In a world of easy internet access, our children are vulnerable to online criminals. There are several types of personal data that parents should protect for their kids. We’ll take a look at what you need to know to keep your family safe online.

We will also show a valuable resource that shows which apps for kids that collect the most data.  This data collection goes unnoticed unless parents are vigilant.

Your Children Are Vulnerable Online

Because we all use the web so much, it’s easy to forget about internet privacy. Companies, agencies, and other organizations track us when we are online: our location, our financial data, and our personal information, as well as what we buy. Even our conversations are recorded and stored by companies.

Companies use this data for marketing. Unfortunately, hackers and other criminals can access it to steal, defame, and otherwise harm our children. One of the main forms that kids are at risk is through the use of apps.  Apps are used for education, social media, gaming, messaging, and streaming entertainment.  These are just one facet of a child’s internet use.

Ways to Protect Your Family

The first step is to talk to your children. As long as your children are online, they are not too young to learn about internet safety. Set age-appropriate rules and boundaries for internet usage. Then, teach them to understand why you’ve put these in place.

The most important thing you can teach them is to avoid sharing information with people they don’t know. They should not share personal data, like their phone or address, online. Instead, they can give that info out via phone or text.

In the meantime, there are steps you can take to safeguard their privacy online:

• Use a VPN with your internet service to block unwanted sites and safeguard browsing features.
• Protect your browser by disabling tracking cookies and enabling private browsing in your options. That will protect their data and actions from being monitored.
• Use trustworthy antivirus services and parental controls to keep kids and their computers safe.
• Have your kids set up and store unique and complex passwords for all their accounts. Using the same ones repeatedly puts them at risk.

Besides these generic safety tools, there are several options you can employ to protect them during their most common activities.

Social Media

Just about all our kids are on social media. Unfortunately, this can be a dangerous place. To keep kids safe, you must teach them to keep personal data private while on social media. Here are some simple guidelines you can teach them:

• What we share online can be stored forever. Make sure your kids understand how to use good judgment and discretion when posting. If they are uncertain, start a conversation about what makes a good post versus TMI (too much information).
• Everyone likes to post photos. Sadly, family pictures can attract predators, cyberbullies, and other internet dangers. Teach them to respect others’ privacy by not posting pictures of other people without their permission.
• Many websites give you an option to log in using a social media profile rather than your email. That leads to numerous security dangers. Instead, teach your kids to set up a new profile via email rather than exposing social media data.

Virtual Gaming

Online gaming is another area that exposes our kids to identity theft, data mining, phishing, and other hazards. There are several protections you can put in place to safeguard their virtual gaming activities.

• Computer cameras and mics may be exploited with the click of an insecure link. Be sure your kids are not clicking anything suspicious or unverified while in games. You can also cover the camera and unplug peripherals when offline.
• Turn off location tracking on devices if possible whenever gaming.
• If you have secure Wifi or a VPN and antivirus software, you’ll give your child an extra level of protection against unsecured gaming servers.
• Finally, be sure to update applications and software regularly.

Online Shopping

Safely shopping online is a bit of a tricky activity since your child needs to enter secure data, such as location, phone, and credit card info. Teach your child to recognize safe sites for shopping (i.e., Amazon, Target) versus unknown name sites or links that redirect elsewhere. Additionally, kids need to be wary of clicking email links from unknown sources.

Posting a direct bank account link is also unsafe. Therefore, instead of using a debit card, have your kids use a credit card for an extra measure of safety. Kids should also protect their credit card usage by keeping their online receipts and looking for suspicious activity on their accounts. Have them avoid saving credit card data either with a retailer or in their cookies.

Online Courses

Since the pandemic, more children are relying on online education. Unfortunately, from 2018 to 2019, problems with student data security in classrooms tripled. Your child’s grades, progress, and other confidential school data are stored online and can be vulnerable to attacks.

