Even if you can completely trust your kids, you may not
be able to trust the people that are calling them. Kids
become very vulnerable when on their cell phones. Just
take the recent “sexting” trend as an example to what is
happening. If your kid’s schoolmates aren’t the ones
sending dirty pictures and messages on the cell, then it
could be a sexual predator posing as a student.
Considering the treats, it makes sense to use a cell
phone monitoring application and a reverse phone
directory to keep your kids safe.
There are several applications available which will
monitor your children’s cell phone calls, messages, and
other activities. These apps are usually very simple to
run; just upload the app to the phone and it will start
sending all the cell activity to an email account of
your choice. Some of the cell phone monitoring apps
instead upload the information to a special website
where each member has an account.
Some of the most popular cell phone monitoring software
includes:
Phone Sheriff: This is one of the most advanced cell
phone monitoring systems. It lets you monitor everything
that your children do on their cell phones, set up time
restrictions, block certain numbers, and block access to
certain websites. It also records GPS locations. The
price is about $50/year.
Mobile Spy: This app lets you record every single SMS,
view all pics and videos taken by the phone, and view
call information. It also logs GPS positions. The most
advanced version of Mobile Spy will cost you about
$130/year.
Text Guard: This app was designed for monitoring
employees but it can be used for monitoring kid’s text
messages too. It will record all SMS messages sent and
received from a phone.
My Mobile Watchdog: With this parental control app for
cell phones, you can monitor all SMS messages, control
applications on the phone, block website access, and
limit the time that the phone can be used. It costs
about $10/mo per phone.
These applications are very helpful for making sure that
your kids are using their cell phone responsibly.
However, they aren’t going to be very helpful on their
own if someone else is taking advantage of your kids.
That is why these apps must be used in conjunction with
a reverse cell phone directory. A reverse cell phone
directory has information which your standard reverse
White Pages does not. Many of the reverse cell lookups
even give you background checks, employment histories,
and social media profiles.
If you find suspicious activity on your child’s phone,
then you can use the reverse cell lookup to find out
where it came from. Children’s cell phones are often
targeted by scammers and sometimes even sexual predators
looking for child porn. If the suspicious activity was
from a classmate, then the reverse cell lookup will tell
you this so you can inform the parents. If the activity
was from a convicted felon or other threat, then you can
make sure to inform the authorities before other
children are targeted. |
