Phones are necessary these days, but these devices are also the reason parents are always complaining about their kid’s moods. Either the kid is always in an isolating mood, or they are too aggressive, making it harder for other people to deal with them.
This is when phone usage concerns their parents. Is it too much? Are they getting into bad influence or any danger? Various things might be affecting kids and putting their lives at risk. This leads us to our main question.
Should Parents Check Their Child’s Phone?
As per the Pew Internet Project, almost 3 quarter of American children own cellphones between the ages of 12–17. So, social media and email access are quite easy for them. Interacting with strangers and getting involved in dangerous activities is highly possible, as this is the age of curiosity.
Cyberbullying is often one of the major concerns for parents. They never get to know if their kids are going through blackmail or if they are in a difficult situation online.
So, should parents keep a check on their kids and their devices? Yes, mainly because your kids are not mature enough to comprehend and right wrong at this young age. They are at risk of falling for some scamming manipulation quite easily.
Red Flags to Start Tracking Your Child
If you are unsure of your kids’ troubles with online or excessive phone usage. You must know about some of the red flags. These signs can indicate a serious problem in your teenagers, and you can further decide about therapy or counseling for them, along with parental monitoring:
- Drinking too much or drug abuse
- Knowingly involved in any illegal activities or habits
- Violent behavior toward other fellows
- Talking too much about death
- Physical injuries and lying about them
- Self-harm or suicide attempts
Red flags are the highlights of any problem that your kid might be facing. Mostly, teenagers can go into drug addiction if their parents don’t pay attention. So, in case of these signs, you might need to get professional help, too.
These signs can lead to many problems like depression, anxiety, personality disorder, and a lot more, and only a professional can diagnose them.