The Xplora XGO3 is a smartwatch specially developed for children that combines safety and fun. With its multiple functions, it offers parents the opportunity to manage and monitor communication with their children while giving children a sense of independence. We explain what’s behind the smartwatch for children.
The Xplora XGO3 is designed to provide children with a degree of safety while allowing them to explore the world around them and develop their independence. For you as a parent, the smartwatch is a tool for monitoring and managing communication with your child. It is not a fully-fledged smartwatch, but is designed with children in mind and can be operated intuitively by touch.
Key features include GPS tracking to keep track of your child’s whereabouts, an SOS emergency call function in case of an emergency and a limited communication option to enable contact with trusted people. Making phone calls and sending (voice) messages is possible, surfing the Internet is excluded. You cannot enter your own texts for messages.
You can also use the parent app on your smartphone to set a school mode for your child’s school hours and a safety zone in which your child can move around freely without you being notified.
Children and teenagers love the opportunity to wear a smartwatch like adults, but one that is specially tailored to their needs. Functions such as answering calls from pre-authorized contacts and sending SOS messages offer security and a feeling of independence. The little extras such as games or the mini camera can also be fun. In addition, the integrated pedometer motivates children to stay active and promote their fitness.
The provider emphasizes the importance of data protection and provides data protection settings to protect the privacy of users. Parental control functions are also offered to monitor and restrict use. The provider emphasizes that the safety and protection of children is the top priority.
In many families with siblings, there are arguments about media use: the younger ones feel unfairly treated if they are allowed less than the older ones. What some people find exciting, others find boring. Conversely, some media offerings are too much for younger children. The older ones have the feeling that they constantly have to be considerate of their younger siblings. How can parents master the balancing act between the needs of siblings and encourage their children to use media competently?
Whether an only child or a sibling – rules on media use in the family give children structure and security for their everyday life with media. The needs and developmental stages of each child should be taken into account. For example, it can make sense to give older siblings more freedom when it comes to media use, while younger children are subject to stricter limits. For example, older children are allowed to take certain devices into their own room, while younger children should only use media in the shared living areas. The times of use must match the age of the children. Younger people should spend less time in front of a screen than older people. Define the rules together and make sure that they are fair and understandable for everyone. For example, a media usage contract that you draw up individually for each child can help. Everyone in the family should adhere to basic media rules such as “no media at the dinner table”.
“Give me my tablet back now!”, “That’s for babies, I want to listen to something exciting!”, “Why do I have to turn it off when she can still watch?”. Do sentences like this sound familiar? If the age gap is large, different rules apply for each child. This can easily lead to arguments between siblings, whether over access to certain devices or the choice of content. Make the rules clear to your children and help them to put themselves in their sibling’s shoes. For example: “Your big sister wasn’t allowed to watch videos for more than an hour when she was at primary school “. Make sure you recognize conflicts in good time and support them well. This strengthens the relationship between the siblings and they learn to negotiate, compromise and resolve conflicts more and more independently.
Watching movies or playing games together is fun and creates a bond. Parents should support their children in choosing suitable media content for shared media use. Shared media rituals such as watching a science program on Sunday or listening to music in the car are fun and strengthen family cohesion. Siblings often process media content together and act out scenes from series or immerse themselves in the world of their favorite characters in role-playing games. Siblings can learn a lot from each other, especially when they are creative with media together and design radio plays, stop-motion films or photo collages themselves.
There are children and teenagers who spend a lot of time on TikTok spend. They watch short videos from others or produce their own TikToks. What exactly they look at there and publish themselves, many parents do not know and worry – also about the fact that their child can come into contact with strangers .
In response to criticism, TikTok introduced the “accompanied mode” for parental control back in 2020, which was revised again in 2023. This allows you, as the parent or guardian, to control how long the app can be used, whether private messages can be sent and received, and what content is displayed on the “For You” page. Click here for a detailed presentation of the app.
