Security apps may affect your bonding with kids

Mobile apps designed to keep children safe from online predators may be counterproductive, as they harm the trust between parents and kids, as well as reduce the young one's ability to respond to online threats, a study has found.

In a pair of studies led by the University of Central Florida in the US, researchers examined the types of parents who use parental-control apps on their teen's mobile smartphone, whether the apps actually helped keep teens safe online, and what teens and younger children thought about their parents using these apps.

Researchers found that authoritarian parents, who were less responsive to their teen’s need for autonomy, were the most likely to use the parental control apps, and the use of these apps was associated with teens experiencing more, not fewer, online risks, including unwanted explicit content, harassment and online sexual solicitations.

This study was based on a survey of 215 parent-andteen pairs in the US. “Parental involvement and direct supervision were both associated with fewer peer problems and less online victimization for teens, but neither of these factors correlated with the use of parental control apps,” said Arup Kumar Ghosh, a doctoral student in UCF.

“The fear that teens will fall victim to unthinkable online dangers persists, and our research is challenging the current solutions for protecting teens online by tightening the reins. Instead, we suggest empowering teens to be agents of their own online safety,” said Pamela Wisniewski, an assistant professor at UCF.