ADDRESS YOUR TEEN’S CELLPHONE ADDICTION USING THE APP TO LIMIT SCREEN TIME

It is an undeniable fact that today’s teens love to socialize but, only through social networking sites. They feel hesitant in initiating a face-to-face conversation with other people whereas they add hundreds of people as friends on their social accounts. Undoubtedly, social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are the major reason of cell phone addiction in teenagers. The urgency to respond to a text message or to check notifications on social media apps shows the screen addiction in teenagers.

How Can You Get Your Teen Off Their Mobile Devices?

Worried about your teen’s excessive obsession with screens? Here are a few useful steps which you can follow to limit your teen’s usage of electronic gadgets:

1. Encourage Face-to-Face Socialization

Avoiding in-person interactions and preferring communication via texting have become a common practice among teenagers. As a parent, you need to make sure your child understands the importance of face-to-face conversations for strengthening their bond in any relationship. Encourage your teen to invite their friends over to spend time at your house so that they get to talk tom their friends without using their smartphones.

2. Find Resources for Children to Keep Them Busy

The more time your child has, the more addicted they become to screens. Keep your child busy. Encourage them to take part in noncircular activities such as swimming, drama classes, music or dance groups etc. Help them find their field of interests. You can even spend some quality time with them by working on different DIY projects together. By introducing new ways of keeping them busy, you can protect your teen from screen addiction.

3. Be a Role Model

Put your phone down and be attentive while talking to your teenager. If you check your cell phone during meals or receive calls while driving, you cannot expect your teenager to put their phone aside. Make sure you portray an ideal conduct to your teenagers related to the use of technology.

4. Set Ground Rules and Declare Consequences

Your teenager needs to realize that cellphone is just a privilege which can be taken away from them if they do not use it appropriately. Make “no cellphone rules” during meals, while driving and after midnight. Punish them accordingly if they don’t follow the declared rules. 

How Can an App to Limit Screen Time Help Parents?

With the help of an app to limit screen time such as Family Time, parents can:

• Monitor the screen use of their kids such as their call logs, web history, sms history and much more
• Schedule an auto screen lock on teen’s device
• Lock their teen’s mobile device remotely from a distance anytime they want

Other than that, the FamilyTime app provides several unique features which you can see by getting the app on your device.

REGULATE YOUR TEEN’S SCREEN USE WITH THE HELP OF SCREEN TIME APP

When it comes to maintaining a positive digital citizenship for your child, regulating their screen use comes first. Because a disproportionate screen time is the root cause of many digital slip-ups. Too much screen time not only exposes your child to digital traps on the web but also interferes with activities like spending time with friends and family, being physically active in sports, doing homework efficiently etc. Teenagers who use their cell phones all day long suffer from sleeping

disorders, attention problems and obesity.

Screen Time Tips for parents

For teenagers, screen time includes activities like researching for a school project, interacting with friends on social sites which usually takes most of their precious time and playing video games online. But, apart from these activities, exploring adult websites and pornographic content has also become common among teenagers which leave quite damaging effect on their minds.

Parents need to make screen time productive for their kids. Here are some tips to help you do it!

• Provide your teen chances to explore his or her interests and hidden talents. For instance, if your child likes to swim, encourage them to take part in swimming competition or if they like to act, ask them to enroll themselves in an acting class.
• Plan family time with your child and keep screens away during that time. You can take your teen to a walk or for a lunch etc.
• Keep them engaged in DIY projects. You can take help from several step-by-step tutorial available on the net. Assist your teen in their new DIY project.
• Make a rule of “no screen time” during meals and homework hours.
• Teach your teen about the challenges they might have to face online. Educate them about cyberbullying, sexting, porn addiction, violent video games and the dire consequences these digital traps may inflict on them. 

No matter what, screen time should never replace the time needed for the activities like sleeping, eating and playing. Display an ideal behavior in front of your kids. Don’t use your cell phone during mealtimes or while driving to model a substantial conduct.

Screen Time App for Parents

Most of the smart parents use screen time apps to regulate their child’s screen use. If you are still not one of those parents, you need to start considering it. Install a screen time app now and make your life easy!

