Because they want to make sure that people aren't doing anything to you or sending stuff to you and to protect you. It might seem a little impersonal, but they just really care about you and your well being, and that people don't hurt you through social media or anything else.
Overall, parents should be able to trust their kid enough to not look through their phones. This will also maintain trust and a healthy relationship. If there is heavy evidence that there is something that should be investigated, then it's okay, but if not… teens should have some privacy.
As kids spend more and more time deep in their devices, they may not be communicating to parents how they're actually feeling or what struggles they're facing. Because of this, issues like cyberbullying and depression may go unaddressed, negatively affecting school performance, attendance, and self-worth.
It's 100 percent your right to check their devices,” said Bill Wiltse, President of Child Rescue Coalition. Child predators want to invade children's lives, an abuse that they may never recover from. The horrific truth is that some children are driven to suicide having suffered online abuse.
Learning to use privacy appropriately is a big part of this process of becoming independent, responsible, and ready to leave the nest. Along the way to autonomy and adulthood, increasing amounts of privacy allow your teen the chance to develop several skills and learn important lessons.
When you give a kid a device will determine how long a parent is going to be monitoring them, though not all parents agree on when they should give up control. As we showed in our previous survey coverage, parents tend to agree that they have to monitor kids up to about age 10.
If you feel justified in reading them, you ought to be willing to be upfront with your child about what they're doing. Wanting to keep your child safe and have the information you need about their lives to provide guidance is a fair reason for reading text messages – if that's what you want to do, just say so.
Kids with cell phones are likely to spend too much time on them, keeping them from doing more productive things like exercising and reading. There is increasing evidence of addiction to electronic devices, which like any other kind of addiction is destructive.
Studies have found that instead of being a good punishment, it is instead a punishment that can only be used in certain situations and can make kids think less of their parents and affect their relationship between them and their children in a more negative way.
Parents are strict for various reasons, some good and some self-serving. Some strict parents have high expectations. They teach their children self-discipline by holding them accountable. These parents have their kids' best interests at heart.
“If your child violates curfew, taking away the phone is completely unrelated to that behavior,” says Dr. Peters. “You're not connecting with the kid. You are making them feel bad, which you think is helping them learn, but in fact is helping them learn to be sneaky or learn that you are the punisher.”
Grounding for a week, or two or three weekends is probably sufficient to get the message across without losing it over time. A month may be too long. As the parent of a teen, a shorter time gives you a lesser chance of caving in and reducing the grounding period later.
One rule for parenting tweens is to understand that tweens need privacy for a good reason. “In middle school, children are trying to find their own sense of self, their own identity,” explains John Lee, LCSW, a Tennessee-based family therapist. “Wanting their own space is part of that.”
Reading text messages can be a way to ensure your kids are making safe choices, and that you're aware of any possible issues they might be encountering, whether it's with friends or personally.
By age six, most kids understand the concept of privacy, and may start asking for modesty at home. Here's what you can do to honour your child's privacy. A child's demand for privacy signals their increasing independence, says Sandy Riley, a child and adolescent therapist in Toronto.
What is the ideal age for a first phone? Your children could be ready for a smartphone or similar device anywhere from 10 to 14, or during middle school. A sixth-grader (typically 10 to 11 years old) could be a good start for considering a phone or a wearable.
Ringing cell phones can disrupt classes and distract students who should be paying attention to their lessons at hand. Text messages have been used for cheating. And new cell phones with cameras could be used to take photos of exams, take pictures of students changing clothes in gym locker areas, and so on.”
By the time kids are in middle school, the pressure from kids can be intense, and parents worry that their child will feel isolated if other kids have phones and they don't. According to Common Sense Media, 42 percent of kids have a phone by age 10. By age 12, it's 71 percent. By 14, it's 91 percent.
“It's just a tool. Reading your child's text messages is not that different than eavesdropping or reading their diary.” She advises parents to stay in their lane by steering clear of needless snooping, whether trying to find out what your kids are saying or who they are hanging out with.
The only things allowed in a bedroom are things that don't have the potential to obstruct sleep. A phone has that ability, as does a computer, TV, pretty much anything with a screen. Electronics and sleep do not go together. Your job is to ensure she is protected at night by safeguarding her sleeping space.
Invading the child's privacy denies the child a sense of integral self. It erases the boundary between parent and child and takes their right to control it away. Parental snooping can also backfire. More than a decade of research has shown us that not only is privacy invasion bad for kids, it doesn't work well either.
Social media monitoring is an essential part of parenting in today's world. You can even set up notifications so that you are alerted anytime your teen posts something. This way, if your teen posts something inappropriate, you can address it, and have them remove it. Be sure you know what your teen is doing online.
Anger is a normal part of adolescence and can be a healthy emotional response to outside stressors. Anger is a secondary emotion for teens as it often masks other underlying issues including sadness, hurt, fear, and shame. When these underlying emotions become too much, a teen will often respond by lashing out.
What is a 12-year-old's bedtime? A 12-year-old should ideally get 9-11 hours of sleep. If your nearly teen needs to wake up at 6:30 am for school, aim for an 8:15, at latest 9 pm bedtime.