ALTHOUGH the technological revolution has brought about countless advantages, when it comes to children, unmonitored usage is something many parents worry about. Smart phones, tablets and even laptops are common items in Saudi households, which means keeping track of what children view and who they are in contact with has become an increasingly complicated task. It is made even harder if children password protect their smart devices. Experts say it is important for parents to monitor how their children use smart devices and what they use them for. If necessary, parents should punish their children if they use them improperly, they told Al-Riyadh newspaper. Umm Hatim, a high school teacher, does not let her son password protect his phone after she caught the 10-year-old watching improper videos on WhatsApp. "I found about the videos by chance. My son uses a security code and does not allow anyone to access whatever is inside that phone. I allowed him to use the code as a way of saying to him that I trust him but he abused my trust," she said while adding that her son said his friends had sent the videos to him. Jana T., a college student, said her parents used to allow her and her siblings to password protect their smartphones but after her father caught her younger brother looking at x-rated photos on his phone, he told everyone to remove any passwords they had. "My father became furious when he found the photos my brother had been looking at. He punished my brother in front of us and asked us to remove any passwords from our phones. I still remember his face – it was really red because he was so angry," she said. School administrator Hanan Al-Otaibi called on parents to keep a close eye on their children's cell phones and never put full trust in them. "It is wrong to place blind trust in your children when it comes to cell phones. Parents have to be vigilant," she cautioned. Manal Obaid, an Islamic education supervisor, urged parents to educate their children about improper content on the Internet and explain to them that it is against Islam to send or receive photos or videos that have explicit content. "Parents must be role models for their children. It is not fair for a parent to tell his child not to do something and then go and do it in front of the child. Your child looks up to you and will copy whatever you do." Counselor Shadi Makki believes parents should teach their children to be responsible and bear the consequences of their mistakes and actions. They should have rewards and punishments in the house; if the child follows the rules, he should be rewarded and if he does not, he should be punished. "Social media sites are full of bad content that might end up on your child's smartphone. Therefore, do not allow your children to have a password and always monitor their behavior but never take their phones and search them because this will make your child lose trust in you," he said.
