Internet use has increased significantly over the past few years. This increase has occurred simultaneously with the rise of the smartphone and other digital devices such as tablets. This trend is represented in the children’s demographics as well. According to researchers, 90% of children can navigate their way through a tablet by the age of two. Similarly, more than 50% of the children in the US now own a smartphone by the time they turn 11. The percentage of children using smartphones rises along with their age. These figures show that digital devices such as smartphones and tablets are an integral component of a child’s life and play a prominent role in their development. However, there are dangers associated with technology use as well. In this article, we will briefly explore these threats. We will then evaluate if parental monitoring apps can help you take care of your kids. In this regard, we will also review the features offered by one of the top parental monitoring app called XNSPY, and see how useful it can be for you as a parent.
Threats
While there are important advantages of digital technology for children, there are dangers as well. For example, cyberbullying is a dangerous threat that can leave lasting effects on a child’s psychosocial development. This is particularly true for teenagers who are at a critical stage of their development. According to a study, 37% of young people in the US reported experiencing bullying online. However, only one in ten chose to inform their parent or other trusted adults. Young people experiencing bullying can develop depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and other mental health problems. Scams and frauds are other categories of threats online. Children may inadvertently share personal information, and fraudsters can manipulate them to share financial details of their parents such as credit card details. Similarly, loss of privacy is another problem that many parents often do not consider. Other threats include access to inappropriate content such as pornography, violence, or drug use. Cyber predators also use the anonymity provided by the internet to identify their victims. Children are particularly vulnerable to these threats.
However, while you can introduce many changes in your family to minimize these threats, one of the most important ones is to use a kid monitoring app. Most such apps are designed from the perspective of these threats and include features that let parents stay abreast of everything that is happening in their child’s digital life. Let’s take a look at the features and functionality offered by one of the top-performing kids monitoring apps currently available on the market.
XNSPY
XNSPY is a sophisticated parental monitoring app that offers a wide range of features to suit your needs as a parent. Let’s see how these features can help you keep your child safe from online harm.
Call monitoring: You can monitor all calls made to and from the device. Furthermore, a complete call log can also be viewed remotely. The log includes all incoming, outgoing, and missed calls, along with the date, time, and duration. This is a handy feature that lets you know exactly who your child spoke to, and when.
Message monitoring: You can use XNSPY to monitor all incoming and outgoing messages. This applies to third-party apps such as WhatsApp, Viber, Skype, Facebook Messenger, Kik, LINE, and Tinder. Young people use messaging as an important medium of communication, so you will be aware if cyberbullying is happening.
Location tracking: This is a particularly valuable feature. You can use XNSPY to monitor your child’s location in real-time, along with their location history. Also, you can use the geofencing feature to stay alert to any changes in their location. This way, you will know if your child is headed to an unsafe or inappropriate location, or leaving a secure one.
Online activity tracking: Gain access to complete browsing history as well as all emails. You can monitor bookmarks as well. This feature can help you build a picture of your child’s online browsing behavior.
Multimedia access: You can use the app to go through all the multimedia files stored on the device. This can include photos, videos, and audio files. You can also go through calendar entries as well. This is a useful feature that lets you know if your child has inappropriate content stored on the device.
Remote control: You can remotely control the device to turn on the microphone, take screenshots, view a list of installed apps and block those you feel and not suitable. You can also lock the screen to prevent device overuse. You can also remotely wipe off all data from the device in case it is lost or stolen to protect your child’s privacy.
Device use reports: XNSPY collects information about device use and provides you a report regarding it. The information included in this report includes top callers, most visited websites, and other relevant information.
Instant alerts: This is arguably the most important feature offered by the app that is not available in many other parental monitoring apps. You can add a word, phrase, location, or contacts to the app’s watch list, and XNSPY will immediately notify you if there is any activity related to it. This way, you do not have to monitor your child at all times, but can intervene quickly if you notice there is a clear danger.
The basic version of the app costs USD 4.99 per month for the yearly subscription, while the premium version for the same period costs USD 7.49 a month. Bear in mind that each version offers a different set of features, so go through the feature list on the app’s website to decide which one suits your needs the most. This competitive pricing makes XNSPY among the most affordable kids monitoring app.
Now that we have discussed the features and functionality, let’s take a quick look at compatibility, installation, and user profile of XNSPY.
XNSPY is compatible with many versions of both Android and iOS devices. The installation process for both platforms is different. For Android, you just need to head over to the XNSPY website and select your subscription plan. You will then receive an email with a URL to download the app, along with your XNPSY login credentials. Just download and install the app on your child’s phone, and monitor everything remotely. For iOS, you need to enable the iCloud backup option on the device, and enter the iCloud credentials (of your child’s) on the XNSPY control panel. Once the initialization process is completed, the app takes between 24–48 hours to begin transferring all data to your account. You can then view all of it on the XNSPY control panel by logging in to your account from anywhere.
The flexibility, ease of use, affordability and other factors make XNSPY the top-rated monitoring app to suit your needs as a parent. With the XNSPY kids monitoring app, you can make sure that your children can maximize the advantages offered by the internet while minimizing the risks.
