of the most effective tips for parents is to limit screen time and not to allow children aging 5 years or under to spend more than two hours. However, they can show some flexibility when it comes to grown-up kids and teenagers, provided that the activities are healthy. 

Several types of research suggest the type of activities and content that allow parents to develop healthy screen habits. For instance, there is a difference between watching a movie alone rather than watching movie with others. When it comes to screen time, the most important thing parents should consider is to help children develop phone etiquettes and set boundaries and rules for the whole family. 

Though it is challenging to enforce the rules on kids as most of the parents are constantly strung to their own device. To set an example, parents have to practice what they teach. 

Not to Calm Children with Tech Devices  

In most of the cases, parents find devices to be quite useful especially when it comes to keeping the kids calm and relaxed. However, the problem is that what parents are teaching their kids is quite harmful. Instead of handing them a toy or a coloring book, they give the device and forget what harm it can do. 

The best approach is to involve them in some offline activities that would help them not only develop mentally but also physically. The rule is to ensure that you are playing as a good role model and teaching good behavior. For instance, allowing kids to use devices during dinner time, bedtime or homework time can cause many problems. The screen time should be kept to minimal in order to help raise a better child. 

Install Limit Screen Time App

There are plenty of ways to limit screen addiction among kids. For instance, you can involve your kids in other offline activities such as painting, playing, jogging, swimming, running and much more.

However, if you want to take complete control over your kid’s screen time, make sure to install Limit ScreenTime app like FamilyTime. The app allows you to take complete control over how your kid behaves online. Moreover, you can also enable internet filters to block inappropriate websites like porn, gambling and drugs. In addition, you can also monitor SMS and track location of kids. Placing mobile geo-fences is quite easy with FamilyTime. 

DO MONITORING APPS FOR PARENTS REALLY HELP IN PROTECTING KIDS ON THE WEB?

The usage of smartphones among kids as young as 10-11 years of age has become extremely common. Even if you do not give your child a smartphone to use at a younger age, there is a chance their friends might have one and your teen may explore different digital apps along with their friends. It is a parent’s responsibility to guide their children how to be safe while using digital media. This means parents have to teach their kids about the do’s and don’ts of digital media, whether or not their child has the privilege of using a cell phone. But, once you buy an electronic gadget for your child, monitoring them digitally becomes inevitable. 

The Importance of Monitoring Apps in Today’s World

Even before you buy a cell phone for your child, make them agree on the usage of a monitoring app. Your teenager needs to understand that monitoring apps for parents available on the Google play store or iTunes do not aim on spying on kids, but they are used in order to protect children from dangers on the Internet. A monitoring app assists parents in staying in the loop with their kids. When you prepare a smartphone contract, make sure you include digital monitoring in that contract. A parental monitoring app makes your children follow the rules written in the contract more religiously. 

The monitoring apps for parents empower them to ensure a healthy digital life of their kids. One such app which is quite popular among parents these days is the FamilyTime app. By using this monitoring app, parents can:

• Monitor App Usage: View the list of the apps on your teen’s device along with the date of installation of every app. You can have a look at the usage frequency of multiple apps as well. FamilyTime enables parents to block the addictive or questionable apps on their teen’s smartphone.
• Monitor Web History: Have a look at the frequently visited URLs along with the date and time stamps, bookmarks and compete location history on your child’s cell phone to make sure they are not exploring inappropriate content on the Internet.
• Monitor Smartphone Conduct: Track the sent or received text messages on your teen’s mobile phone to know whether your teen is becoming a texting addict or not. Parents can also monitor the call logs and the contact list on their teen’s phone.

These are not the only features provided by the app. There is a lotmore that can help parents in their parenting. If you want to explore several more features of the app, go to Google play store or iTunes to download the app. You can also have a quick look by clicking the buttons below!

Web enabled devices carry a big risk factor for your kids. Believe it or not, kids are kids and they can trust anybody wearing a sweet expression. Unfortunately, that is the tool of predators, so the idea of saving kids without appropriate precautionary measure seems next to impossible. Before going into the details of how you can save your kids, have a look at some of the possible risks attached to web-enabled devices: 

1.  Online Predators and Criminals 

The digital world is full of predators and criminals who stay in search of innocent kids to trap. When you give your kid their own smartphone there are chances that your child will get online and naively communicate with unknown people without knowing the possible consequences of doing so. Now, can you make sure that the people they communicate with are all innocuous? Certainly, you cannot. These can be criminals who may try to take the smart secrets out of your child and use those against them to extort money or for some other dangerous things.

2.  Cyber ​​Bullying

Access to the smartphone makes it easier for bullies to reach their victims which can be your kid. Parents generally get to know what their children are doing when they access the Internet or play games on their computer sets, but the mobile nature of the smart phones make it difficult for parents to know what their child is doing. This allows bullies to play far dirtier tricks more easily than ever before.

