Introduction
Parental control of screen time, whether on a PC or on a mobile device, is very important for a number of reasons. It establishes boundaries and helps children to develop balanced lifestyles that involve not only the latest technology but also physical activity and social/academic interactions.
Through monitoring and regulating children’s screen time parents can reduce associated risks such as phone addiction, predators and scammers, which can impact mental health, reduce attention spans and disturb sleep patterns.
It also helps communication between parents and children and promotes online safety.
In this article, we take a look at FamiGuard Pro, considered one of the best parental control apps on the market today.
How Much Do You Know About Parental Control?
Parental controls are apps or software that assist parents in monitoring and controlling their kid’s behavior online. Parental control app like FamiGuard Pro allow parents to use a variety of tools to keep their kids safe when using smartphones and other online devices, including gaming consoles and smart TVs.
Such tools can monitor screens, record sent and received messages, media files, and voice calls, even deleted files in most cases,
Parents today also have access to third party software options that utilize monitoring and filtering for a safe online experience. Most streaming services also provide parental control settings to manage what children are watching, creating a safer digital environment.
Types of Parental Controls on FamiGuard
FamiGuard is an all-in-one parental control application that allows parents to monitor more than 43 types of apps including social media and all phone activities.
It tracks apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, TikTok, Snapchat, and other popular social media apps.
It provides location tracking in real-time so parents know where the device is being used, as well as Geofence which sets a boundary for the child to stay within.
Controlled remotely by parents, parental control app as FamiGuard Pro can provide alerts when preset keywords are used online, and take screenshots showing on-screen activity.
FamiGuard Pro enables parents to know who their kids are chatting with, the time and duration of the calls, what they are viewing online, and what they are posting on social media, all in complete confidentiality without the kids knowing they are being monitored.
How to Monitor an iPhone through FamiGuard Pro?
FamiGuard Pro is very easy to install and very user-friendly once installed. You just need to follow these simple steps:
Step 1: Register for FamiGuard Pro on the FamiGuard website and buy a subscription plan. You can choose the 1-month, 3-month or 1-year plan – the monthly cost is lower according to the length of the plan.
Step 2: Navigate to the Member Centre and click on Set Up Guide to follow the instructions carefully.
Step 3: Access the download package from the app website and download FamiGuard Pro onto the target device.
Step 4: Install FamiGuard Pro on your device, open the app and enter your account details.
Step 5: On the Configuration Processes page on the app, click Automatically Configure and choose Verify Set-Up. You are then ready to start monitoring
To monitor activity on iPhone, log in to your registered account and locate the target device on the dashboard.
You can view the data backed up from the device or you can directly scan the current activity on the device.
After the scan is complete you can select the files you want to view and click “Export” to save all the files on your computer to check later when convenient.
What FamiGuard Pro can’t do?
While parental control app may seem to be the answer to all parents’ concerns, kids today are more tech-savvy than their parent’s generation and they may be able to find ways to by-pass the control software or even uninstall it. In addition, even the best parental control software does not work on every device or network, and is ineffective if kids use alternative devices or networks.
This means that it is not enough to rely on monitoring apps for online safety. Parents need to combine such tools with regular communication and better education, along with teaching skills like self control and critical thinking to keep their kids safe.
One of the most important things that parents can do is to set a good example through their own safe online behavior, and also acknowledge that the kids will become more responsible as they grow, so easing off the monitoring and filtering over time allows the kids to develop their own safety skills.
Final thoughts for parents
Parental control software gives parents tools to regulate their kids’ online activity, guiding their experiences and keeping them safe from cyber threats. Used correctly, parental control tools can help to develop a healthy relationship between the children and the technology they use.
The way that parents utilize these tools should take into account that the children are all individuals and so the tools should be managed according to each child’s needs.
Software such as FamiGuard Pro can be a great help to parents as their children grow and learn, but it cannot replace the parents’ responsibilities to equip their children with the life skills needed to navigate the digital world, develop media literacy, and critical thinking and not just rely on external controls like software.
Online activity should only be part of a child’s life, along with outdoor play, hobbies and family interactions.
