How to Protect Kids from Online Threats

As your kid grows, so does their desire to spend more and more time online. According to the SWGfL online safety center, in 2024, the percentage of young people aged 5-7 who engage in messaging, voice chats, video calls, and live-streamed content has significantly increased compared to the previous year. There’s also been a significant rise in social media use among kids in this age group on platforms like WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, and Discord. 

National Library of Medicine states that nearly 40% of kids aged 8-12 use social media platforms, and, according to Sentiment, a digital customer service platform, over 93% of teens use social media for daily communication, making online life inseparable from real life. Unfortunately, regular social media use has led over 70% of teens to social media addiction. Hence, an average kid spends almost 2 hours a day online instead of focusing on the offline world, enjoying their childhood, and simply playing outdoors with peers.

The worst thing here is that parents cannot fully protect their kids from the online dangers they can face when communicating with strangers through game chats, dating apps, or social media platforms. Because of their naivety, kindness, and kind heart, they are often targets for scammers, bullying, threats, blackmailing, and chatting with pedophiles who have nothing but unhealthy intentions. 

So, how can you protect your kid from online threats on social media, messengers, websites, and other online premises? Using Snapchat spy apps, parental control apps, and location trackers can safeguard them against potential online and offline dangers. That is what we’ll discuss in this review.

How to Keep Your Kid Safe Online?

Although the internet offers unlimited benefits to kids (they can communicate with friends, get new educational skills, and pursue interests), it can be challenging sailing. Well, to convince them to use the internet appropriately, here are a few recommendations for you:

Explain How the Internet Works

Be honest and open with your child. Tell them everything they get and share online leaves behind a trail of information about them, so they must be careful about what they say or send.  

Make sure they understand that sending discriminatory or inappropriate content is unacceptable. Teach them to respect others and never send anything that may hurt others. What seems like a funny joke to one person can actually hurt someone else’s feelings.

Be their best friend so in case they notice something suspicious when chatting with other users, they won’t hesitate to tell it you – it will help you protect them from possible danger that may happen to them.

Model Healthy Online Habits

Be a positive role model for your child’s online behavior. Encourage them to be kind when chatting with others and send positive messages and emojis. Tell them that even if someone sends them something sensitive (photo, video, or text message), they should respect their feelings and never share it with other users. 

Suppose you notice them misusing social media or IM apps. In that case, you can use special apps like WhatsApp, TikTok, or WeChat apps, which will send you regular reports of their online interactions, allowing you to step in if something seems suspicious.

Private Should Always Be Private

Explain to your kid what information should always be kept private and never shared with others online, even with their best friends. It includes personal details like their home address, cell phone number, school address, parents’ contact information, and sensitive photos, messages, or videos. Do not forget to explain to them the risks of sharing such information and the consequences it can lead to.

Spend Time with Them Online

Teach your child healthy online behavior by encouraging safe and positive interactions with friends, family, and you. It is an excellent opportunity for you to show them the right model of online interactions. Teach them empathy, but do not allow them to be too open. 

Guide them in avoiding harmful misinformation and age-inappropriate online content. Spend time with your child to show them apps, games, and content they can safely use. Teach them to differentiate between harmful ads, misinformation, and content that is not suitable for their age. 

Best Parental Control Apps to Increase Kid’s Online Safety

To enhance your child’s online safety, consider adding an extra layer of protection with specialized cell phone number trackers. Here are the top three options currently available on the market.

uMobix 

This parental control app is a reliable solution for everyone who cares about their kids’ safety. With uMobix, parents can not only check details of incoming/outgoing calls, read sent/received/deleted SMS and MMS messages, and see who their children are in contact with. The spyware also allows parents to check their social media activity, IM, and dating app use. If your child plays online games and you want to ensure they’re not communicating with strangers, uMobix has you covered.

Features

• Offers access to photos and videos stored on your kid’s phone.
• Provides regular reports about their social media activities.
• Screenshot reporting (including Snapchat).
• Full access to your child’s Instagram and Facebook accounts, allowing you to view and respond to direct messages, leave comments, like posts, and more – just like the account owner.
• Monitors your kid’s browser history, including the frequency of their visits to different sites.
• The app works in stealth mode, guaranteeing 100% data safety of your data.

Cocospy.org

Cocospy is a great parental control tool that offers unlimited opportunities for parents. For example, right after the app installation, you, as a parent, will be able to control the following social media activities of your child:

• Read all the text messages they share through popular social media platforms and instant messaging apps like Facebook, Instagram, Tinder, Telegram, Hangouts, etc. 
• Look over a list of the most popular contacts your child communicated on social media.
• Check timestamps accompanying chats.
• Track Android and iOS devices without rooting/jailbreaking.

XNSPY.pro

XNSPY has many powerful features for monitoring what’s going on on your kid’s Android or iOS device. This app lets you read chats, see social media activity on 14 networks, record phone call logs, and see app use. You can also use live location tracking to know where your child is, where they have been, and what locations they visit most often. 

The additional app’s features are:

• Keylogger and screenshot reporting will catch all the moments happening on their device so that no important data will go unnoticed.
• Remote control access will enable the microphone to start recording, take screenshots, lock the device, or erase everything you find suspicious or dangerous (apps, games, harmful websites, etc).
• Opportunity to check out what websites your kid visited and how often they went back to each one.
• 24/7 live chat support is always ready to assist with any questions you may have about the app usage. 

Summary

As kids spend a large part of their free time on the internet, you, as a parent, should take all possible measures to ensure they browse safely and securely when online. To enhance their safety, you must openly discuss internet risks, model healthy online behavior, and clarify what information may be shared online. Parent control apps like uMobix provide extra protection by monitoring social media, messages, and location, helping parents stay informed and act quickly when needed.