Be sure that your educators and administrators take the appropriate steps to protect student privacy. Review your schools’ digital policies, including how information is protected and shared. Schools should use FERPA Sherpa, a government resource designed to help them protect student privacy.

Kids today cannot avoid using the internet. This puts them at great risk for cybercrimes. However, these simple steps can keep your children safe online no matter what they are doing. As mentioned, apps are now one of the ways most of us access resources and information according to our own interests. This is especially true when using smart phones and tablets.

We all want our children to be healthy, happy, and successful. But medicine is not always enough for the health of a child. In such a case, different types of therapy come to the rescue. Here we will tell you about pet therapy and how it can benefit your child.

Animal therapy, or pet therapy, is one of the methods in rehabilitation and psychotherapy. Boris Levinson began to develop this field in earnest in 1961: the doctor noticed that the presence of a dog helped establish contact with a child with autism.  Animals are known to help not be afraid of children who are facing painful procedures like injections. Even a small aquarium in the lobby of an outpatient clinic or medical center should already dampen the fear a bit.

Pet Therapy

There are two directions in pet therapy. The first is animal-associated therapy, i.e. activities that focus on treatment and assistance: development of motor skills, recovery from serious illnesses, alleviation of the symptoms of mental illness, and making contact in a specific way. The second is called animal-associated activity, which is more general work with animals aimed at evoking positive emotions in patients. The individual areas have their names: hippotherapy (work with horses), dolphin therapy, dog therapy (work with dogs), and feline-assisted therapy (work with cats).

The Americans started using animals in the treatment of illnesses in 1969, and today cats, dogs, dolphins, and horses are active in the treatment of epilepsy, autism, cerebral palsy, and Down syndrome. Animal therapy is conducted by a qualified specialist, who develops a therapeutic plan based on the patient’s history and comorbidities. All animals that participate in pet therapy receive special training.

Therapy Dogs

The main pet therapists are considered dogs, who are known for their sociability, friendliness, patience, and controllability. Dogs are indispensable for the treatment of motor disorders that accompany cerebral palsy. Playing with a dog restores the fine motor skills of the hands and feet, teaches patients to pick up and throw a ball, and to pet the pet. Through play techniques, young patients practice certain skills, often without even realizing that they are in therapy sessions. Dogs in cerebral palsy rehabilitation are also indispensable for increasing motivation, fighting aggression and stress. Large, friendly dogs are subconsciously perceived by patients as protectors. Therefore, children feel calm and confident in their company.

Animals are approached for help in a variety of situations, such as epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and even after a stroke. Pet therapy is used for diseases that are not related to the nervous system, but in which the patient has an increased risk of depression due to long-term treatment, such as cancer, or in palliative care. As Levinson noted more than half a century ago, animals help establish communication with people with different neurodevelopmental disorders – such as autism.

And of course, animals are used to treat mental disorders, from depression to post-traumatic stress disorder. For specific work with patients, the best animals are those that can be trained and trained: horses, dolphins, dogs, and pigs. But furry rodents, birds, lizards, and other animals, even donkeys, also help fight illness.

How Pigs and Cats Can Help

Scientists are still figuring out exactly how pet therapy works and to what extent it is effective. According to some studies, watching animals increases the activity of the prefrontal cortex of the large hemispheres of the brain – this area is involved in decision-making and is responsible for social interaction. Contact with animals releases endorphins in our bodies, like when we play sports, kiss, or make pleasant memories.

Endorphins have an analgesic effect, so pet therapy reduces to some extent the severity of pain syndromes, for example in fibromyalgia. These substances also reduce stress and anxiety, calm and lift one’s mood. Contact with animals, apparently due to the same hormones, normalize high blood pressure and improves the cardiovascular system. But zootherapy also has effects that depend on the specific animal.

For example, hippotherapy – treatment with horseback riding – is recommended for children with neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy. It takes physical strength, a sense of balance, and coordination to stay on a horse, and riding lessons help develop all of these skills. In addition, the horse is an animal with character, and you have to communicate with it, even while riding, which helps develop social skills. The nice thing is that one’s self-esteem goes up as well. Altogether, this turns hippotherapy into a tool of socialization.

