According to research from the Pew Research Centre, a quarter of teens surveyed had dated someone they met online. Moreover, 50% of teens reportedly showed they liked someone by sending a friend request over Facebook or another social site, and then liked and commented on their content.
While it's fun and exciting for teens to connect online via apps and hook up in person, some risks need to be covered and talked about with the teens living in your care. Moreover, parental monitoring apps can also help to keep your teens safe while dating online.
Grooming
The NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) recorded in 2019 that 200,000 secondary school students may have been groomed online.
It's a fact that not everyone on teen dating apps is in the right age bracket, or frame of mind, to be on the app talking to other teens. And, predators can pose as a younger person online, to lure in teens to meet them in real-life.
By using a parental monitoring app, you'll have full access to your son or daughters online activity 24/7, from text messages to WhatsApp pictures. You'll be able to see if someone is grooming your child, and if so, you can alert the police.
Sexting
Teens on dating apps have the intention of meeting someone romantically. With the digital sphere being the centre of most teens' interactions with one another, it's common for teenage girls and boys to ask for, and send selecting images to one another. For instance, according to a recent study, 40% of teenagers have sent messages of a sexual nature.
The risks of sexting are plenty. Sexting makes the sender vulnerable and opens them up to serious consequences. For instance, the receiver might share the image online with their friends without the sender's consent.
With a parental monitoring app, you can monitor your teen's conversations and content. And take action if they have been prompted to send across a private image.
Validation
Teens may try to seek approval by using online dating websites, to feel attractive and confident. This can lead teens to become impressionable and do things asked by other online daters, to gain approval.
As with sexting, a parental monitoring app will help you prevent your son or daughter from responding to online advances, such as sharing the content of a sexual nature.
Harassment
As mentioned above, not everyone on teen dating apps is there with good intentions. Some teenagers experience harassment on dating websites in the form of unwelcome, rude messages, and sexually explicit pictures.
Monitoring apps allow you to see whether your teen could be sharing too much personal info online. With this knowledge in mind, you can educate your teen on how harassment can extend beyond online interaction. For instance, if a teen has innocently disclosed their address. Or their social media page, for instance, reveals their most recent location. It could cause an online harasser to appear in-person.
Alongside alerting youngsters about the dangers of online dating apps for teens. As an additional layer of protection for your loved ones, using a parental monitoring app from Family Orbit allows you to observe your child's activity online. In turn, preventing and protecting your children from being targeted by groomers or harassment.
*Collaborative post
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