Worrying about the well-being of your children comes naturally for parents. From the time they entered the world you’ve done everything you can to protect them from dangers. Now that you’re parenting a teenager things are going to change. Chances are, they aren’t going to want mom and dad to be around them ALL THE TIME, and therefore, making it a bit more complex to protect them. While you know your teen is safe when you’re around, what are some things you can do to protect them when you’re not?
Home Security Systems
Once your child reaches a certain age, privileges such as walking home from school and staying home alone for a few hours is pretty common. A home security system from a service provider like Alarm Relay can assist you in protecting your teens every day after school.
Smartphone capabilities allow parents to arm and disarm the alarm when kids are home. Security cameras make it easy for parents to actually see what is going on. Should there be a sign of danger, home security monitoring services will ensure that the right authorities show up.
Parental Blocks & Tech Protections
As convenient as technology is, it does pose some risks for teens. Aside from talking with them about internet and computer safety, you should also incorporate certain protections. Installing parental blocks on adult content and downloading a virus protection software should do the trick. This way even when you’re not there to watch their computer use, you know they’re not visiting sites that are inappropriate or unsafe.
Parental Monitoring Apps
The great thing about modern technology is that there’s an app for just about anything you can think of – including parenting. Teens are notorious for receiving and sending information via mobile devices, and it is important to stay on top of their activities. Rather than confiscating their phone every day and going through all logs and internet histories, you can consider downloading a monitoring application. Some of the features these apps have include location trackers, curfews, alerts for negative content, and they keep running logs of your teen’s activity on a specified device.
Education
No matter how many security systems, applications, or software you have to keep your teenager safe, none of it will mean a thing without proper education. Your teen needs to know why their safety matters and what they should be watching out for. While they may grunt, groan, and even try to ignore your conversation (comes with the territory), they will listen to what you have to say. What you teach them will ultimately stick when them when they need to use it most.
Setting Rules and Following Up with Consequences
One of the biggest ways to protect your children as they get older is to have clear rules and consequences in place. Rules help to define boundaries which can in many cases prevent your teen from “jumping off the deep end” as they push the limits and form their own identity. Consequences ensure that rules are followed.
There are a ton of rules you might implement to keep your teens safe. From not having company over without your approval to knowing which websites to steer clear of, the right rules can really help keep your teens in line. Keep in mind, however, the only way that this will work is if you actually follow through on the consequences or else the rules become meaningless.
The teen years are arguably some of the most complex and impressionable. They want more freedom and responsibility as they learn more about life in general. It goes without saying, however, that the older your child gets, the more risks there are out there to protect them from. From predators that could harm them if they’re not paying attention to malicious websites and posts on social media, there is so much that a teen could be exposed to. While you can’t shield them from everything that life may throw their way, you can take extra precautions and consider the safety tips above. This way, whether you’re home, at work, or just running errands, your child is protected.