Emotional Support

Dolphin therapy has about the same effect on children. Movement in water and contact with an intelligent animal develop physically and emotionally, help a person move, perform non-standard actions. And feline therapy, that is companionship with cats, is usually recommended to relieve stress: the vibrations of purring and watching the soft movements of cats helps to relax. When selecting animals, their character is also taken into account. People with mobility disorders should choose quiet, phlegmatic animals as companions. Patients who need to be motivated or helped to cope with depression or fear will find active animals.

Pet therapy provides emotional support and can alleviate various mental health issues. Qualified dogs that aid in pet therapy are notably crucial for aiding individuals dealing with stress, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some of these animals serve as certified psychiatric service dogs, offering targeted therapeutic aid and improving life quality significantly. Obtaining a mental health service animal certification ensures these dogs are equipped to provide the necessary support tailored to their owner’s specific needs.

 Is it Possible to Buy a Dog and Get Well?

All of this sounds tempting and begs the question: can’t we replace medication altogether with companionship with animals? It would be great to get a hamster and get rid of bipolar disorder, and to pet a cat and say goodbye to childhood traumas. But the animal itself is not a pill or a certified specialist. The animal doesn’t know how or who to treat (contrary to popular myths about the special sensitivity of cats). Therefore, it is necessary to work with pets, if a therapeutic effect is required, together with a specialist. Pet therapy is usually not used by itself but as part of a complex treatment.

Cats and dogs are perhaps the most common type of pets and provide emotional well being for those who are not even seeking pet therapy.  The value of this relationship is so important that pet owners will even consider pet insurance in the event their pet becomes ill.  Medical bills can be quite expensive.

Of course, to a certain extent, an animal can improve health and quality of life by its mere presence – this is called “undirected pet therapy”. For example, the fact that you got your child a dog imposes a number of obligations. The dog has to be walked, i.e. to take a leash and walk in the streets. It is a physical and useful activity, so that dog owners, especially those who like to walk, have a better chance of staying healthy, even if they do not exercise. In addition, dogs sometimes serve as a confidant, if not a therapist: things that patients don’t dare tell another person, they can tell the dog.

Why Horses and Dolphins are Not Indicated for Everyone

Of course, we must understand that zootherapy is a method that requires serious research and evidence. Unfortunately, sometimes therapy with the help of animals is advertised unfairly, especially when it comes to the rehabilitation of children. For example, they promise unprecedented progress from lessons with dolphins, while there is no serious evidence that it is dolphins that improve the condition of patients.

If pet therapy is still considered as an auxiliary method of treatment, the animal must be chosen with a specialist. It all depends on the goals of treatment, the patient’s condition, and his peculiarities. Even if the child needs a faithful friend and outdoor walks, but is simply afraid of dogs, you should not drag him or her into contact with them. A patient with a spinal cord injury should not ride a horse, even if he wants to try hippotherapy, with a lack of warmth and close relationships is unlikely to seriously help a turtle.

There are also more prosaic contraindications. For example, an allergy to fur and skin, in which case you should not get a cat. In addition, not every animal can be therapeutic. Animals can be aggressive and fearful, and in this case, communicating with them will not be beneficial, especially for a person with a mental disorder or neurological disorder. But limitations can be circumvented – choose an animal that is not frightening and is not allergic to, exercise in places where animals are prepared to meet patients – and then exercise will do more good than harm.

Looking for a different kind of pet that is still safe for children and families?  Check out these child friendly reptiles.

When seeking parental controls to keep your family safe online, there is a lot of consider. We’ll start with a checklist of all the devices your child may be using that are connected to the Internet.   Then, we’ll explore free parental control solutions to help you cover all the bases.  Many of these options include parental control settings built in to devices.