3.  Sexting and Exposure to Inappropriate content!

Sexting is the term used to describe the act of sharing explicit photos. We all know how crazy teenagers can go, but sometimes their crazier moves like sexting make them vulnerable and put them in trouble, such as ruining their entire reputation which make things go out of control. Same goes for the inappropriate content such as pornography, violence and racism. Exposure to these ideas can influence the mental health of your kid and can educate them the concepts you may not want them to know even. But here I give you a suggestion. It is better that you talk to your kid about everything so they don’t find any topic mysterious and the element of curiosity in them doesn’t take them in the wrong direction.

How Parental Cell Phone Monitoring Apps can Help?

Cell phone parental monitoring apps such as FamilyTime play a significant role in keeping kids safe from these risks given above. With the app in hand, parents can:

• Track websites they browse and check the number of times they have visited a specific site
• Check their bookmarks and favorites
• Check the complete list of apps installed 
• View the app version, date of installation and other related details 
• Analyze the app usage frequency and see how much time do they spend on each app
• Block harmful or questionable apps and games
• Schedule auto screen locks on their devices
• Put remote locks as well

And this is not all. There is a lot more that parents can do with the app such as contact monitoring, SMS tracking, call log monitoring, Contact Watchlisting, Location tracking, Geo-fencing place, Alerts and much more. There as a parent, you may find a variety of valuable features once you download FamilyTime app. You can download the app from Google play store, from iTunes or just by clicking the buttons below:

TEENAGERS AND DATING APPS - TAKE HELP FROM MOBILE PHONE PARENTAL CONTROL

The dating apps cater people of every taste, age, interests, and hobbies. Among teenagers, online dating is considered as something which everyone does. Therefore, being a parent, it is essential to talk to your teen about the whole scenario of online dating before they actually start taking part in online dating.

Talking to Teenagers about Online Dating

Most parents hesitate in starting a conversation with their kids about online dating. However, it is crucial to have a discussion about dating with teenagers because online dating comes with a number of probable dangers for young minds including sexual predators, blackmailers, online harassers or stalkers.

One way or another your teen is going to explore online dating which is why it is better if you are the one who gives them the information about risks of online dating.

Here are a few points parents need to remember while nurturing the teenagers:

1.  Be Open and Clear

Just because you feel it awkward to talk to your child about dating apps, you cannot be excused. Instead, a parent needs to let their kids know that they are there for them. Make sure your teen understands that they are not allowed to secretly meet someone they only know through online dating apps.  Be open with your teenager, so that they won’t hesitate in discussing their problems with you.

2.  Make Them Realize that They Are Still Teens

It is essential for parents to make their kids realize that they are young and dating comes with its own baggage such as exchanging explicit photos or getting involved in other erotic activities. Such things are not only unsuitable for their mind but also come with legal consequences.

How Can Mobile Phone parental Control Help?

Apart from having a through conversation with your teenager regarding dating apps and their risks, there are many other probable solutions to ensure the well-being of your child. Using mobile phone parental control is one example that empowers parents in a number of ways.

Want to keep an eye on your child’s digital activities? Take help from FamilyTime which works as an absolute mobile phone parental control. Using FamilyTime parents can:

• View the list of apps installed on their teen’s mobile device.
• Have a look at the date of installation of any particular app.
• Get to know about the app usage frequency of every app.
• Block any app they consider inappropriate for their child including dating and gaming apps.

Aren’t these features great to restrict kids from online dating? These certainly are. There are bundles of other features of FamilyTime that help parents deal with their parental concerns. So, don’t waste your time any more and try the app yourself. To get the app, go now to iTunes or Google Play depending upon your phone’s operating system and download FamilyTIme app for free 3 days trial. Go there or simply click the buttons below:

DAUNTING PARENTING CHALLENGES: HOW FAMILYTIME APP CAN HELP PARENTS IN TAKING CONTROL?

Teenagers cannot be separated from technology especially, if the device in their hands is “smartphone”. Cell phone usage has become an increasing problem for the parents of many teenagers. This problem is growing day by day to an alarming extent. Teenagers become so addicted to their mobile devices that it becomes impossible for them to ever leave their house without taking their smart devices. Digital media has overpowered everything and has made it impossible to imagine lives without smart devices and the Internet. But, with all its positive uses, technology has damaging effects too, particularly, on children and teenagers.

How Does Digital Media Affect Teenagers?

Around 20 years ago, parenting was entirely different. Back then, parents did not have to feel worried about controlling their adolescent’s online behavior. Once addicted to their phones, teenagers become detached from their friends and family. They prefer scrolling down their news feed rather than having face-to-face conversations with them.

