The Internet is not a safe place and never was, to be honest. The freedom of speech and self-expression amazes us each day. thousands of new websites and applications encourage people to create more, explore more, and communicate more. Unfortunately, the digital world is not always a friendly environment.
The generation who grew up during a period of evolving technology in the 2000s learned about the internet and its abilities by themselves which was not a good experience for some people.
Giving kids a mobile device to keep them quiet or busy without educating them is unacceptable. Playing games and internet surfing must be under strict control.
Introducing digital devices to children
We believe that introducing children to the digital world should be step-by-step and under parents’ supervision.
With a simple smartphone, parents can stay in touch with their kids through messaging, calling, and even location tracking.
It is important to explain how a device works, and what its main features and purpose are. Delete unreliable and confusing apps and social media — it is not time for them. Moreover, some companies offer phones or tablets with parental control features which is very useful.
Choosing a safe messenger for communication
Calling is not always convenient which is why we mostly use texting. Sending SMS is an outdated activity since messengers have stepped into the game 🙂 We, adults, have tons of options for communication because we are aware of what these apps and their users are capable of.
But it is a completely different situation for children.
Popular public messengers are a bad choice: they contain advertisements that lead to third-party websites, bots, and store everything on public servers.
A self-hosted messenger is the best option to set up secure communication between parents and kids.
What MyChat features are helpful for parenting control?
MyChat self-hosted messenger provides various features and tools for collaboration, but for parents and kids we highlight the following ones:
- all information is stored on a private server that you install on a computer at home. Only you are in charge of all the settings and access control (enabling/disabling certain features, if necessary);
- instant messaging and notifications that pop up on a screen and won’t disappear until a person click “OK” or write something in response. Very helpful when you need to make sure that a kid reads a message and understands it;
- voice and video calls;
- secure file sharing;
- location tracking to make sure your kid is in the right place.
MyChat is a flexible system. You can turn off features you do not need, and enhance available ones to deploy the most secure communication environment for a family.