One such app is FamilyTime. Using FamilyTime, parents can schedule an auto screen lock on their teen’s device. FamilyTime even enables parents to lock teen’s device anytime they want. Sounds interesting? Download the app now and explore several more valuable features! Click the buttons below to get the app!

 

Boredom Leads To Overuse Of Devices! – Handle It with a Limit Screen Time App

“I am getting bored” – parents ignore this statement. Instead of finding them a healthy activity, they leave them on their own thinking it is temporary. Kids are full of zeal and zest. They need to put their energy to work or otherwise they get bored. It usually happens when they have ample free time. This is when they usually turn to their digital devices and play games, surf the internet, watch videos or kill time on social media. Even in school days, when they have a little free time they prefer spending it on the internet.

The use of devices is the destructive outcome of boredom. This becomes a habit and soon they try to find free time so that they can use their phones. Often it happens that they have different things to do, but they go for their devices instead. These are the signs of addiction.

Overuse of technology is harmful to them in a lot of ways. They lose interest in physical activity and social interaction. It damages their metabolism, eyesight, posture and mental health with the risk of depression and anxiety. The worst outcome is screen addiction. This becomes a way of their life and stays with them for the rest of the time.

You don’t want such a life for your kids. Here is a two-step procedure to help them overcome boredom in healthy ways.

Step one: Limit the use

The first step is to limit the devices so that they don’t reach for their gadgets whenever they feel bored. You can do this by restricting their device access with a limit screen time app like FamilyTime. It applies screen locks for restriction. When the lock is activated, kids cannot use their devices. It gets deactivated on its own accord. Time is managed and set by the parents. Limited access means their devices are not going to help them. They would have to do something else. It can also be used to limit distractions and disruptions at the dinner table or at night. Try this app for free. 

Go to Google Play or Apple store or tap on the buttons below:

Step two: Constructive activities

Step two is the old-school method of involving them in healthy activities. The easiest way is to enroll them in a dance class, music lessons, drawing lessons or a game. If not you can always arrange that at home. Bring them art supplies, ask them to help you with cooking, do some deep cleaning in the living room or simply play darts. There is so much more to do once you get a break from your devices.

Keep them going!

The key is to not let them get bored and arrange different constructive things to do – anything that doesn’t result in overuse of digital devices. It is important to keep them busy as boredom also leads to depression and negativity. A limit screen time appis perfect for ensuring productive device-free time for them. So the next time they are bored and scrolling up and down on Facebook, ask them to write a poem about it instead!

Ensuring Safe Screen Time with a Limit Screen Time App

Technology and electronic devices are now considered a part of human life. It is no longer something foreign but an integrated component of our daily life. The kids literally grow up with these devices. They do most of their school and other daily tasks with the help of internet. The screen time is now called simply as “time”.

While the normalcy can’t be denied, it is also a fact that excessive or continuous device use is injurious to health. It not only affects the physical health, but also the mental well being. It is responsible for obesity and eye damage at a young age. Body pain, incorrect posture, sleep deprivation and hormonal imbalance are also caused by the blue light emitted from these devices. It increases the risk for depression and social anxiety. The human attention span is also shrinking due to it.

Reduce Screen Time

In this situation, the fitting solution seems to be the reduction of screen time and keeping it within a limit. Instead of fretting over the health of our kids why not control their device use and schedule it in a way that it becomes safe. Screen addiction is pretty much real and it works like any other drug addiction. Its withdrawal causes irritation and agitation. That is why it is important that parents control it right from the beginning.

How to Reduce Screen Time?

Technology itself has proposed a way and that is in the form of a limit screen time app. Apps like FamilyTime allow parents to schedule their kids’ device time. There are different limits or rules that can be set. It works like a digital curfew during which kids cannot use their devices.