The negative effects of screen use can result into:

• Cyberbullying which causes depression and aggressive behavior in teenagers
• Sexting damages their reputation if any of their nudes gets shared with wider audiences
• Excessive texting addiction results in lack of interpersonal skills in teenagers
• Digital Addiction impacts badly on children’s academic progress
• Obsession to social networking sites makes them vulnerable to online criminals and sexual predators

Most of the teenagers overshare information about their lives on social media and upload inappropriate pictures. Being a parent, you need to stay active on these social sites and befriend your kids so that you can get to know what type of people they are friends with. Apart from this, parents need to monitor their kids digitally to ensure that they stay safe online. Digital monitoring can be done with the help of parental control apps.

FamilyTime App- Features and Benefits

Parents constantly feel confused between ‘giving necessary space to teenagers’ and ‘keeping an eye on them’. Digital apps as efficient as the FamilyTime allow parents to balance both of these. FamilyTime helps parents stay in the loop without disturbing their teenagers. With the help of the FamilyTime app, parents can:

• Keep screen use limited by scheduling an auto screen lock
• View installed apps along with the date of installation 
• Block addictive or questionable apps
• Observe teen’s web behavior by checking the bookmarks and the frequently visited URLs on children’s gadgets
• Protect kids from cyber bullying by monitoring text messages on teen’s cell phone
• Remove access to the device using the remote lock feature that lets them put a lock on kids device remotely from a distance

You can explore several more features by getting the app on your phone. Go to Google play store or iTunes to download the app now. Or just click the buttons below to to get this app in a jiffy!

DEALING WITH A TEENAGE GIRL? TAKE CONTROL USING MOBILE PHONE PARENTAL CONTROL

With all its wonderful advantages, the Internet has proved its worth several times. It has become an essential part of our lives. One of the most popular things that the Internet has provided is social media. There are many social networking sites available now, all of them equally appealing and addictive. We stay connected to each other using social apps. But, social media can be a challenging place, particularly for teenage girls. A teenage girl has to deal with body shaming, vivacious bullies, unrealistic body standards, name calling etc., on social networking sites.

Dangers of Digital Media for Young Girls

Raising an independent, confident and brave daughter is every parent’s goal but, social media plays a huge role in depleting your child’s confidence by making her feel imperfect and flawed. Educate yourself with what type of dangers, your daughter can come across on the web to protect her.

Here are a few pointers to help parents understand the digital traps:

1. Sexting

Sexting is equally damaging for young boys and girls. Most teenagers don’t consider it harmful unless they get into trouble because of the suggestive images they have shared. The aftereffects can be quite detrimental for your daughter.

2. Body Shaming

Young girls deal with quite a lot of pressure particularly from media. They constantly compare themselves from super models and try to attain that perfect body shape. An obsessive use of social media can hurt your child’s self-esteem, once she starts comparing herself from other girls her age who are posting just the “perfect” selfies.

3. Online Predators

Online predators especially focus on young girls while selecting their targets. They manipulate teenage girls and lure them for face-to-face meetings to build a sexual relationship with them.

Role of Mobile Phone parental Control

No matter how fiercely you want to protect your young girl from all the digital dangers, you cannot take all the decisions on her behalf. Therefore, maintain proper communication with your daughter, highlight your concerns and the long-term consequences of the digital slip-ups. Monitor your daughter remotely with the help of a mobile phone parental control such as FamilyTime. By using the FamilyTime app, parents can:

• Protect their daughter from cyberbullying and sexting by monitoring text messages on her mobile device
• View the list of apps installed along with usage frequency and can block instant messaging apps to prevent their daughter from talking to a stranger
• Schedule an auto screen lock to ensure moderation in their daughter’s real and virtual life
• Monitor their web-history to make sure their daughter is not searching about depressing or suicidal content

Want to have a look at all the features the FamilyTime app offers? Why not give this app a try for free? To get the trial version, go now to the app store on your phone say Google Play or iTunes and get the app from there. You can also get FamilyTime app in a jiffy from the buttons given below:

Keeping Screen Time Limited Is Good and You Should Practice It – Effective Tips for Parents

The screen time battle starts with toddlers and it only increases as their age increases. First, it is the YouTube channels, then it’s the games and then its social media, movies, TV shows and more games. They stay tired, ignore school work, eat their meals in a hurry or sometimes not at all and experience eye strain and headaches but they cannot leave their devices. I am a mother of two. When I spend too much time on social media or watch something for too long, I can feel the tiredness immediately. I see the same effects in my kids as well, but as they are young, they just keep going.