When exploring parental controls, most people think about computers, smart phones and the software and apps installed on them.  Few think about additional ways that kids access the internet, including gaming consoles or online chat forums on browsers.  Our goal is to cover all the bases and offer free solutions that parents can at the very least take advantage of on all devices.

All of these are contained in our free parental control guide
found at the bottom of this page.  For Free App Installs Click Here!

Before we explore the free parental controls available, let’s first define the devices and areas we are dealing with.

Types of Parental Controls

1. Installable software for computers and lap tops; PC’s with Windows, Mac desktops and lap tops.
2. Downloadable Apps for mobile devices; iPhones, iPads, Andriods, Kindle Fire, tablets or any device that has an app store.
3. Parental controls on game consoles or on Internet based video games, either directly online or via software.
4. Free factory built-in parental controls that may be limited by still usually available on a particular device or a software program or app on that device.  These include Internet browsers, a social media account or app, YouTube.
5. Parental controls that are controls by an account with a parental log in and password. (Microsoft, Google or Apple Account).

A typical family is facing these challenges:  One child may have a tablet and an iPhone.  Another child may be working on the family computer and use an Andriod.  You may have a Kindle Fire that all the kids share.  Teens will be playing video games and in need of parental controls for gaming consoles, as well as have a lap top and an iPhone or Android phone.

Places Kids Need Protection

1. In their bedroom.
2. At school.
3. On the playground.
4. At a friends house.
5. On the school bus.

Whether at home on a desktop, or in multiple locations on a smart phone, parents need to individually look at each of device their kids are using and be aware of what they are doing on those devices. And whenever you kids leave your home with a lap top, tablet or mobile phone, the internet goes with them.  This greatly increases the need for parental controls.

Kids Internet Activity:  Key Points to Consider.

• Are they searching the Internet through a browser?
• Are they searching the Internet through a browser app?
• Are they interacting on social media on a desktop or via an app?
• Are they playing videos comes online through an Internet browser or software download?
• Are they playing video games on a gaming console. Is that gaming console connect to the Internet and interacting with other kids?
• Are they watching YouTube through their main website or via the new YouTube kids app?

Safe Search Kids has prepared a free parental control guide that covers all of your devices, as well as the various platforms your kids are using to access the internet.

Internet Filtering

Probably the most urgent parental control concern to address is Internet search.  How do you kids search the web?  Which browsers are they using?  Simplify things by guiding them to use only one browser so you only have to set up parental controls for that browser.  A safe search engine like Safe Search Kids is a resource that enhances Google’s filtering but you should still have the basic parental controls enabled for when kids may to go search Google.com.

Our free parental control guide goes through these various options.   Keep in mind that the browser on their lap top will have different settings than the browser app on a mobile device.  It’s also important to note that filtering options on a browser are very limited.

Social Media Monitoring

Without software or a parental control app, parents must monitor a child’s social media manually.  However, there is away to restrict app downloads within the app store.  Our guide reviews these options to that kids can’t download apps you do not approve of.  This option doesn’t not work with all devices.  Beyond that, get to know the apps your kids are using.  What social media programs are they using.  Snapchat?  TikTok?  Facebook?  Discuss which platforms you will allow according to their age.

Privacy Settings

Look at all your devices, apps and accounts your kids are using and ensure all privacy settings are set accordingly.  While parental controls are all about keeping your kids from accessing harmful material online, let’s not forget about protecting them from those who will want to reach them.  This will also help protect your kids from online predators,  as well as malware, viruses and online scams.

Video Games Consoles

If you decide to use a parental control phone app or an app that fully monitors your kids activity online, you’re still somewhat on your own when it comes to gaming.  Software solutions will help if the video game is online, but this is not usually the case for gamers in your family that use consoles such as PlayStation and xBox. This issue includes hand held devices like Nintendo Switch.  Fortunately, our free guide includes parental control instructions for 20 different gaming consoles.  These protections come with each game from the factory.

Does Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation, Fortnight have Parental Controls?

