Cyberbullying. Sexting. Internet safety. These are all concerns we parents face raising our digital natives. With summer days passing by so quickly, another school year will soon begin, with new challenges as we work to raise our children to be good cyber citizens.
It’s nearly impossible to keep up with all our children’s afterschool activities, let alone stay informed about their digital lives. With all of this new technology that we adults are still working to grasp, how do we begin to make sure our kids are being safe online?
An example of WebSafety’s Dashboard, when viewed on the Web.
WebSafety is a free app to give parents a window to monitor questionable and potentially harmful content on children’s mobile devices and tablets. The app enables parents to:
- Track the current and past locations of your child’s device. Receive a notification when, for example, your child leaves or arrives home with his or her device. In addition, parents can create “fences” which can be set as safe areas or restricted areas. You might set a geo-fence for a dangerous part of town and receive a notification if your child enters that area, or you might simply set your neighborhood as a “safe zone” and receive a notification if your child exits that area. (iOS & Android)
- Monitor text messages. Access SMS messages sent and received and receive notifications when vulgar words are used. (Android)
- Monitor social media. View all photos uploaded to your child’s social media accounts, including Instagram and Facebook, and receive alerts when new photos are uploaded. (iOS & Android)
- Receive alerts about visits to inappropriate websites. Receive notifications when flagged URLs, such as porn, are accessed from your child’s device. (Android)
- Set a curfew for devices. Set time restrictions on children’s mobile devices. If a child tries to use a device during restricted times, the parent will receive an immediate notification. (Android)
- Keep up-to-date on all the apps installed on your child’s device or tablet. See all apps installed and learn more about common apps so you can evaluate the risks of your child using them. (iOS)
- View a real-time dashboard of children’s usage habits and choose how often you’d like to receive notifications. View mobile and tablet usage of all children in one place and receive notifications in real time, hourly, daily or weekly. (iOS & Android)
All of the features of the app are completely free to use, and you can choose to use only the features which are important to you. To learn more about the WebSafety app, check out the video below. (If you cannot see the video, click here to view.)
https://vimeo.com/125935796
For more resources on keeping your children safe online, follow WebSafety on Facebook and Twitter.
