hi i’m a teen with valuable input! – Parental Control App - OurPact Review

tl;dr: get the app if your child NEEDS restrictions and has shown you they are too immature to have full jurisdiction over a phone; getting the app otherwise will result in trust issues between parent and child that will have damaging lasting effects. hello! first off, i just want to say this app can be incredibly affective if utilized well. this being said, this app is not for all families. i would not recommend installing any kind of ‘parental control’ app on the phone you’ve allowed your child to use unless they demonstrate to you that they are not to be trusted with a device. instead, i would encourage having ongoing open conversations with your child about cyber bullying, internet safety, and staying conscientious about how often they are on their phones in addition to reminding them to be present and in the moment instead of living through a screen. it may seem like your kids aren’t listening to you or taking you seriously, but they will certainly remember what you say to them before posting something that could be harmful to others. i truly believe that all the parents using this app just want their kids to be better people, but i also believe actually actively parenting your children instead of slapping unprovoked restrictions on them is the way go to maintain a loving and trusting relationship with them. maybe i just think this way bc this app was installed on the phone my parents are letting me use despite the fact that a) my screentime was already very low and b) i have given my parents no indication that i am not to be trusted with a phone. it has made it incredibly hard to trust my mom these past few years because i know that even if i did trust her, it wouldn’t be reciprocated. trust is something that needs to be reciprocated to have any kind of healthy relationship with anyone, be that with parents, friends, teachers, bosses, family, and even boy/girlfriends. for a while, i slipped into an emotionally dangerous mental state because i genuinely thought my mom didn’t love me. however, as i’ve gotten older, i’ve realized that’s not true, she just has a very misguided parenting style, which i suppose i can’t blame her for. there isn’t a parenting hand guide and she’s never done this before. this is where i’m going to change my tone a little bit. if your child has done something questionable on the phone you’ve given them, i would 100% say you should use this app. it is very effective in everything it is advertised as and i can’t fault it for doing its job. however, if you are a parent, i wouldn’t use installing this app on your child’s phone as a threat or bargaining chip. this will root distrust in them that will only grow. finally. i have one last warning to parents if your child is older. once your child has entered high school, they have a plethora of resources available to them. this includes phones. your teen could VERY easily save up about a hundred dollars and get an old iphone from walmart. this is dangerous for two reasons: first, your child could use this secret phone to buy/sell illegal substances which would be very easy to hide because the parent won’t even know the child has the phone. second, the child could post very harmful content using the phone, which would completely derail any effort the parent has made to teach their child internet safety using this app.
Review by septemberninthtwentyfifteen on Parental Control App - OurPact.