The device locks down and the kids cannot do anything about it. They have to do something else. This way they are engaged in other activities like games and spend time with family. Apply screen limits during meals so that the whole family can have uninterrupted dinner together. During study hours so they can solely concentrate on their assignments. At night so they can have proper sleep without any beeps or dings intruding and wake up fresh in the morning. Other than that you can make a schedule for weekends and holidays when they have more time to spend with their devices. Do other activities instead like outdoor games, yoga, cooking, baking, art and crafts etc.

Get FamilyTime for your Android or iOS device.

Limiting For the Good

So it is clear that a midway solution that suits both the parents and the children is to keep the screen time within safe hours. It can be easily done using a limit screen time app. Most parents are taking up digital monitoring and parenting. Screen time management is also a part of that. Keep your kids safe and give them a better digital life, establish screen time limits for your house. It fulfills your kids’ basic need, all the while keeping the health hazards at bay.

5 harmful effects of sexting and how a text monitoring app can help parents

Sexting is the rising danger among kids. Teens and even pre-teens are involved in the sending and receiving of sexually explicit messages or images. This is done either by text or internet messaging apps. According to Pew Research center, 15% kids have received “sexts” through text messages and 4% have admitted to sending nudes to others.

Some kids are forced by their partners to send such messages and some think that it is normal because they don’t realize the dangers associated with it. Sexting can backfire in multiple ways, which is why parents need to start text messages monitoring as well.

Harmful effects of sexting

Here are major harms of sexting, which can damage kids:

Sharing

Kids may send sexts to their partners because they trust them, but they can misuse these messages. They can forward their messages to others and make them a gossip item for people.

Digital Footprint

Anything that reaches the internet can be tracked. A digital trail is created and it can cause a lot of trouble. Most kids don’t get proper jobs or have disturbed relationships because of their past that can be easily searched on the internet. A nude sent just for fun can later become a big problem for them.

Bullying

People can use such information for bullying. As a result, kids may face harsh remarks and receive hate from peers. The bullies leave no chance to embarrass the victims.

Depression

The embarrassment causes depression. Kids become socially withdrawn and wish to stay at home. If not handled timely this can also lead to suicide.

Body Shaming

It is possible that the images sent may turn into body shaming by the partners. This can also happen if the images, go online. Other kids show no mercy in saying bad things and this shatters kid’s self-esteem completely.

How can you stop it?

Here are a few tips to help parents stop it:

Parental Controls

A text monitoring app can help you detect if your kid is involved in such activity. Apps such as FamilyTime allow you to do so with its SMS tracking feature. You can access their messages and read them. It is easy and convenient. You can also keep a 24/7 watch on their other cellphone activities, block apps, and manage device usage. Get it and try:

It will help you to spot:

• Sexting slang
• Sexual offers
• Hate speech
• Depressive thoughts

Block Apps

You can block the sexting apps or other apps that are being used for the same purpose. Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Kik are the popular apps for sexting.

Talk

Have a talk with them. Tell them about the dangers of sexting and how they can be safe.

A little prevention can go a long way!

By using a text monitoring app you can prevent all these harms from happening. Bullying and shaming can have long-term effects on kids. They might do this thinking it’s just for fun but it can come back to them later in time. To lose a job or good opportunities because of a mistake in teenage doesn’t sound good at all. So protect your kids in time and make parental control apps a part of your digital life.

4 Reasons Why You Need a Family Locator App!

Kids are risk takers and tend to explore new things. They don’t think much about the troubles they can get into before talking to a stranger or visiting a new place their friends told about. They just do it, leaving their parents fretting over their well-being.

The worry is not unjust because they can get into numerous problems. Here are the major reasons why you should consider a location tracking parental control app as your solution.

Panic Situation

They can get into any emergency situation. It can be a medical condition, a fight with friends, or if they feel they are lured by someone. Someone could be following them. Child predators are on a look out for such opportunities. They can get kids to disclose their location or frequent places and kidnap them.

Daily updates

Kids have their schedules set, they go to school and after that soccer or dance practice. They have study groups or regular hangout places. You cannot call them again and again if they reached safely, they would get annoyed and call you a helicopter parent.

Sneaking

They get tempted easily and may sneak into places not right for them. Like going to a bar or a stranger’s party.