It’s understandable that you, as a parent, are concerned when your child is on social media platforms. Therefore, before using such apps, you should calmly talk to your child about what they are interested in. Explain your concerns to him and make him understand what risks there are in using it. If you are okay with your child using TikTok, ask regularly and stay interested. Let them show you what your child is doing there.
The app is not suitable for children under the age of 13 – as stated in TikTok‘s terms of use. Parents up to 16 years of age must also consent to the use. Make sure that your child really gives his or her correct date of birth. Because this affects the default settings of the app and the accompanied mode. TikTok itself is automatically set to “private” there and has a maximum usage time of 60 minutes a day for the youngest users.
Often children are already interested in the app beforehand. If your child wants to use TikTok, consider whether they might watch TikTok videos without their own account first. Because this is possible via a browser!
If your child is allowed to create a TikTok account with your permission and you choose to use the Accompanied Mode set it up as follows:
TikTok must be installed on your child’s smartphone and on your own device. You can find the Accompanied Mode in the “Digital Wellbeing” settings under “Privacy and Settings”. On the parent’s device, clicking on it opens a QR code that is scanned with your child’s smartphone. By doing so, your child agrees that you, as the parent, may control its use. IMPORTANT: Talk to your child beforehand about the functions in accompanied mode and consider together what should be switched on and to what extent:
TikTok would like to establish a “TikTok Youth Advisory Board” during 2023 to engage with the community itself on how to further develop the app.
Note that there are other setting options in TikTok outside of Accompanied Modethat should definitely be enabled. For example, make sure the account is set to private so that your child’s videos can’t be seen by strangers. For users between the ages of 13 and 15, TikTok makes this setting automatically – but you should definitely talk to your child about what the advantage is and why they should leave it that way or set it that way themselves from 16.
As a parent, you cannot track what content is being viewed. They also cannot read messages or comments, so your child’s privacy is preserved as much as possible. If you trust your child and he or she is already able to use media consciously and safely, it is certainly nicer to be able to do without this control option. Regularly discuss with your child whether the settings still fit as they are, or whether you can change certain settings.
Kinder und Jugendliche wenden sich mit ihren Problemen nicht immer an ihre Eltern. Probleme in der Schule, mit Gleichaltrigen oder sich selbst, werden lieber im Freundeskreis besprochen. Sie suchen nach Antworten, Gleichgesinnten im Internet oder behalten es für sich. Doch was ist, wenn die Probleme größer werden und die Betroffenen keinen Ausweg mehr finden? Wenn Sie als Eltern mitbekommen, dass es Ihrem Kind nicht gut geht? Nicht immer ist das Internet ein guter Ratgeber bei Problemen, aber es gibt durchaus sichere und hilfreiche digitale Beratungsangebote für Jugendliche und Eltern.
Online-Beratungsangebote bieten Unterstützung bei Problemen und Sorgen wie z. B. Mobbing, Essstörungen oder Depressionen. Einige Angebote richten sich speziell an Kinder und Jugendliche. Betroffene können sich selbstständig Hilfe suchen und sich zu unterschiedlichen Themen anonym und kostenlos über eine Website oder telefonisch beraten lassen.
Viele der Beratungsangebote im Netz bieten neben einer Einzelberatung die Möglichkeit, Probleme in einer Gruppe oder einem Forum zu besprechen. Für eine Einzelfallberatung schreiben Betroffene ihre Probleme direkt an psychologisch ausgebildete Beraterinnen und Berater. In einem solchen Austausch erhalten Jugendliche sofort Hilfe und Unterstützung. Je nach Problem und Bedarf kann dieser Austausch unterschiedlich lang ausfallen. Gruppenangebote finden meist in einem Rhythmus statt, z. B. wöchentlich. Eine regelmäßige Teilnahme ist oft hilfreich, aber nicht zwingend nötig. Manchmal finden sich in solchen Chats auch Gleichgesinnte, die auch außerhalb der Sitzungen füreinander da sind. Innerhalb von Foren tauschen sich Betroffene mit Peers aus. Peers sind Gleichaltrige. Sie wurden geschult, um im Chat bei Problemen unterstützen zu können. Sie haben zudem immer die Möglichkeit, auf die Hilfe erwachsener Fachkräfte zurückzugreifen. Der Austausch in den Foren wird außerdem moderiert, um Beleidigungen, Trigger oder das Preisgeben von Daten zu vermeiden.