Need parental controls for your kids’ video game console? We’ve got instructions for that. One of the most challenging things parents face is providing protecting for their kids online while gaming. There are plenty of resources for parental controls in terms of computers, tablets, lap tops and mobile phones. And within all of those devices there are parental control apps that provide internet filtering, social media monitoring, geo tracking of your child and screen time management. But parents of gamers are left to figure out security and protection for all their family members who game.

The good news is gaming consoles including PlayStation, XBox, Nintento Switch, Fortnite and more have factory installed methods to set up parental controls. H

Here are the instruction manuals we can provide you.

• Fortnite parental controls for mobile devices
• Fortnite: Chapter 2 – Battle Royale Parental Controls Guide
• Minecraft guide
• Nintendo 3DS guide
• Nintendo DS guide
• Nintendo Switch guide
• Nintendo Wii guide
• Nintendo Wii U guide
• PlayStation 3 (PS3)
• Playstation 4 (PS4) guide
• PlayStation 5 (PS5)
• PlayStation Network guide
• PlayStation VITA (PS VITA) guide
• Pokemon GO guide.
• Roblox how-to controls guide
• Steam platform guide
• Twitch TV
• Xbox 360 guide
• Xbox Live guide
• Xbox One and Xbox One S guide

For instant access to these instruction guides on how to set up parental control for all of your video game consoles, download the free parental control guide.

Free Parental Controls vs Paid Subscription Models

Setting up parental controls on each device and each individual website platform or application on that device can be a daunting task.  It takes research and time.  Our parental control guide reveals these free ways to do it without fully automated parental controls, according to each area of concern.  In some cases, such as with privacy settings, setting things manually do the job.  In other cases, such as internet filtering and app usage, you will only achieve the basic levels of protection provided from pre-existing limits that come with the browser.

For social media monitoring and internet blocking of the darkest places on the web, you may want to consider paid parental control options.  Some apps include free versions of their parental controls with limited features, but still automated across all devices.  These also include monitoring of suspicious texts, internet searches and geo tracking for when kids are away from home. If in doubt, start with free options.  This is the reason we created our free parental control guide.

At the very least, every parents should have the available basic protection settings in place.  This is a process you can include your kids in, so they are aware of their boundaries when free parental controls are not enough.

Summary of Free Parental Controls

Our free parental control guide empower parents to monitor navigate through he maze parental control settings on their children’s activities online.  These include mobile phones, computers, browsers, social media apps and gaming consoles. By setting up controls on multiple devices you can help to keep your entire family safe.

Choose from a range of parental control options

You can choose from our range of free controls to suit your needs. Whether you need a simple solution to block access to certain sites on any browser or search app, or more advanced tools to monitor multiple devices, we provide parental solutions according to your specific requirements.

Download Free Instructions

We offer a range of free step by step instructions for a number of brand name gaming consoles, as well as standard online activities.  From securing web search results on browsers and blocking websites, to monitoring social media accounts, our guide provides includes a number of resources to protect the members of your family, no matter what device they are using.

Block access to inappropriate content

You can use our free parental controls to block access to inappropriate sites, ensure privacy settings are at their optimum, and even restrict certain features on your device.  This also prevents predators from stalking your child and connecting with them in anyway.   These include web filtering software, browser extensions, and mobile apps.

From our free parental controls to app and software downloads, we can help guide through you in determining what needs to be done on any device that is connected to the internet from your home.  Share this article with other parents, then download our recommended parental control app, as well as our free parental control guide.

Download the Free Guide to activating Free Parental Controls on your various devices. It will also explore automated solutions.

Recent studies have shown that people’s concerns have increased with extensive advancement and usage of monitoring apps. The question is whether these apps are legal or not legal to use. There are unlimited websites in the market that are offering free spy apps for Android.

These applications let the user keep track of stored information and monitor online activity.  The latest technology has evolved so quickly that people are now using it for wrong purposes as well. The more options there are, the less trustworthy and secure apps will be in the market. Apart from the advantages of spy apps, there are some legal concerns, so in this article, we will find out whether it’s safe and legal to use spying apps.

