How can I monitor my child's text messages on iPhone and Android? How can I see who they are texting without them knowing? This post is for you if you've ever thought of these questions.
It is the duty and responsibility of parents to keep their kids safe. But with the ever-changing technology, the dimension of this subject has changed. Privacy intrusion is clashing with parental instincts. This post summarizes ways to monitor your child's text messages on iPhone and Android. Read on to find out more!
How Can I Monitor My Child's Text Messages on iPhone?
Method 1. Check the Synced Text Messages on iCloud
iCloud is a storage space for storing data on the device. But first, the target phone must have an iCloud account to access iCloud storage. This storage comes in handy for retrieving data from a device or viewing it on another device, provided the devices are synced.
Step 1. Go to iCloud.com and sign in with your child's Apple ID.
If there are multiple devices linked to the ID, click on the device you want. The options are easy to navigate from there.
Step 2. Follow the command prompt to check your child's text message.
Text message forwarding is another way to see who your kids are texting, primarily if they use an iPhone. You need to access their device setting.
Step 1. Go to the device setting and scroll to Messages.
Step 2. Select Send & Receive under Messages.
Step 3. Sign in with your Apple ID.
Step 4. Go back to the device setting and enable the text forwarding under Messages.
Step 5. Choose the recipient device and enter the verification code sent.
How Can I Monitor My Child's Text Message on Android?
Method 1. See Your Kid's Text Messages with Google Backup
If your child has an Android phone, you can enable Google Backup to see their messages, as Google is able to back up SMS and MMS messages. If backup is not enabled on your kid's phone, follow these steps;
Step 1. Access your child's phone with their consent.
Step 2. Go to Settings > Google > Backup, and confirm it(some will appear as Accounts and backup > Back up data).
Step 3. Tap Back up Now.
Step 4. After that, you can visit their Google Drive to check their text messages.
Method 2. AirDroid Text Monitoring App
Another way to view their text messages on your Android phone is via parental control apps like AirDroid. AirDroid Parental Control app is an all-in-one digital parenting app. It allows parents to monitor the target Android device remotely without being noticed, including seeing their child's text messages.
The app syncs the notifications, including incoming text messages, if the notification permission is enabled on the child's phone. Parents can also check the live screen of their child's Android device from a distance, which means they are able to see who their child is texting.
Tips: AirDroid makes it easy to check your child's text messages for free with at least three days of a free trial. You can also try it online at webparent.airdroid.com.
Learn How to Monitor Kids Text Messages via AirDroid Parental Control below:
Step 1. Download and install the AirDroid Parental Control app on your device. You will be directed to the sign-up page. You are required to create an account before logging in.
Step 2. Download AirDroid Kids on your kid's Android phone. Install and launch the app. Make the necessary settings and customize the feature. Enter the pairing code to link his Android device to yours.
Step 3. AirDroid Kids runs in stealth mode in the background. You can see who they are texting and their text messages, including those from social media Notifications.
Other features of AirDroid Parental Control besides text message monitoring include;
Call Management
You can view the call logs of the target device. You can also record the call if you want. This feature records call durations and timestamps of Android devices.
Social Content Detection
AirDroid Parental Control monitors WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok by customizing the keywords. By understanding the detected information, parents can promptly talk to their children to reduce or stop cyberbullying, online fraud, or other inappropriate behavior.
GPS Tracking
The app gives real-time location using GPS tracking. You can customize it to give notification of the place at intervals to know where your kids are at a particular time.
Watch and Hear the Phone's Surroundings
With the Remote Camera and One-way Audio, you can monitor the kid's phone surroundings to ensure safety.
Can I See My Child's Deleted Text Messages?
The ability to view your child's deleted text messages depends on whether the AirDroid Kids app was already installed on their phone at the time of deletion. If the app was present prior to the message deletion, then you are in luck. Regardless of whether your child deleted the texts, you can still access them as the app instantaneously syncs all incoming messages to your phone.
Method 3. View Text Message with Google Family Link
Google Family Link can allow you to see your kid's text messages, SMS text, and social media texts and block some activities.
Step 1. Download the Google Family Link (parent) on your device.
Step 2. Install the kid's version on your kid's phone.
Step 3. Follow the command prompt, and a code will be generated on your phone.
Step 4. On your kid's phone, enter the generated code and password.
Step 5. Follow the command prompt, and you are done. From your device, you can customize the Setting.
Note: Google Family Link only monitors text messages on the phones of children under 13.
Video Tutorial: Monitor My Child's Text Messages on iPhone & Android
See My Child's Text Message without Them Knowing vs. Let Them Know
There is a constant debate about whether or not to let your kids know that you are monitoring them. There is the issue of intruding on their privacy. There is also the necessity of keeping an eye on them. So, should you or should you not let them know?
Without them knowing, you have uninterrupted access to their device. You see who your kid is texting for free, see their location, and create geofences for them. All of these for their excellent.
When you let your children know, you must explain why you are doing it. They also wouldn't feel free to use their device as they should. They may even get a new phone without your knowledge. The trust between your kids and you may be broken.
When you weigh these points critically, sometimes it's better to monitor your kids without them knowing to avoid tantrums.
Why Is It So Important to Keep an Eye on Your Children?