Die Beratungs- und Hilfsangebote unterscheiden sich darin, welche Altersgruppe angesprochen wird, welche Themen im Mittelpunkt stehen und auf welchem Weg die Beratung in Anspruch genommen werden kann. Einige Angebote richten sich auch an hilfesuchende Eltern:
Hilfsangebote im Netz können einfach und kostenlos angenommen werden. Sie sind leichter zugänglich für junge Menschen als z. B. Beratungsstellen. Die beratenden Personen sind ausgebildet und die Betroffenen bleiben anonym. Eine Kontaktaufnahme kann ein erster und richtiger Schritt sein. Vor allem bei Problemen in der Schule, zu Hause oder mit sich selbst kann es helfen, sich mit Gleichaltrigen auszutauschen oder den Rat einer objektiven Person zu erhalten. Ein Online-Beratungsangebot ersetzt aber keine Therapie! Bei Suizidgedanken oder psychischen Störungen sollte unbedingt der Rat einer weiteren therapeutischen Fachkraft gesucht werden und sich um eine fortlaufende Therapie bemüht werden. Auch bei rechtlichen oder medizinischen Fragen sollten andere Fachstellen aufgesucht werden.
Erzählen Sie Ihrem Kind, dass es diese Angebote gibt. Erklären Sie, dass diese im Vergleich zu Gruppen in offenen Foren oder auf Social Media sicherer sind, da geschultes Personal dahintersteht. Vorsicht auch vor sogenannten Psycho-Apps. Diese sind nicht immer hilfreich und können sogar gefährlich werden. Zeigen Sie Ihrem Kind, welche Angebote es bei Problemen und Sorgen bedenkenlos in Anspruch nehmen kann.
Machen Sie vor allem deutlich, dass es bei Problemen auf Ihre Hilfe zählen kann. Setzen Sie Ihr Kind nicht unter Druck und fragen Sie unvoreingenommen, wenn Sie das Gefühl haben, es hat Probleme. Ein Problem, das Ihnen klein erscheint, kann sich für Ihr Kind wesentlich schlimmer anfühlen. Sie können sich auch selbst oder gemeinsam online beraten lassen.
“Mom, can I watch video?”, “I want to play tablet, Dad!” – media fascinate young children and are part of their everyday life from an early age. In the first years of life, parents lay the foundation for dealing with media. Media education is based on the general values in the family.
Babies and toddlers are not yet very interested in media. They seek contact with their parents and explore the world with all their senses. Developmental steps such as learning to eat, walk and talk are the focus. As parents frequently turn to media, such as the smartphone, young children gradually become interested in them as well.
Targeted media use, such as looking at a picture book or video calling grandma and grandpa, usually takes place with young children in the company of adults. More and more, children are demanding this kind of media time together.
In addition to looking at picture books together, toddlers enjoy music and audio stories; they can play or relax along the way. Offerings such as children’s radio programs and audio boxes are suitable for children and a good introduction to the diversity of the media world.
The child’s brain cannot yet process moving images and hectic sounds well. Children are not able to understand filmed stories until they are about three years old. Nevertheless, your child may already be watching series on the tablet or similar together with older children. Pay attention to what your child is looking at. It is best if you are present, can answer questions that arise, or overhear when your child becomes anxious. Children of kindergarten age enthusiastically watch shows with their favorite characters such as Peppa Wutz, Bobo the Dormouse or Fireman Sam. With child-friendly apps and games, children can get active themselves. Such apps are manageable, encourage creativity and can help with learning.
