Monitoring your child’s smartphone: My Mobile Watchdog

This is the 2nd installment of a series of 3 articles related to choosing a smartphone for your child.

In the 1st installment of this series, we compared Android and iOS devices when purchasing a cell phone for your child. Regardless of the device you choose, when you purchase a smartphone for your child, you are providing them with the capacity to connect and communicate with anyone, anytime, anywhere. Therefore, the ability to monitor your child’s activity on that phone is imperative if overall safety is important to you as a parent. For a variety of reasons, according to USA Today, the Android is the safer choice when selecting a device.

For me, as a parent of 3 children, the overwhelming reason why I will only allow them to have Android phones is the monitoring capabilities provided in these devices. There certainly is a debate whether and how to monitor a child’s device. Some parents are uncomfortable with the idea of monitoring software while others are huge proponents of it and somewhere in between lies the rest of us. My first priority, remember, is the safety of my children. This trumps the argument of invading my teenager’s privacy.

So, which software do you choose? Here is a cell phone software monitoring review for your convenience. Personally, I use and love My Mobile Watchdog (#4 on the list). I find the functionality so easy to use. The main capabilities it provides are:

As you can see, the functionality is very comprehensive, and while the list seems long and involved, the software is extremely user-friendly. My Mobile Watchdog is web-based. You simply set up an account, load the software onto your child’s phone, and then monitor the activity from any device (laptop, desktop, cell phone) that allows you internet access. Additionally, there is an app for iPhone and iPad that also allows you to monitor from your iOS devices as well. You pay monthly ($4.95 per month) for an account, which I prefer over a flat purchase fee for other software (priced between $50-$150). On one account, you can monitor up to 5 Android devices.

One of the most important parts of the software is the Activity Log. The log is where the details of the text messages, photos, website visits, application access, and phone calls on your child’s phone can be viewed. It is very user-friendly. The activity of the device can be reviewed in a matter of seconds to see if there is a stranger or someone flagged as an alert contacting your child. You can also easily see if there are pictures coming in or going out of the phone, (i.e. sexting, which has grown into a serious issue among teenagers).

The extent to which you use monitoring software is obviously up to you as a parent. Once the software is loaded, there is a broad spectrum of how it can be used to both monitor and parent your child. For various reasons, some parents need to see exactly whom their child is interacting with on a daily basis and this is easily done. For the parents that feel uncomfortable reading every text, this tool provides a safety net. Those who don’t want to monitor on a regular basis, can simply wait to use the software until they begin seeing negative changes in the child’s behavior. For example, if he goes missing, tries to hurt himself, grades drop dramatically, etc., this is where you can look to see if there is a bigger issue with your child.

One thing to realize when using monitoring software is lack of visibility into what kids are doing within applications. The software allows you to see what apps are being accessed and to also block any apps that are on the device. However, there is no ability to see exactly what is going on within the app itself. For example, if your child decides that he really doesn’t want you to see what he is messaging a friend, he can take the conversation over to applications like kik, which is a messaging app. You can see that he is accessing kik, but you will no longer have the ability to see who and what he is messaging. As a motivated parent working to keep your child safe, you should be aware of the apps that kids are using and what they do.

Finally, no amount of monitoring can ever replace parenting in the world of online safety. Monitoring is another tool to help you do your job of keeping your child safe. It provided a pathway to further communication with kids about what, how, and why certain behaviors are safe and appropriate online. Use these tools to make this job of parenting in this hyper digital age slightly easier and much more successful.

Next installment will look at having the difficult conversations with your child about monitoring their smartphone activity.