How To Make a Smartphone Safe For Your Kids

As a parent to children who are growing and learning each day, you know that the things they are exposed to at this age will stay with them for life. The good, the bad, the ugly – it all contributes to our children’s development into adulthood. 

Of course, we can’t protect our kids from all the negatives of the world. One thing we can do, however, is navigate modern life with a sense of responsibility. 

One aspect of modern life that many parents struggle to navigate is smart devices with internet access, like your smartphone. If your child has a smartphone or uses yours, it can be a great tool for their safety, learning and overall enjoyment. However, without the right measures in place, your child could inadvertently be exposed to adult content or other harmful situations.

In this post, we’ll explore how to make a smartphone safe for your kids with three easy steps.

1. Install passwords on certain apps.

If you want to give your child access to a phone without giving them access to everything on it, you can password-protect certain apps. This is a great way to limit the content your kids have access to while still allowing them the independence of using a smartphone by themselves. Password protecting apps means that if they want to use the app, it has to be under your supervision – at least until they get older.

2. Speak to your kids about boundaries when it comes to smartphones.

The best way to keep your kids safe is to teach them how to keep themselves safe. As they get older, your children will begin to test the limits you set for them – Why can’t I do this? – so exploring the subject of boundaries with them is crucial.

Your kids should understand the reasons behind the smartphone limitations you are setting, so that they don’t view it as a punishment but rather as an understandable safeguarding tactic on your part.

Using tools such as Reverse Phone Search, for example, means that your kids won’t answer calls from people they don’t know. This helps them to stay safe and will allow them to exercise caution later in life too.

3. Encourage your children to use their phones for learning.

One of the luxuries of having a smartphone is that it can be used for both educational and entertainment purposes. If you are considering buying a smartphone for your child, one of the conditions of this purchase could be that they use it for education, not just for gaming, chatting with friends and social media. 

Encouraging this healthy balance of work and play will help your child become more responsible with their smartphone, so you can ensure they are making good choices even when they aren’t supervised by you.

Final thoughts…

If you are concerned about your child’s smartphone use or access to the internet, use this guide to modify the way your kids are using smartphones. As parents, we should protect our kids while also giving them the freedom to explore things on their own terms.