Whether it’s audio, video, or games, choose short, simple, and age-appropriate content. Young children should use media alone as little as possible, because they are not babysitters. If you and your child already know certain content, he or she can listen to an audio story on their own and watch an episode of their favorite show without you sitting next to them.
“Can I use your cell phone?” – Children learn by observing and imitating what their caregivers do. You are also the most important role model for your child when it comes to media use. Put the smartphone aside when playing with your child. Enjoy time with your child and take time outs from the screen. Model a conscious and reflective approach to media. Even children already have personal rights. Ask your child if he or she is okay with sending photos of him or her via Messenger and, if possible, do not post children’s photos online.
“That was too scary for me!” – Children often still have difficulty distinguishing between fiction and reality and cannot yet reliably assess dangers. Some media content is unsuitable for children.
“Just one more episode!” – Children in the first years of life cannot yet control their media use themselves; they need limits.
Based on a long-term study by the JFF – Institute for Media Education on the importance of digital media in families with young children, there is now a flyer on the topic of media education in the first years of life.
You are reading a story to your child and suddenly the phone beeps to announce a new WhatsApp message. What do you do? Do you automatically reach for your smartphone or do you read the message later when the child is asleep?
Such situations probably exist in every family. When the little son then reaches for the smartphone, it is said: “That’s not for you yet!”.
Be aware that parents and also other adults have an important role model function for children. Children experience how you, as their closest caregivers, deal with digital media and orient themselves to this. This is how children learn how the world works and how to behave in certain situations. Your behavior therefore has a major impact on how your child uses media themselves. By actively setting an example of what good media use can look like, you help your child learn to use smartphones and the like independently, sensibly and consciously.
Especially for younger children, parents are number one. It is especially important for babies and toddlers to recognize your attention through direct eye contact and to build a good bond. When dad is constantly looking at his smartphone, it’s not possible. Children, even at a young age, notice this. The older children get, the more they emulate you. In toddlerhood, they reach for daddy’s smartphone or speak into a brick that has a similar shape. They realize early on how important this device is for adults or older siblings.
Create a good basis for a reflective approach to media right from the start. Keep the smartphone on silent in your pocket when you play with your child, so that they don’t get the impression that the smartphone is always more important. Later, your child may behave the same way. If it does get pulled out, explain to your child why.
There are certainly moments when the smartphone is needed to take a nice photo of your offspring. Capture beautiful moments with the camera! But think about how often that has to be. After all, your child would rather look you in the eye than constantly at the smartphone in front of your face.
Spending time together with media is also part of family life. Introduce your child to it slowly and choose age-appropriate content. However, such media experiences should always alternate with media-free times.
Through it all, be aware of your role as a role model!
With media, children can learn, be creative, relax and have fun. As parents, you are responsible for ensuring that media consumption does not get out of hand. Common rules for media use in the family are helpful.
It is difficult to make a concrete recommendation as to how much time a child of a certain age may spend with media. First, because every child is different and can handle media differently. Second, because media are used for very different purposes – for learning, for spending time together with family, for distraction, etc.
Still, it can help to determine how much time your child is allowed to spend with certain media per day or week. In doing so, you should consider together beforehand which media use falls under this. Is it all about screen media and media use solely for entertainment and relaxation? Are there dedicated time budgets for learning with media?
For children of elementary school age, clear rules are very important because they still need a lot of guidance. They create stability in everyday life and prevent uncontrolled media use. For children in the early elementary years, a set amount of time in the day works better, such as an hour of media time. From the age of about 10, children are already quite independent and can allocate weekly quotas themselves.
For younger children, a fixed time for media use can be set – for example, after homework and before dinner. This structures everyday life.
Settings in apps or devices can help children not to exceed the agreed time. However, your child should gradually learn to put the smartphone or tablet aside by itself after the screen time is over. In this way, they practice and internalize a conscious approach to media.
Children are still developing. That’s why you should make sure they only use age-appropriate media. The desire to watch movies or play games that are only appropriate for teens 12 or 16 and older often leads to conflict within the family. Especially when your child begins to consume media increasingly independently, you should therefore discuss this necessary rule together.
