After hearing about cyberbullying in the media, as well as being educated about the scourge as a member of the Anti-Defamation League’s National Consumer Technology division’s board, the release I just received this morning hit home.
A company called TeenSafe, creator of an iPhone and Android phone monitoring software, announced today it is providing parents the ability to see the text messages and social-media activity being sent and received by their children to ensure they are not suffering from the constant harassment of cyberbullies.
The company said a recent increase of smartphone use by children as young as 8 years old has dramatically increased the frequency of cyberbullying and other harassing behavior across all age groups. TeenSafe provides parents a virtual window into their child’s digital world by providing access to all their mobile phone activities. This information can be used by parents to create dialogue with their children, helping open lines of communication and stop cyberbullying. TeenSafe is very easy to set up and is the first iPhone-monitoring solution that does not require any modifications to the device.
“One of TeenSafe’s highest priorities is to prevent cyberbullying and the devastating effects of harassing behavior among teens. Kids today are so closely tied to their mobile devices, we feel it is more important than ever to really understand what is being said so we can help guide and teach them through these challenging situations,” said Ameeta Jain, co-founder of TeenSafe in a press release. “Cyberbullying is a difficult topic for parents to discuss with their children, so TeenSafe gives them the ability to observe their children’s struggles and step in when appropriate, teaching them self-worth and how to cope with peer pressure.”
Currently, over 75 percent of teens in the United States have smartphones, and according to BullyingStatistics.org, half of all students admit to have been cyberbullied. Of that half, only 1 in 10 informed an adult about the incident. Cyberbullying can lead to low self-esteem, poor academic performance, lack of motivation, depression and suicide. Parents using TeenSafe have the ability to see this type of harassment first-hand and are able to immediately take appropriate actions. TeenSafe always encourages open communication between parents and their children.
For more information about TeenSafe, you can visit TeenSafe.com. Like TeenSafe on Facebook.com/TeenSafe and follow them on Twitter.com/TeenSafeCom.
