Teachers Explain Why Parents Should Search Their Children’s Phones

It turns out that only 32% of parents have even peaked into their children’s gadgets, which means even less of them do it on a daily basis and monitor their lives online. It is quite a controversial topic regarding whether it is necessary or not for parents to monitor their children’s devices and people have varied opinions on this topic. On one side, it is about trust and privacy, but on the other side it’s about their safety. Most parents seem to have made their choice in favor of trust.

School teachers, however, seem to have a different position and call out parents to control children’s devices. Bright Side decided to figure out what the reasons are for this, and honestly, they sound pretty convincing.

Parents should teach children how to use cell phones.

Just like many other social activities, using cell phones and the internet should be taught by parents. Children should be aware of the dangers of the internet, and should be shown how and why they need to set the proper boundaries. It is important to teach kids about security, how to create content, what can and cannot be posted, and how to navigate in the internet.

Moreover, just like parents control their kids’ behavior in real life, online activities should be monitored from time to time to make sure children follow the rules and act in a socially approved way.

Parents don’t know a lot about their kids.

The online world is the most dangerous place kids have access to, and it is where children spend a vast part of their lives. Parents usually don’t have access to it and don’t even try, valuing their children’s privacy. It is an impersonalized world where so many things are possible and where children don’t have their parents’ guidance. As a result, children might get involved in unacceptable activities.

A middle school principal says that whenever he’s had to search his students’ phones, he’d find inappropriate photos and videos, social media usage, and messages. When parents hear about this, they refuse to believe that their kids are capable of these things.

Cell phones are the source of an unsafe environment.

With internet and cell phones, kids nowadays face even more problems than previous generations used to face at their age. All the activities, including the harmful and destructive ones, are even more easily available on the internet which is flooded with inappropriate information, media, and behavior. To provide children with a safe environment, it is crucial to monitor the activities they get involved in and talk them through their experience, providing them with guidance and emotional support.

Parents should be present in children’s lives.

With children being highly involved with their smartphones, they spend less time with their parents. The gap between children and parents is growing, and children are more often distancing themselves from their parents. The information that older generations used to get from their parents, kids now get from the internet using unreliable resources, and they don’t usually discuss it. But it’s the parents’ job to have conversations with their kids about their problems, their future, their bodies, their relationships, and everything else.

Do you check your kids’ cell phones? What is your position on this topic? Share your thoughts and stories with us in the comments.