No doubt, kids these days are more advanced than the kids in our time. It is vital to keep an eye on them, especially their internet activities. Until that child is old enough to understand life, it's up to you to keep out of harm's way. It might seem like invading their privacy, but there are more pressing reasons why you need to monitor them. Below are a few
Cyber Bullying
Kids don't only experience bullying at school or on the street. It can happen to them online, too. Being kids, they may be too afraid to tell you about it. It's up to you to find out for yourself. Cyberbullying can be in the form of mean texts, emails, or offensive posts about them. Kids who go through it suffer a mental and emotional breakdown in silence. That is why you need to monitor your kids' text messages. Also, remember that your kid may not be the victim. They may be the bullies themselves. When you watch them, you can quickly notice these things and reprimand or help them.
Online Predators
The internet is packed with predators looking for innocent kids to prey upon or recruit into their activities. Naivety is children's nature. They develop friendships quickly with these predators. As a parent, you must protect them. When you see who your kids are texting, you can help them not fall victim to these people.
Inappropriate Contents
Apart from online predators and cyberbullies, another reason to watch your kids is to censor their online activity. Your kids might indulge in some funny activities online out of peer pressure or curiosity. Also, since they constantly communicate with themselves, they may share inappropriate pictures and videos. Once they get hooked on these contents, it will be difficult to break their addiction.
Not just media files, they may also be exposed to content that promotes negative attitudes and ideas contrary to what you've instilled in them.
Protect Your Personal Information
There is no better way to pry into a person's life than through their kids. They post everything online, even your private information. They attach their location to social media posts, school, home addresses, pictures, personal information, etc.
Bad people can use this information to trace you or your kids. There have been instances of people getting robbed, and the police trace it down to them and their kid's social media posts.
If you have a kid who posts everything and anything online, you should pay close attention to them for their excellence.
Identity Theft
Because they have the greater possibility of posting too much information, anyone can steal your kid's identity to open a credit account, commit crimes with it, or both. It takes a while to rectify their stolen identity.
Safeguard Their Reputation
Social media posts need to be censored. Kids don't know this. They tend to post things that hurt their reputation. It might be due to a dare, external influence, or trend. We've read about when kids post their nudes or send them to others. Little will they know that such things will harm their reputation. So, it's up to you as a parent to keep them out of harm's way by keeping an eye on them.
Limit Screen Time and Addiction
Social media and gaming addiction are prevalent among teenagers these days. One out of every three children cannot spend an hour away from their phone. The number one culprit of phone addiction is social media. They text anywhere and anytime. Even at the dining table, they are still texting.
Phone addiction causes insomnia, impaired vision, limited social life, and lack of motivation. The only way to curb it is by limiting their screen usage time. As growing children, they need time to be active and outgoing, not stuck on their phones.
Viruses and Malware
Some websites and applications seem genuine but are viruses and malware in disguise. While it is easy to move some apps, others may cause serious harm. Hackers get access to unsuspected victims via malware. Victims can get blackmailed by these hackers before they get it removed from their devices. You need to keep an eye on the website they visit and the link they click for their protection. Kids cannot on their own evaluate a suspicious website. Even you, too, as a parent, cannot. You will need to have a good antivirus installed on your phone.
Conclusion
Regardless of how guilty you feel about monitoring your children's text messages, you have to do it. It will help you stay informed about the newest developments in your lives. You rest easy knowing that you get notified whenever any denylist thing happens with them online. That is why you need a parental control app.
Apps like AirDroid run in their phone background without them knowing. It will save you the stress and tension of explaining to them why you have it installed on their device. To see who your child is texting on Android devices for free, click here to download.
AirDroid Parental Control & Text Messages Monitoring
See incoming text messages on kids' phones; screen mirroring kid's Android phone
Schedule how long and when your kids can use their mobile and manage app usage
Find your loved ones in real-time and set geofencing; see and hear their mobile surroundings remotely
FAQs about Monitoring My Child's Phone
How Can I Read My Child's Text Message without Them Knowing?
Elsa
You can read your child's text messages without them knowing when you sync their text to the cloud, log in to their carrier account, or through an app.
However, the parental control app seems to be the best option out of the three. Your child may one day turn off their cloud sync. Where will that leave you? But with the parental control app, you do not only read their text messages without them knowing. You can also see their other activity. Like their location, who they call, record their call, and mirror their phone. You can almost see everything they do from your end of the app.
How Can I Get My Child's Text Messages Sent to My Phone?
Elsa
You can get your child's text messages sent to your phone via text forwarding on your iPhone or parental control app.
AirDroid Parental Control app runs on Android. Since Android doesn't have the same text forwarding feature as iPhone, you can take advantage of the app to get your child's text messages sent to your phone.
What App Can I Use to Monitor My Child's Text Messages?
Elsa
You can use the AirDroid Parental Control app to monitor your child's text messages. It has a free trial with the same function as the premium.
Can I Monitor My Child's iPhone from My iPhone?
Elsa
Yes, you can monitor your child's iPhone from your iPhone. You can do that through the device setting. From the Setting, go to the message option, add your Apple ID, and enable the text message sharing option.
How Can I Monitor My Child's Phone Without Them Knowing?
Elsa
There are different ways to monitor your child's phone without them knowing. Through cloud sync, find my phone app or Google family link.
However, the best way to monitor your child's phone without them knowing is via a parental control app. It will save you the stress of asking their permission to go through their phone or the fight for privacy or no privacy.
Some of the parental control apps run in stealth mode. So, they wouldn't know you have it installed on their device. You can see who they are texting and all their phone activity. One such app is the AirDroid Parental Control app.
Can I See My Child’s Text Messages on Family Link?
Elsa
Google Family Link allows parents to monitor their children's text messages, but only for those under 13.
Elsa has worked on a number of iOS & Android solutions, she can always find her way around almost any application. She is an accomplished, skilled and versatile writer with more than 7 years of technical article writing experience.
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