Parental Monitoring With Skype and Yahoo!
Parental monitoring tools are devices that can be installed in various electronic devices, computers, televisions and video games, cell phones and software which allow parents to regulate the access of online content to their kids. It can be very useful in blocking inappropriate content which could encourage your kids to become more promiscuous. Through this tool, you can monitor what your kids are doing on the internet, from what sites they are visiting and which chat rooms they are joining. But it does not end there.
Another new study published in Psychological Review shows that parental monitoring reduces the prevalence of gaming disorder among adolescents. Gaming disorder among adolescents is characterized by inability to set limits, frequent display of aggressive behavior and negative interpersonal relationships. Gaming disorder is seen to be associated with exposure to violence in media which is often repetitive, aggressive and time consuming. Moreover, it is noted that there is a relationship between parental monitoring and tenerife research which indicates a reduction in the prevalence of depression, anxiety and other mood disorders.
The present study was conducted at the Department of Computer Science, University of British Columbia, Canada. A sample of 9th graders were involved. The participants were asked to complete a survey about their participation in gaming disorder and to complete questionnaires on demographics. The results showed that parental monitoring reduced the prevalence of depression, anxiety and other mood disorders. The present study is also significant because of its sample size which is quite large and because of its qualitative process. It enabled further exploration of the moderational effect of parental monitoring on gaming disorder among adolescents.
There are different types of parental monitoring software available. The parental control software which monitors internet usage and activities can block inappropriate content, remove advertising cookies and keep track of which software programs are being used by your child. The best program will be one that detects and removes all possible types of inappropriate content, while blocking out content that is not even related to gambling. While parental monitoring software might prevent your child from accessing inappropriate material online, it cannot and will not prevent them from doing so when they become old enough to participate in the peer pressure that goes with gaming.
Another research project performed by UK academics brought together representatives from Facebook, Microsoft and gaming companies. The participants were asked questions such as “do you think that providing parental monitoring will reduce the problem of harassment and would you use Facebook if this was the case?” In addition, participants were asked if they would use a gaming platform that had parental control software. The results showed that only 6% of the adolescents surveyed would consider such a platform a necessity.
These two studies bring forth many questions and issues about the link between gaming and depression and other types of disorders and addictions. However, parental monitoring software such as Skype and Yahoo! 360 can offer much needed assistance to parents who have concerns about their children. Whether the use of such a program is beneficial or not still remains to be seen. What we do know is that the act of playing video games can lead to a more active lifestyle and engagement in social relationships and online socializing. So much depends on the act of playing and the impact it has on our children.