Kids are innocent and may give out a lot of personal information that would put them and their parents at risk for cyber identity theft. There are many hackers and criminals online who are always seeking such information to compromise another’s identity. Some of the common ways of doing so are:
Through social media websites like Facebook and others.Downloadable material which may lead to different viruses entering the smart phone. These viruses are like gateways, allowing snoopers and hackers easy access to the information and material on your kid’s phone.Through Credit card scams which may lead to many economic catastrophes.Through online chat rooms.Through internet stalking where your kids may become innocent victims to pedophiles.
Teens and kids are unaware of what they should and what they shouldn’t upload on the internet via their smart phones. A lot of the things that kids upload; they don’t realize the future repercussions of it. Parents need to teach their kids about what is appropriate and what is not is they want their kids to have healthy virtual personalities on the internet. This is because, nowadays a lot of hiring firms and college admissions officials often scan the internet to paint a better profile picture of their potential candidates and therefore a reckless reputation over the internet can prove detrimental.
The most prominent aspect of teenage period is raging hormones which often lead children into exploring their sexuality through various adult means. Some of these means can prove really harmful to the child’s overall personality. Kids and teens are often found sexting with their peers and friends if their phones are unsupervised. However there are often cases of sexting reported where a minor was involved with an adult. An adult and minor relationship can prove fatal for kids’ upbringing.
Having a smart phone means that a child is indefinitely linked to the internet. And while the internet contains a lot of constructive information, there are parts of it which can seriously damage a kids’ personality, for example, pornography. Having unlimited internet means the child can also download inappropriate material from the internet which could also lead to downloading viruses. Therefore it is highly important that parents regulate internet usage over the smart phones as well via monitoring applications like TheOneSpy.
Spending too much time on gadgets is never a healthy habit. It not only makes children lazy and lethargic but also hinders their mental growth. Often children who spend too much time on gadgets like smart phones are more prone to mood disorders like depression. Research has shown that there is a positive relationship between depression and social seclusion which is often a strong component found in such children. Socially cut off children have difficulties forming adult interpersonal relationships in both private and public lives as they grow up. Therefore, it is highly important that parents strictly monitor their kids smart phone usage and place sanctions and time limits on it so that their kids can also get involved in outdoor physical activity that will not only stimulate their bodies but also their brains.
Conclusion
These are only some of the consequences of unsupervised smart phone usage. However, when it comes to child online safety, parents should employ more diverse methodologies to protect their kids from getting into harmful things that could seriously affect their lives especially as they grow up. Other consequences include cyber bullying, pornography, pedophiles and many more. Hence it is important that parents strongly monitor their kids smart phone either by direct methods or through monitoring applications that allow remote access and many more benefits like location tracking as well.