Another important rule, at least until the age of 13, should be that new apps can only be downloaded and tried with your consent and together with you. Give your child more responsibility as he or she gets older and give him or her freedom to use media independently. From adolescence onwards, fixed screen times can be slowly eliminated. Nevertheless, there should be rules about which apps are used and how one’s own data should be handled, for example, when registering with social networks.
Accompaniment by parents is still important in adolescence. Talk to your child about his or her media use. Ask how and why it uses what and how it gets along. Also, always be responsive when problems arise!
Agree on rules only together with your child so that he or she can understand them. Also consider what happens in the event of a rule violation. You can put all of these things in a media use agreement. Be careful not to use media bans as leverage.
As a parent, you are an important guide for your child. Therefore, you should consciously act as a role model – also with regard to your use of the media. Certain rules should apply to everyone. For example, you can agree that smartphones have no place at mealtimes or set up smartphone-free family days. Your child will be increasingly influenced by friends as they reach school age. Therefore, it can help to communicate with other parents what rules apply with them. Perhaps there can be rules that are the same for everyone.
As parents, you have a special responsibility for your child’s media education. But you are not alone in this. The exchange with other parents can be an important support. But you don’t always have time for an in-depth conversation on the spur of the moment. Therefore, there are concrete offers and formats to exchange with other parents on parenting topics and to inform oneself. We would like to present some of them to you here.
The idea is simple: parents of children up to the age of 14 are invited to a host or hostess’s home and exchange ideas in a small group for about two hours on set topics. The moderation is done by dedicated parents. In addition to topics such as nutrition or stress, they often deal with children’s media use, rules of use or new trends. There are no expert lectures, but only the exchange among each other. The idea is that parents already bring a lot of knowledge with them and can share it in Parent Talk. This format exists in Bavaria, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. You can check the linked websites to see if a parent talk session is organized in your area. Often the active parents cooperate with authorities or social workers, so you can also find there.
Media education evenings for parents are held regularly at many schools and other educational institutions. These often include an overview of cell phones and the Internet or topics such as cyberbullying and hate speech, child-safe media use, or how to learn and create content with media. As a rule, a media education specialist is on site to introduce you to the topic and answer your questions. You will also find out where you can get further information and ideas on media education. It is best to ask your child’s school if such a parents’ evening can be organized.
You would like to become active yourself and request or organize an offer for parents? The distribution and accessibility of media education professionals in Germany varies widely. Especially in rural areas, it is sometimes difficult to contact suitable people. Each federal state organizes this area of responsibility differently. It is best to contact your child’s daycare or school first. There are usually social workers, and sometimes teachers, who deal with media education issues. Ask specifically. Often, media educators from the surrounding area are already known and can help.
Throughout Germany, there are media education initiatives, media centers and freelance players offering seminars, workshops and lectures for parents. Also search the Internet for suitable contacts or offers in your area.
Such parents’ evenings are also increasingly offered online – among others by Elternguide. Recordings of these online parents’ evenings are available, for example, from klicksafe and the Internet-ABC. Elterntalk NRW tried out the podcast format. Two media educators regularly talk about topics related to media literacy in their podcast Medially.
Who is allowed to do what with media and for how long? These issues come up in every family sooner or later and not infrequently cause stress and arguments. Rules on media use can help create a structure and avoid conflicts. These can be discussed by parents and children together and recorded in a contract. The online tool for a media usage contract presented here — an offer by klicksafe and the Internet-ABC — is suitable for this purpose.
The tool guides you step by step to the finished paper. You can choose from two age groups (6-12 years and 12+) and choose a title design, a mascot and a background. All the rules you select are automatically inserted like building blocks, so it’s easy to keep track of them all. Each module can be edited individually. Of course, you can also insert your own rules. At the end save the document, then it can be completed at another time. You can also create multiple contracts for different children.
