Undoubtedly, WhatsApp has revolutionized the concept of messaging. Children are drawn more towards social media apps including WhatsApp. So, what is it that parents need to know about their kids’ safety on the app? Does using a WhatsApp hack online to monitor their kid’s online activity work? Let’s find out.
When WhatsApp came into the picture, it stole the limelight and put behind all the other instant messaging apps including the traditional text messaging service offered by mobile network companies. In fact, the app urged people to leave traditional messaging service and switch to instant messaging service.
With over 630 million people in its large user-base, the app allows them to send messages, photos, videos, and make calls (voice and video) with their friends and family living nearby and far away. Since this is the digital age we are living in, WhatsApp is particularly more appealing to young children as well as teens as all they need to use the app is a smartphone with a Wi-Fi connection enabled on it.
According to research, 27% of all the selfies shared on social media apps come directly from WhatsApp. Now you can realize this instant messaging app has a huge impact on children’s lives. Here is what parents need to know about WhatsApp to ensure their kids stay safe on it.
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Children’s Safety on WhatsApp
There are a number of reasons as to why WhatsApp seems more appealing to children. The first one is, it is really easy to use. The second, it is available for free; no bills need to be paid for using this app while sending a message to someone or making a call.
Since WhatsApp has become more popular among children and teens, they tend to perceive that they have more privacy when using the app. They feel more private and secure while using the app because it allows them to have one on one messaging with the other person.
Though WhatsApp claims to provide strict privacy controls for children, putting up an age restriction of 16 for setting up an account on the app, unfortunately, there is no enforcement of this restriction which prevents younger children than that age from joining and using the app.
Currently, WhatsApp has not put any restriction on the type of content that can be shared on the platform. This means it is very important that parents talk to their children about what kind of content they should share online and the app for that matter.
At the same time, parents should also remind them of the significance of employing the same level of caution and attention that they do when they are offline as they do when they are online. The group chat on WhatsApp also allows random people to gain access to your child’s number and then send them unsolicited messages.
Some WhatsApp Safety Tips
Here are some important and practical things that you can do to help your children stay safe on the app. By asking your kids to apply some safety settings within the app, you can help your kids keep a distance from the online dangers.
For instance, turning off the GPS location feature on the app can help keep your child safe. Apart from that, you can also teach your child how to block and report a certain user on the app in case they are reached out by someone they don’t know or receive content that is not suitable for them to view.
Having said that, we truly believe nothing can beat the importance of explaining about making the right choices when they are using WhatsApp. Of course, setting up privacy settings on the app also matters but when you sit down and make your child explain about how to use WhatsApp the right way and how to keep the online threats at bay, your child will be more likely to make smart decisions on their own while using the app.
Children often forget how they communicate with others and what content they share online. Try to make them understand the long-term implications of what they share on the app today. Once shared online, it is not possible to remove or delete the content and it could surface again.
A WhatsApp spy app can also be considered to keep an eye on your child’s online activity. In case your child ever gets in trouble, the app can help you know about the situation so you can take immediate action.
We would like to conclude by saying that the use of WhatsApp or any other instant messaging apps is only going to increase with time, changing the way we communicate with others. Helping your kid to make smart decisions about whom they interact with or what kind of content they share is a great way to help them stay protected while using these apps.