However, it is not good for them. It is really not. I know this screen time control thing is also becoming a cliché. People say that technology is a part of our life now and there is no need to cut it anymore. But clichés are clichés for a reason. Yes, technology is essential but so is balance and health. If we don’t keep a good balance, our health would deteriorate. Our kids have the biggest threat, who have the longest relationship with technology. So it is vital that we balance the digital time of our kids.

Have a look at these tips that can help you reduce your kids’ screen time effectively:

Say no to addictive apps

Generally, social media and gaming apps are the most addictive ones. The social media news feed keeps refreshing every second and there is always a new level of the games to win. It never stops and gives a natural high that is why kids can’t leave them. So make sure you prioritize that how many social media networks they can use and how many game they can play.

Read actual books

Encourage them to read real books. E-reading also makes up a lot of screen time. Make some effort and take them to the bookstore. Read with them when you can. I take up reading challenges with my elder daughter who isn’t really in the age of bedtime reading together. Spend money on books rather than kindles.

Device – free dinners

This rule is pretty popular and it is a very good one. It is not only a great way to cut device use but makes up for family time. The whole family gets to talk with each other and actually see the food they are eating and enjoy it as well.

Fun time

Every day, take some time out to have fun. It can be after dinner, in the afternoon or whatever time is convenient. Put the devices away and do something else. It can be anything – arts and crafts, yoga, board games, walk in the park, writing, or even cleaning. The key is to get them busy with their favorite hobbies – obviously the ones that don’t involve their devices.

As you try out these tips make sure:

• You stick to the rules and follow them through. It takes some time but they turn around if you stay firm on your plans.
• It is important that you also follow the rules as you using your phone while telling them not to, won’t really work.
• Use an Android parental control app to make sure your rules work. Apps like FamilyTime provide a lot of help in this matter. There is an app blocker and screen time access control with automated screen locks that helps you make sure that there is no distraction. Moreover, it also has internet, device and location monitoring. Check out more about it or try it for free from the buttons below:

• Ask them how they feel when they take a break and when they don’t. They would appreciate the difference.

Do the good!

Don’t take this cliché as just a cliché. Cutting screen time is good for children’s health, mental stability, social stability and academic performance too. These tips are helpful and I highly recommend an Android parental control app which makes it really easy. Keep them healthy and safe. Keep their digital time limited!

AGGRESSION IN TEENAGERS THRIVES DURING ONLINE COMMUNICATION- TAKE CONTROL USING FAMILYTIME APP

Aggression in teenagers is nothing extraordinary. Due to gradual changes a teenager faces in his/her own body, they react in different ways and aggression is one of them. But, teenagers these days don’t realize that digital media plays a huge role in fueling their aggression.

In the past, teenagers had the luxury of unplugging themselves from school and work related issues, once they get back home. But, in today’s world where round the clock communication is unavoidable due to digital means, teenagers always remain connected to each other and often seem focused on the problems they face due to peer pressure.

Why Aggression Thrives Due to Online Communication?

Smartphones, instant messaging apps, and social networking sites provide a source of blatant communication among teenagers. They tend to say such harsh things to each other via text messages which they usually wouldn’t say during a face to face conversation. Many teenagers use technology to avoid direct confrontation and say insensitive things about each other using their smartphones.

Here are a few reasons which prove that online sources fuel aggression in teenagers.

1. Facial Expressions Are Missing

Text messages, emails, and online comments lack the critical elements such as facial expression or verbal responses. Without these expressions, it is easier to misinterpret the meaning of what other person is trying to communicate through a written sentence.

2. People Do Personal Attacks on Each Other Indirectly

Many teenagers throw double meaning words to each other during online communication. Passive aggressive people find it easier to vent out their frustration by staying behind a screen. Teenagers also make personal attacks on social media, make fun of other kids, only to get attention from their peers.

3. Endless Audience

During a heated person-to-person encounter, the aggressive behavior occurs but doesn’t get fueled. While in the case of online communication, aggression thrives because of the potential audience. An embarrassing photo posted to make fun of someone can get thousands of comments from people all over the world. This makes the victim feel helpless and annoyed.

Use FamilyTime App

The first thing what a parent need to do is to communicate with their child about being compassionate and empathetic with others while posting updates on social media. To keep an eye on your child’s online behavior, FamilyTime app helps in following ways:

Parents can monitor the sent and received text messages on their child’s device to detect whether or not their child is spreading hate speech.
Parents can view installed apps and can block instant messaging apps.
FamilyTime lets parents allow their children only a limited screen time so that they can unplug themselves from drama for sometimes.

There is a lot more that parents can do with this app. So, give it a free try. The trial version of the app gives you access to all premium features of the app for complete 3 days. You can get the FamilyTime app from the app store on your phone say Google Play or iTunes.