Use the building blocks as a suggestion to start a conversation in your family about media use. Some possible rules you may not have thought about, others are already self-evident. Set priorities, because the tool offers very many ideas that do not all have to be implemented. There are several types of rules:
A contract is nothing more than written down rules that have been agreed upon. The advantage is that you can always look at it and remember it.
A special feature is that rules can also be set for parents. For example, parents can commit to not using the cell phone even at dinner, or to using adult media content only when children are not present. Because rules are easier for children to understand if everyone has to follow them and you set a good example.
Digital media are useful and versatile. With its functions we can organize, learn, create and last but not least have a lot of fun. No wonder they have conquered our everyday life. Because media influence our lives in many ways, being able to use them safely is considered a key skill for getting along in the world, just like being able to read, write and do math. This includes, for example, being able to assess and avoid risks such as fake news, stress online or data theft, recognizing and taking advantage of opportunities such as learning with tutorials , and having the most enjoyable experiences possible with media. All of this is part of media literacy. Media literacy therefore means not only being able to operate technical equipment, but also developing an understanding of how media are made and who makes sure that certain messages are broadcast, for example. Anyone who is media literate knows how and why he or she uses which media. You can assess and avert negative effects, but also approach media and their opportunities in a positive way.
The call for “more media literacy” often refers to children and young people because they are to be prepared for the world of tomorrow. We don’t know this world yet, but we can be sure that media – especially the Internet – will play a major role.
Imagine the Internet is like a city: there are playgrounds, nice stores, but also traffic and unknown people. You don’t just send your little one off, but take the first steps together, showing them everything, e.g. what to look out for when crossing a street, how to use a slide, that you have to pay at the bakery and you don’t just go along with strangers. That’s exactly how it should be on the Internet. Take your child by the hand and accompany them as they explore the digital world.
Developing media literacy is a joint family task right from the start – siblings also play a role. The younger your child, the more you as a parent need to take responsibility for media use and be a role model. As children and adolescents get older, they can and should increasingly be allowed to have their own experiences and discoveries. Stay interested and in conversation with your child throughout this process. Common rules for dealing with media are helpful for you and your children.
To be able to accompany your child, you also need to be media literate. As a parent, you should try to acquire media literacy, together with your child, other parents or through offers from schools and other educational institutions. The same applies to teachers, since they are supposed to teach children and young people and promote their media skills. At ARD, you can find a lot of information, video clips, etc. online under “Strengthening media competence together“.
It is also important for other reasons that all people develop media literacy. Many professionals are continuing their education because work processes are organized digitally. Older people have many opportunities and possibilities to use media in everyday life for their own purposes; grandma and grandpa, for example, can stay in touch with their grandson via video chat. If you want to find out how competent you are in dealing with media, try this self-test.
“But Paul is allowed to!”. Perhaps this statement from your child sounds familiar. Other children, when it comes to media, are apparently always allowed much more, earlier and longer. And you probably also ask yourself certain questions: “At what point should I allow my child to use the first cell phone? How does it work with the settings? Which learning apps are good?”. Talking to other parents can be a good way to answer these questions. You can exchange ideas and experiences on media education together and consider whether you would like to set up similar rules on media use in the family.
This makes sense in many cases, but can also be annoying or problematic at times. Between door-to-door, during visits or in chat groups, e.g. on WhatsApp, parents seek and find opportunities to talk about their children’s media behavior, rules and experiences. Depending on the age of the child, the topics and questions are different. The need for mutual counseling is strongest where there is the most uncertainty; when the child is introduced to new media and their media needs change. A top topic, for example, is the question of the right time for the first cell phone. However, device access alone is not enough. It is important to have an exchange about what exactly child does with media, what works well and what rules apply.
Parent group chats are useful for many reasons, but can also become very annoying. Most parents are in one or more such chats to be informed quickly and easily and to communicate in a simple way about suggestions, wishes and ideas.
Such chats also have some disadvantages and potential for conflict. They are disorganized and sometimes full of trivia and misunderstandings. As different as parents are, they also deal with possible conflicts. Raising children is an irritant for some. Groups often create pressure to be there to have a say. Some parents are excluded from the outset.
