How To Monitor Your Child’s Cell Phone And Internet Activities

Could your child be participating in some acts that could land him or her in jail? Michael Oche shares the latest programmes and applications that you can use to monitor your kids’ cell phone and computer activities. These apps could save you a lifetime embarrassment.

“Sexting”, a scary new trend where teens send nude or semi-nude photos via cell phone, is popping up throughout the country. Young girls have been lured and raped after chatting online with friends on sites like Facebook and other social medium. Your child can be marked and stigmatised if they fall victims. Think also of the trauma they have to face. Here are some apps to safeguard your child’s access to the internet.

Text Guard

This is an application you install on your child’s cell phone. Once the programme is running, you can log into the website and watch all incoming and outgoing calls, text messages, e-mails and web browsing history. You can select a certain phone number and block any activity to that number as well. So, if you suspect suspicious communication, you can make sure your child cannot text, e-mail or call that person.

My Mobile Watchdog

This is also an application that you install on a cell phone. On its website, it gives you a listing of all the activities on a given phone. It also alerts you if calls or messages come in from a specific number. For instance, if you see a suspicious or unauthorised person calling, texting, or e-mailing your child, that call is routed through the My Mobile Watchdog Data Centre. Notifications are then sent to all persons you have established from your web application, such as parents, teachers, police, and so on. From your web application or mobile phone application, you can see all suspicious activities, along with full contents, including images. You can also print out reports to pass on to law enforcement or school officials.

iWonder Surf

This computer application lets you control and monitor the websites your child is visiting. You cannot only see where they go, but when, how often and what they are seeing. You can log on to obtain a log of their activities. Every time they go to a website, it records it and instantly sends traffic reports to you.

Location-Based Programmes

All of these programmes use a combination of GPS (Global Positioning System) and cell tower triangulation to pinpoint your exact location. If you install Whirrl, you can see where your friends and family are on a map from your mobile phone. The participating parties all have to agree to this. But if they don’t, you can see where they are, when they were there and perhaps a photo or status update that they posted. It is fairly accurate in areas where cell phone coverage is good, but not always.

Leadership