Out of Town

If you have to go out of town for several days you can keep worrying about their whereabouts. It can also give them a chance to lie and go to places they are not supposed to go.

Location Tracking – Wise Solution

To get rid of all these worries you can use a parental control app. There are several apps such as FamilyTime that provide location tracking and geofencing services. You can get auto check-ins and check-outs throughout the day. Your kids can send you SOS alerts in panicky situations with complete location details. They can also send you pick-me-up reminders. You can create virtual fences around places you don’t want them to go and get alerts if they try to go there. Apart from that, you can retrieve full location history over an extended period of time. Android and iOS compatibility is not a problem at all. You can try it here:

Kids are kids after all and they are susceptible to risks. Ease away your paranoia by keeping a constant check on them. Stay updated. You are not butting in, using a parental control app is just a smart away of knowing their whereabouts and handling any harm before it gets out of hand.

Steve Jobs Was Smart, Are You? - iOS Parental Controls Advice

Did you know that Steve Jobs bannedthe excessive use of iPhone and iPads for his kids when he was running Apple? It comes as a surprise! One tends to think that his kids must use technology all the time. Turns out that’s not the case and Mr. Jobs actually restricted his kids to use i-devices in the house all the time. His words regarding the use of technology are:

He limited the use of iPhones and other Apple devices on school nights. Children were allowed to use them on theweekend for a short amount of time. Other tech parents of such companies also take the similar stance. They are well aware of the dangers unlimited exposure to technology can cause so they made sure that they kept their children safe from them. They didn’t want their children to end up like them- tech addicts.

Studies show that children under the age of 10 have more tendency to become dependent on technology. They can develop unhealthy habits and sleeping issues. They also have difficulty in social interactions and paying attention to things for longer periods.

Kids under 10 should not use such devices for more than half an hour. Kids from 10 to 14 can use them but only for homework tasks. That should only be allowed for 2 hours.

Kids love their iPhones and iPads and it is the new way of doing things. They need them for several purposes. Technology has become the need of the time which is why we can’t completely ban them for our kids. However, we can make its use safe for them.

What can you do keep your kids safe from the overuse of technology and potential risks?

Spend Quality Time

The best thing to do is talk to them. Spend time with them so they don’t feel the need to use technology. Quality family time spent is so much better than several hours in front of a screen. This not only strengthens the family bond but keeps your children safe from possible social and health issues.

Use Parental Controls

In this age, it is difficult to completely cut off your kids from technology. They do need it for their homework and research purposes. Which is why parents can go for a middle ground. You can use the inbuilt feature to monitor and control your kid’s use of technology. Apart fromthem, there are severaliOS parental control apps available such as FamilyTime which allows you to limit screen time by locking the phone for specific time periods. In this way, their phone use gets limited to few hours a day. You can set your own priorities on weekends and school nights.

FamilyTime – Smart Parenting App

FamilyTime is a smart tool to handle all your parenting needs. You can manage all your kid's accounts from a single dashboard and get constant reports. It is available for all iOS devices at iTunes.

Here is how it can help you to limit the use of iPhone and iPads for your kids:

Screen Time

It provides you the best solution to limit and regulate the amount of time kids spend on their devices. You can set specific times like bedtime, dinnertime and homework time in which the kid’s phones get locked. In this way, they don’t miss meals and get distracted by fancy games or social media apps during their homework time and get a good night’s sleep.

Custom Rules

You can also make rules for other time intervals. All you have to do is give the start and end time and number of recurrent days. This app makes sure your kids follow the schedule you made for them.

Block Apps and Web Surfing

You can block system apps such as Camera, Siri, and Safari etc. to stop them from spending unnecessary time surfing the internet. You can also block the 3rd party apps. This can be for specific time periods or permanently.

Now you know how important it is to regulate the time your kids spend on their iPhones or iPads. So go ahead and talk to your kids about using their mobile devices moderately and talk to them about using iOS parental controls on their phones. Regulating and supervising their technology use is not only important for their safety but also for their psychological wellbeing. Be smart like Steve Jobs and ensure a happier, healthier life for your kids!