A child shouldn’t have a phone take that ass outside and play live life dont read about it and watch it on the internet live it like it was meant to be lived…
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I use Family Link to monitor my kids phones. You have to approve everything they download, and you can control what times they can be on their phone, and what time to lock the phones. I have my kids phones lock down from 8 pm to 6 am. Its a lifesaver!
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I used a great app called Familylink. It also monitors their location at all times. If she walked to the grocery store it would go as far as to tell me what isle she was on. Great app!
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I will randomly ask for my daughter’s phone and check. I monitor everything. Can’t be to careful these days
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I literally go through it at random. If I say hand me your phone then the kids hand them over that moment
They don’t need a smartphone. Get them an old brick phone so they can only text and call family.
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Maybe just change the phone to simple talk and limited text no games or apps or social media
Has anyone used Bark before? I keep seeing ads for it.
Family link app that is linked to your phone , everything he downloads will appear on your phone, you can even monitor his screen time allow access to certain apps it’s great
If you have an Apple iPhone I just use screen time. It’s password protected. I block internet access completely, only allow certain apps and can block others (if she wants to download one I have to approve and put a PW), the phone is locked between the hours of 22:30-07:30 ( which means she can’t do anything on the phone except call/text emergency contacts which is me and her dad), she cannot text anybody that’s not in her contacts (she can’t add any contacts with out my PW). She really can’t do much. But she does need it because she goes places and does things with friends and it’s not that I don’t trust her it’s other people who I don’t trust and when she babysits her younger siblings she needs a means on contact.
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My sons had a phone since he started middle school at almost 10. He was walking to and from school and he was to text me if he was going to be more than 10 minutes late for whatever reason. I have always been open with him about hidden dangers etc and Id have a look every now and then at his messages, just to see who. I think in this day and age all kids need a phone, they dont need to have the latest and greatest models…
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Kids dont need a phone at 12. If dad is such a rotten character that the needs a phone, get supervised visits.
Surely the school would give the child a message or make a phone call. The parents THINK they need a phone. I had two step daughters, we let them call their mother any time and vice versa.
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People… It’s her child. She doesn’t need you telling her that HER child doesn’t need a phone. She asked for advice and help on how to monitor. Not judgement.
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I use Google family link on my daughter’s phone. I can literally block anything I want to. Only thing I can’t do is remotely monitor texts but I can do that thru phone company. She I can pick and choose what she is allowed to access and any app she downloads has to be approved by me. I can also remotely lock apps or lock her phone from my phone. Best part, Google family link is 100% free!
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We never did. If we found out anything was going on it was usually via other means and we talked about it like we would just as if the phone never existed. In current times a phone is a necessity. Proper phone etiquette should be discussed but it should never be used as a bargaining tool, in my opinion.
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Same. It can be from a text or from social media. I tried to trust my 13 yr old and found out I couldn’t. So apps are all gone. If she gets an app I have to put in a password. We also have life360
I have 2 girls (grandkids) and they do not have phones. I have a phone I can lend them when they leave the house in case of emergency . They are instructed to use only for emergencies. Otherwise they don’t need one at this age. Kids that have them overuse and some end up getting in trouble. Once they start driving I’ll give them a phone but if they abuse the privilege they have to pay their own way.
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Up to the parent if child needs phone. My grandkids all have cell phone. They are in lots of activities at school and thru Parks n Rec. There are apps to help you monitor your child’s cell phone. My son is divorced and got his daughter a cell phone to be able to talk to her. He shuts off after certain times. Be direct and follow thru if abuses.
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I turn off the data it’s a phone therefore my son can only use it as a phone if he wants data when he’s old enough he can have a job and pay for it
My daughter has a Gabb phone…she can make and receive calls and text but has no internet on it. It has some basic features but it’s essentially just a phone. It’s $20 a month.
Sometimes kids that age need a phone in case something happens leave her alone about her son doesnt need a phone. Anyways you can put it on safe search on the internet part by going to settings and if your phone has play store you can go into the setting and put the parental controls on to make sure he doesn’t have inappropriate games and such on his phone because it wont let you download.
We used an app called bark when my daughter was having issues. Now she’s 17 and the issues are not too bad so we don’t use it currently. It works best on android as apple has a lot of ways around the protections. We also use Verizon family to track her phone(she was sneaking out) and enact schedules for phone and Internet, as well as which content she can use.
If im not mistaking all phones have to have an email entered to allow them to download apps and stuff so i entered my email address. So to check YouTube history and most things i dont even have to touch his phone i check through mine. I did find something alarming once in YouTube history had a talk with him he was grounded haven’t found anything ever since. Im the parent hes the minor my house my rules he wants a phone I can go through his phone at anytime without him complaining he is not allowed to save anyones number without telling me who the person is. Hes also not allowed to delete history from the internet and i told him the way i would know is if i check how much time he spent in each app and if i dont see recent history on it phone becomes mine. No questions asked
It’s simple… when they least expect say give me ur phone…. Or pray you did will enough that ur kids is being smart online…
maybe don’t do that?
I just let my teens know that I have their phone passwords and can go thru their phones at any moment. When they were younger we told them we had a special secret grown up on their phones that show us EVERYTHING at all times lol.
Take the phone and go through it. They don’t need privacy in their phones until they are adults paying for it themselves.
Usually through your phone carrier being you are the adult primary account holder - you can control all activity on his phone via their website
Until they are 18. Parents paying for it? It’s your phone.
Family link is good if you would like info feel free to message me and ask
my son had a flip phone. Cant get apps on a flip phone
Flip phone. Don’t get them smart phones. Just a simple flip phone with just talk and text.
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Ongoing communication about appropriate use and online safety along with the rules that I always have the password and I reserve the right to go through it any time I want. I do random checks and go through it with a fine tooth comb (mine’s 14). Any inappropriate usage or broken rules and the phone’s gone until until trust can be rebuilt.
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My son has a Samsung and it has parental controls on it we just use those and they seem to work to keep him from getting into things he shouldn’t but we also do random phone checks by whatever adult he is with at the time and that helps to
We have androids and I use Family Link to approve or deny his apps and websites, and limit his usage
There is always kids mode where the you tube is strictly kids only
My son is 12 and has a phone from his dad (we are not together) and he’s got access to his phone and what he can and cannot do from his phone.
Download Family Link from Google. You can set up all types of restrictions and bedtime for your sons phone. You have to approve every app. I restrict the internet, Google search, and any apps that can be used for chatting with strangers.
There is a parental control app that helps you block sites games videos pics all using the Google accounts the device is linked with
Look up gabb phones, no internet or social media just for calling and texting.
Don’t give a 12 year old a phone 
Commutation is key my son has a phone I dont have to monitor it
You can put that app on your phone that tracks the phone too so you know where they are.
Dont take the phone away
Verizon kid line. 20 approved contacts, set limits, put restrictions on approved access, location tracking, notifications, and shows everything they do