Social networking, developed as a platform for entertainment, has proved to be the most important aspect of our lives. The digital generation uses social media around nine hours a day and this is more than the time they spend sleeping, studying or doing anything else.
The obsession with social media keeps them checking, scrolling, and posting. That obsession, unfortunately, has done more harm than good. Several people lost their lives and many suffered from depression, anxiety and other physical and mental health issues.
But without bothering with the negative effects of social media and instant messaging apps particularly on adolescents and tweens, these technologies are commonly and frequently used. This article discusses ways to monitor these social media apps to minimize the vulnerabilities.
Apps to social media
Luckily, there are a couple of cell phones monitoring apps like TheOneSpy that let you spy on popular social media apps. Installing any of these software on your children’s cell phone helps parents to monitor their children’s digital activity and spy on their social media activities remotely to warn themselves about possible risks. Here’s the list of popular instant messaging and social media apps you can monitor with the social media spy application.
1. Facebook:
Facebook’s popularity doesn’t lie behind the scenes. Nearly 22 per cent of the world ‘s population have Facebook accounts. Facebook is also the most risky social media app and the widely used app, however. Approximately 81 million Facebook accounts are fake because there is no age verification mechanism or any other way to test the validity of the users’ details.
The social media app lets scammers and criminals mask their identities and get in contact with everyone they want. This also let them collect their target information and use it to hack them. Many Facebook teen users experience cyberbullying, depression , anxiety, narcissism, social pressure and many other physical , psychological, and mental health issues.
The mobile phone spy app lets you track your children’s Facebook pages. You will see what they publish, what they want, what comments they make and receive, and what messages they send and what media files. It helps detect whether or not a bully or abuser or some other dangerous behavior is threatening or victimizing your child.
2. Instagram:
The photo-sharing app Instagram is the most used social media service for teenagers following Facebook. It allows the user to upload and share images and videos but the material that is often published through this app is adult-oriented. When this app is being used by your teen or tween, he would most likely be exposed to the age-inappropriate content. The mobile phone tracking app lets you read direct messages from your children and see their likes, follow-ups and followers.
3. Snapshot:
Snapchat, the photo-sharing app that delivers self-destructive messages, has become the town’s talk. Teens are fascinated with Snapchat filters, as they let their pictures beautify. The software is also commonly used for sexting and uploading pornographic images and videos, as well as media sharing.
With the Snapchat spy app, you can track the activities your children are doing on this platform as well as their self-destructive messages. The spy app begins taking screenshots with a gap of 3 seconds, when the user continues using Snapchat. These continuous screenshots delete only one Snapchat operation from your chances of missing out.
4. Tinder:
To say Tinder as a dating or one-night stand device wouldn’t be wrong. The users of Tinder upload their photos and find a match for them to see other people’s photos. If two people select one another, the app triggers the messaging feature and enables the pair to interact to schedule a face-to – face meeting.
Unfortunately, the app does not provide any means to verify users’ authenticity. The person to whom you talk may be a scammer, a rapist, a pedophile, or any criminal. It is conceivable how risky it can be to date these people.
Do not encourage your teens or tweens to use these dating apps, but the Tinder spy app will enable you to be aware of their behaviors and interests if they do. You can read their Tinder messages remotely, and see the list of friends and interests for dating.
5. Kik:
When a tween girl took her life because of the harassing and offensive messages she received through the app, the instant messenger came under fire. The app is considered to be the most risky app that children use for user anonymity, involvement in cases of child abuse and suicide, and lack of parental control. Although the app is rated 17 +, due to the lack of age verification mechanism many underage children are using the app.
The Kik Spy app allows parents to track the activities performed by their children on Kik messenger. You can read the messages your children got and sent via the messenger that Kik and the media they share. It lets you know if your child is in some online danger, or not.
6. Line:
Line is another instant kids favorite messenger that allows them to connect with their friends, share images and videos, make audio , video and conference calls, and play games. Line is not only a fun app but also an unstable device for teens to use.
The abusers and pedophiles use the app to talk with minors on video and share inappropriate content. Parents should take the Line Spy app’s help to keep eyes on children’s use of the Line. You can view texts, photographs and videos exchanged through the app, and detail the calls made and received through the app, including the caller / recipient’s time , date and contact details.
7. Skype:
Skype continues to be one of the widely used video chat platforms across workplaces and home. The Skype Spy software helps you to track communications that have been created via the device. You can view the received and rendered text, emoticons, images , and videos via the app.
The Bottom Line:
Digital surveillance helps parents to track the actions of children online and insure that they are not abused or involved in abuse. Educate your children about the potential dangers of the apps for social networking and instant messaging. Let them know what kind of activity online is permissible and what kind of information they should post on the internet. Let them also know about the privacies of social media and encourage them to protect their social media accounts.