Most of us limit computer time, check our desktop’s browser history, install parental controls, and put the computer in a public area of the house – but are we spending as much effort on limiting phone time, checking the phone’s inbox, installing parental monitoring software, or restricting phone use in the teen’s bedroom?

Part of the problem is that we just don’t realize how frequently our kids are using alternative devices like phones, music players, and gaming consoles to go online.

1 in 5 teens use a phone to access the Internet, but only 20% of those who do say that their parents limit or control online time on their phones and only half say their parents talk to them about Internet safety on their phone.

It’s easy to focus on the desktop or laptop computer in our child’s life and forget that the Internet is just as accessible from the cell phone hidden in their pocket. Previously we mentioned 4 reasons to monitor your child´s cell phone.  Internet dangers don’t become less prevalent or less serious because our kids are on a phone instead of a computer.

This week, take some time to evaluate whether you’re allowing things on the smartphone that you wouldn’t on the Internet, or vice versa. It’s the same Internet, and the same rules should apply no matter how your child is accessing it.

- Jenny Evans is a mother of four and a blogger specializing in parenting, childhood, and family issues.

Kids can easily stumble across inappropriate content, or they might go looking for trouble online. In either case, some of the following options might be useful components of the parental controls you use to keep your kids safe every day.

• Site blocking and Content Filtering – blocks inappropriate sites based on algorithms that determine content, can be purchased software or a built-in component of your PC or the search engine you use
• Keystroke Logging – keeps track of user names and passwords entered online
• Time Allowance – controls duration and times of day when Internet use is allowed
• IM,Chat, and Email Logging – keeps records of both sides of virtual conversations your child has
• Built-in Controls – almost every computer, phone, and gaming console has options for parents to filter, limit, or block certain features of online use
• Web-based services – monitors your child’s online activity, delivers regular reports to you, and usually alerts you immediately if dangerous activity is detected
• Parental Involvement – knowing where and when your child is online and actively enforcing household rules about Internet use,

Depending on your family’s needs and what you hope to get out of your parental controls, you’ll need to use any combination of these to effectively protect your child. I like the ease of use of uknowKids, which keeps tabs on your children no matter what device they use and watches their texting and social networking behavior in addition to the old standards.

It’s important to be informed about all your options for parental controls, but remember that they never replace the need for parental involvement.

Jenny Evans is a mother of four and a freelance writer specializing in parenting, childhood, and family issues.

AVG’s global, multi-year, Digital Diaries research project has aimed to determine how the Internet is impacting children as they play, learn, and grow up in today’s digital world. Entitled “Digital Coming of Age,” the latest phase of the study surveyed 4,400 parents with 14-17 year olds in 11 countries.

To begin, findings show that 75 percent of American parents stay connected to their children on social networks, which is significantly more than parents in other countries. Across the globe, it’s less common for parents to be “friends” with their teens on Facebook to be able to monitor the activity teens permit them to see through their privacy settings. In fact, this number is as low as 10 percent in Japan and 33 percent in France.

“I’m convinced that parents need to communicate more with their teens about the digital coming of age. Even though most teens have intuitive online abilities, parents need to be setting limits, rules, and staying aware of what’s going on,” said Rona Renner, RN, temperament specialist/parent educator and founder of Childhood Matters (a cyberbullying prevention group). “Safely navigating new technologies in the digital age is quickly becoming an important task in adolescent development. Successfully accomplishing this takes families working together to build a sense of safety, trust, and respect. AVG’s Digital Diaries research help parents of teens as they find the right balance between hands on and hands off parenting.”

Digital Coming of Age further reveals American parents are keeping tabs on their teens’ online activity.  A majority of moms and dads actually give their children credit for doing the right thing and have minimal concerns about illegal, inappropriate and career-damaging behaviors, however they continue to monitor their teens in today’s connected age.  The study revealed:

• Twenty percent suspect their children are accessing pornography or illegal music downloads; and 5 percent suspect their children of gambling.
• Twenty percent of American parents also suspect their teens of sexting via their mobile phones.
• Almost half of parents in the U.S. believe their teens conduct relationships with friends and family via their mobile phones, yet only 9 percent think these relationships are sexual.
• An overwhelming 80 percent of parents believe their teens have never met someone in person that they first met online.

“Is it spying or is it good parenting when parents closely monitor teens’ online activity?” asks Tony Anscombe. “Parenting teens that have grown up alongside the Internet and with mobile phones in hand requires an entirely new set of rules and tactics.  Our research reveals that while parents trust their teens to do the right thing, such as avoiding pornography on the Internet and “sexting,” they are still concerned about their children’s safety and how teens’ online behavior may affect their future careers.”

Forty percent of American parents worry the content their children post to Facebook and other social networks will affect their children’s job prospects down the road. Adding to this stress, less than 50 percent of American parents feel their child’s school is doing a good job preparing their students for the online world. They aren’t alone in their concerns. Digital Coming of Age found that nearly half of all parents around the globe felt that schools were not effective in teaching their teens to responsibly use the Internet.