Extensive use of android monitoring apps:

If you research tracking applications on the internet, you’ll find out that there are multiple apps available with similar functionality. For example, you can get free tracking apps for Android or purchase the software for advanced features.

A huge number of users want these apps to either protect their data or spy on someone’s phone. The extensive availability has blurred the line between what’s legal and what’s not. The user will only be interested in getting what they want, leading them to serious problems.

The sale of android monitoring software:

When we talk about the sale of Android monitoring apps, then to our surprise, it is legal in most countries, such as in the US, Europe, etc. The reason behind it is that spy app providers have different laws that every user has to follow to ensure there is no unethical usage.

For example, you have to be an authorized person to install the app on the phone, and they make the user responsible for their actions. If you look aside from the laws, it is impossible to believe that the user will use the software for good intentions. If the app offers remote features, no one will inform the target that they’re being spied on.

Means to use spy apps:

It is believable when someone with the right intentions wants to use spy software to make a positive impact. We have discussed the most common means that use spy apps in real life.

Employee monitoring:

In order to boost productivity in the business, and catch deceiving employees, spying software is used. You can’t be on top of your workers’ heads because you have to attend a meeting or go on business tours. And if you have a remote business, then the need for a spy app is even more necessary. Now you can monitor your employee’s every move through these monitoring apps while sitting remotely.

Parental control:

Teenagers of this generation are impossible to control; no matter how parents try, they can’t ensure whether they’re secure or not. That’s why folks use parental controls to ensure that kids aren’t in trouble, aren’t misusing their technology privileges or being a victim of cyberbullying.

Mobile tracking:

People have their whole life inside their phones, including their important and personal data. That means you can’t risk getting lost, most people take precautions and install phone tracker software. So, when they ever lost or get their phone stolen, they can have remote control over it. You can delete data and find your phone’s location regardless of the concern of how far the phone is.

Monitoring partner/spouse:

In 2021 it is very hard to find a loyal spouse, so people choose monitoring apps. They can use it to spy on social media, read messages, listen to their calls and figure out either they’re cheating or not. You can take screenshots as well to prove them wrong in legal matters.

Legalities of spying apps:

If you’re spying on someone to get their personal information or listen to their conversations on call, then you should be aware of the legalities attached to it. You can get a warrant if your target finds out about the spying activities. Unfortunately, many young people purchase such software with bad intentions without knowing the harmful consequences, and that’s scary.

Be precautious before using monitoring software:

If you have an urgent and important need to use a spy app, you should go for it but remember to be cautious about how you’re going to use it. For example, you can use spy apps for monitoring your children to ensure their safety, protecting your data, and even spying on employees for business benefits. But even in such cases, you should be careful with the personal boundaries of an individual.

Are you concerned that your device is being spied?

It is wise to look in your phone for suspicious apps that you don’t remember installing. Modern technology is advanced, and people can easily take advantage of your unconsciousness and spy on you without your knowledge.

There are free spy apps for Android hidden in the phone and performing spying functions in secrecy, so you better be careful. It is important for your safety because it can get pretty dangerous when a stranger knows your location 24/7.

Legal android apps:

Are you looking for a legal monitoring app that can offer you great services? Have a look at TheWiSpy parental monitoring app and follow ethical practices while using it to protect your children.

The bottom line it that without monitoring software, your child is not safe.  Learn about the data privacy risks in child targeted android apps and how you can protect yourself and your child from data piracy risks, as well as harmful content.

Conclusion:

After the detailed discussion on the use of spy apps, the legalities, and how they can be useful for certain purposes, we have come to a conclusion. You might need a spy app for any reason, but it is normal for you to worry about the consequences. If your intentions are pure and you choose the right and legal monitoring software, you’re good to go. Always research before your purchase and enjoy a smooth spying experience.