The goal of the group should be clearly stated. Equally important are respectful treatment and tolerance among all participants. Remember: all parents use media in their own personal way and are therefore always role models for their child.
As a parent, you are responsible for your child’s media education, so you are in a boat with other parents where support can be very valuable. They must educate about rights and prohibitions and enforce basic rules of media use. Children cannot know many things and you as parents certainly do not know everything either. This makes the experiences of other parents on new trends, apps or media experiences all the more helpful. Due to the protected space without children and teachers, there is a confidential level where it is possible to discuss what children can and are allowed to do or what rules apply during mutual visits.
Parents can also join forces with the help of their children’s school or sports club to find common ground in media education. Seek discussion with the lead teacher from the time of enrollment or a change of school.
Also take advantage of school offerings such as parent-teacher conferences. In some federal states (currently in North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Bavaria), there are so-called parent talks, where parents can exchange ideas and receive further training in private.
Don’t be pressured to do everything right. Check out appropriate other places, such as here at parentguide.online.
As parents, you want to protect your children from all possible dangers and risks – whether on the way to school, in traffic or on the Internet. So-called parental control apps want to support you in this: With different functions, they want to ensure greater safety for your child. But: What is the truth behind the promises of these apps, which functions are useful and what risks do the apps themselves pose?
Some of these apps mainly rely on being able to determine your child’s location via GPS tracking. These must be installed on the parent device and on the child’s smartphone, GPS and “Mobile data” must be activated. Some apps also offer the option of setting virtual boundaries and zones: If your child leaves one of these zones, such as the schoolyard, your smartphone sounds a signal.
With other apps, you can additionally view incoming and outgoing phone calls, SMS, as well as picture, video and audio material. You can also control social media activities and the complete browsing history for certain applications. Certain functions can also be blocked remotely and content blocked.
Other apps, such as JoLo Parental Controls, focus on protecting your child instead of monitoring them. These are installed on the child’s smartphone. By setting a password, you can select those apps that your child is not allowed to use at all or only for a certain time on certain days of the week. Content can also be blocked by filters. For this purpose, for example, the iPhone app JusProg. Google Family Link also brings many of these features. We have taken a closer look at the app in this article.
Such apps promise you as a parent more safety for your child. However, the supposed security sometimes comes at a price and the control apps are not criticized again and again for nothing. In a recent study by the Fraunhofer Institute, many apps were tested. The institute has major concerns, especially with regard to data security. Your child’s data is usually stored unencrypted on unknown servers – location, sound recordings, but also pictures and videos can thus quickly fall into the wrong hands.
Plus, many of these apps represent a massive invasion of your child’s privacy. Your child also has a right to it and needs its freedoms and secrets. This is part of a child-oriented development. Would you have wanted your parents to know everything you share with your friends?
The app may give you a sense of security, but for your child, the constant monitoring can be very uncomfortable. It should not get the feeling that surveillance is something normal. Moreover, the question is whether the fact that you can see what your child is doing with the smartphone really leads to more safety.
Therefore, seek regular discussion with your child and sensitize him or her to possible risks. Ask and be shown what social networks your child uses and what photos he or she shares, for example.
Be upfront about this and let them explain their enthusiasm for certain networks and apps. But also give your child the freedom to keep things to himself.
If you want to try such apps, take a close look at the feature set. Talk to your child about it and decide which app would also make him or her feel safe.
If you want to protect your child from dangerous content or limit the time spent on the smartphone, smartphones themselves often come with setting options such as filters or screen time. Or use designated child and youth protection programs.
You will not see your child’s live location with these apps. Instead of monitoring, you should trust your child. In the morning, discuss when it is where. Your child can notify you if plans for the afternoon change at short notice – after all, even without GPS tracking, they can almost always be reached via their own smartphone. A long walk to school can perhaps be shared with a neighbor’s child. Make it clear to your child that you are concerned if you do not know where he or she is.