“In a very short period of time we have seen amazing changes in the ways we communicate and gather information because of digital technologies. Cell phones, video games and the Internet blur boundaries and change rules. This of course affects families and especially families with teens between the ages of 14-17 who are coming of age with these digital tools,” said Jason Brand, licensed clinical social worker who focuses on the impact of technology on the social and emotional development of kids. “It’s important for parents with older teens to have access to research and practical advice to help them adequately address their concerns. With good information about this rapidly changing area in teens’ lives; parents can know what to expect, understand what’s normal and identify possible red flags.”

“Our latest research will hopefully facilitate conversations with parents, educators and others around the most effective strategies to monitor youth activity and teach them how to express themselves safely and thoughtfully online,” Anscombe continued. “We’re all learning as we go. We can’t parent today like we were raised, because the Internet simply wasn’t available or as accessible when we were young.”

Other key findings from Digital Coming of Age include:

• UK parents are most likely to suspect teens of ‘sexting’ – nearly 25 percent of UK parents suspect their kids of sexting, compared with US (21%), Australia (22%), Spain (21%), Canada (20%), New Zealand (17%), Japan (15%), Italy (11%), France (10%), Czech Republic (13%) and Germany (9%)
• Spanish parents are (45%) most suspicious their teens are illegally downloading music – compared with parents in the US (19%), Czech Republic (35%), France (30%), UK (28%), Australia and New Zealand (27%).
• Just under half of parents surveyed are concerned their teens mobile photos are geo-tagged.
• Twenty percent of UK and US parents suspect their teens of accessing pornography on their PC – in comparison to over a quarter of Spanish parents.
• Twenty percent of UK and US parents have seen sexting messages and content relating to cyberbullying on their children’s social networks – compared with over 25 percent of Australian and New Zealand parents.

Research for all stages of the Digital Diaries series was conducted by Research Now on behalf of AVG Technologies. For more information visit: www.avgdigitaldiaries.com

Facebook’s recent acquisition of Instagram, a photo sharing app for mobile devices, shows that users are increasingly going online using a phone.

Even so, statistics show that far fewer parents monitor their child’s cell phone as rigorously as they do other Internet-enabled devices, like a laptop or desktop PC. If this is you, don’t feel bad – start keeping your kids safer today with these 10 parental monitoring tips for cell phones.

1. Lay out the times and durations when phone use is acceptable
2. Specify what times are “off limits” for phone use
3. Decide jointly on a consequence for breaking the rules
4. Familiarize yourself with the features and capabilities of the phone
5. Talk about what’s acceptable to text and forward
6. Think about installing additional parental controls on the phone
7. Develop a system for regularly checking phone activity
8. Review the contacts listed on the phone, watching for strangers or cryptic contact names
9. Review phone history for late night calls or calls at odd times of day
10. Teach kids not to respond to texts from people they don’t know or give their number out to people they don’t completely trust

Depending on your situation and how your child uses their phone, you may need to modify some of these tips or add new ones. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it should point you in the right direction if you’ve been a little lax on phone security.

The bottom line is that if your child has a device that can connect to the Internet, consider it as an extension of the Internet and apply the same safety rules that you have for your children online using any other devices.

- Jenny Evans is a mother of four and a blogger specializing in parenting, childhood, and family issues.

1. Texting

Texting sure is a handy way to exchange quick messages with your child when you’re running late or want to remind them of something, but texting has the potential to get kids in a lot of trouble. Texts are easily forwarded, and whatever kids text could end up in the whole school’s inbox the next day.

It’s also easy to misread someone’s intentions in a text message. The anonymity of texting also makes it easier for a child to slip into cyberbullying and rude behavior. While you’re talking about sexting, make it clear that there are certain times when texting should be off-limits (in class, for example.)

2. Sexting

Kids might think it’s no big deal to send out a sext of themselves or forward a sext of someone else that they receive, but consequences can be heavy. Possessing or distributing nude pictures of a minor (even if it’s a picture they took of themselves) could be illegal.

Kids who participate in sexting could be suspended from school or convicted of child pornography. Not to mention that it could be severely embarrassing or even dangerous if their sext goes viral.

3. Cyberbullying

If your child carries a cell phone, it gives bullies 24/7 access to them. Talk about what to do if a bully bothers them, and let them know that they can always talk to you and you won’t overreact.

Bullying is more than just sending rude or threatening texts. Your child is being cyberbullied if others are flooding their phone with texts, signing them up for porn or junk mail, or impersonating them online.

4. Predators

Kids who begin talking to a predator online will soon be asked for their cell number, or a predator they meet may even offer to give them their own personal cell phone as a gift.

Predators know that cell phones are not usually well-monitored, and it gives them the ability to more directly connect with your child behind your back.

Talk with your child about these 4 issues, and just as importantly, follow through by monitoring your child’s cell phone activity on a regular basis. Your teen most likely can’t live without his or her phone, and it’s up to you to help them use it safely.

- Jenny Evans is a mother of four and a blogger specializing in parenting, childhood, and family issues.