Real-life Examples Of Snowplow Parenting

How many parenting styles are you aware of? The parenting world often comes across with new styles and parents start thinking of its traits and effects on the child's development. Nowadays the talk of the town is snowplow parenting.

Snowplow parenting is a parenting style wherein parents show high command and a moderate amount of affection and warmth to the kids. Understanding its parenting traits with real-life examples can give a brief idea about this method.

What Is Snowplow Parenting?

Snowplow parenting is a controversial parenting style. Just like a snow plow clears the snow off the road, these parents keep on cleaning the roads of success to their kids by solving their troubles and problems.

Such parents always want smooth success for their children and to make children successful they can do anything. They can even adopt unethical ways and practices to ensure kids’ success.

• Parents Are Extremely Protective

Snowplow parents keep on protecting kids in every walk of their life. They are so obsessed with the kid's safety that they ensure every aspect of a kid's life is well-protected.

Example: You know you can guard a kid's real-life but are you worried about the kid's virtual life? A snowplow parent will use an effective parental control app to protect the kid's virtual wellbeing.

Every parent wants to keep their kids safe but when throughout parenting, a parent becomes obsessed about a child's protection, it adversely affects a child's growth.

• Parents Shower Precious Gifts and Cheques

The classic trait of the snowplow parent is they want success for their kids anyhow and by any means. These parents are always very ambitious and dream of a grand career, the brightest future and all the best possible success for their kid's life.

And if reality doesn't match with their expectations, they will not hesitate to twist the facts with financial aid.

Example: Have you ever seen the mother who fights a teacher arguing that her kid is the brightest one but the exam pattern is faulty. If this is not enough such parents can shower costly gifts and huge cheques to bribe teachers to improve kid's grades.

Such parents can buy kid's success in easy shortcuts but they miss on making kids understand the value of ethics and fair practices in life.

• Parents Always Micromanage Kid’s Life

Snowplow parents always manage kid's lives. They try to choose kid's friends, his summer class and everything related to the kids.

Example: "You should be friends with Jade, he is good in mathematics and is a very disciplined child." Ever seen such a mother? There are many mothers who choose their kid's friends. And furthermore, force the kids to be friends with someone who has some special skill or advantage.

When parents start choosing kid's friends, fight kid's battles, and micromanage all the aspects of a kid's life, children feel suffocated and become less confident.

• Parents Babysit Their Child

Snowplow parents reflect a trait of overprotective parents by mollycoddling their kids too much. They pamper and over-support every action of their kids.

Example: Are you a parent who cleans his teenager's room? Do you make your kid's bed? Since your kid does not like the dinner you prepared, are you preparing a new dish for him?

If the answer is big YES, you are a snowplow parent too! Such parents babysit their kids even when they grow up. These parental habits make kids dependable. Such children can not even accomplish their usual chores without a parent's help.

So, this is how snowplow parents cripple their child’s future just by over pampering and constantly assisting them. Are you the one? Stop spoon-feeding your children now!

What Are The Long-Term Effects Of Overprotective Parenting?

Parenting style has a profound impact on the child's life. Every age and stage of child development may require a different parenting approach. However, a kid's safety is a primary concern in any child development stage. But when it comes to the overprotective parents they are almost obsessed with it.

No matter how good intentions these parents carry while raising the kids, they end up yielding the adverse effects of their overpampered parenting techniques.

Do you possess any characteristic signs of the overprotective parent? Let's see what are the long-term impacts of this style?

Are You An Overprotective Parent?

How do you know about your parenting type? Check out for these signs of overprotective parents.

• You employ a child-centric parenting method keeping the child's safety as your primary concern.
• You constantly micromanage kid's pursuits.
• You are too nosy in your child's actions.
• You spoon-feed your kid at every stage.
• You place your kid in a safe bubble away from the real-world.
• You can't tolerate a kid's mistakes.
• You always console and compensate for the kid's bitter experiences.

Effects Of Overprotective Parenting

Studies show that overprotective parenting can result in the following ways

1. People's Validation Matters A Lot.
2. Kids Lack Their Authenticity.
3. Kids Get Depressed Easily.
4. Low Confidence and Low Self-Esteem.
5. Impulsive Risk-Taking Behaviour.
6. Kids Demand Over Perfectionism.

Now lets looks at these point in detail

People's Validation Matters A Lot

• Children of Protective parents grow up under high pressure of expectations. These parents shower love and care only when their kids follow their advice and opinions. They do not promote kids’ own views and thoughts.
• That's why such kids grow up with people-pleasing tendencies. They believe validity from others is very crucial to get accepted in society. They always fear rejections and disapproval.

Kids Lack Their Authenticity

• In overprotective parenting, parents set strict rules and regulations to discipline their kids. If these rules are not followed kids get punished.
• Apart from that, kids constantly seek validations and approvals of parents. Such kids can't express themselves in fear that they might not get validation. Gradually they lose their authenticity. Unfortunately, such kids don’t know how to be themselves.

Kids Get Depressed Easily

• Protective parents raise oversensitive kids. Oversensitiveness is prone to anxiety and depression.
• When these kids face real-world challenges they feel anxious and depressed. For survival, they need to come out of their comfort zone as no one in real life will pamper them for every little thing.

Low Confidence and Low Self-Esteem

• Constant love and affection of overprotective parents make kids feel unique. Such kids may develop an ungrounded sense of entitlement.
• But in reality, such constant care and support of parents transfer the underlying message that kids are not good enough to handle their own lives.
• Such kids show low self-confidence and low self-worth due to the early age mollycoddling of parents.

Impulsive Risk-Taking Behaviour

• Protective parent's pressure and high-performance demands make kids reserved and fearful.
• However, at a certain point in life, these kids show impulsive high-risk-taking behavior. Psychologically they are trying to soothe their early-age experiences.
• The lack of freedom they felt at an early age triggers impulsive risk-taking behavior.

Kids Demand Over Perfectionism 

• Overprotective parents always need everything perfect. They employ the same thing with the child and kids constantly struggle to keep everything perfect in any situation. 
• The narcissistic traits of these parents may fear the child that if things are not accurate he will get beaten or punished or on an emotional level he may face the withdrawal attention of the parents.
• This conditional approval gives the underlying message that children need to be flawless in order to be loved and trusted. 
• As grown-ups, such kids will act as a perfectionist. Not to mention they will also demand flawlessness from others in every task.

Concluding Thoughts

Children are the most precious treasure for every parent. It is obvious parents want nothing but the best for their kids. In the case of overprotective parents, they need to understand that they can't protect their kids throughout life.

Their actual job is nurturing life-sufficient skills into the kids that can help them face real-world challenges. Too much love and care spoils the child. Ease up your overprotective parenting with a practical life approach.

What is Omega Random Video Chat Omegle?

Today's tech-crazy generation keeps on finding new ways to have fun with the internet. There are thousands of apps, games and fun platforms that provide online leisure activities. Talk-to-stranger apps are one amongst them.

Additionally, these apps have a lenient registration-verification policy and multiple options, features to attract users. Our teens and youngsters are addicted to such apps. Omega random video chat Omegle ranks on the top in this category.

What is Omega Random Video Chat Omegle?

The Omega Random Video Chat Omegle app connects two strangers, across the countries. These strangers can enjoy random text, voice and video chats. Omegle for kids can be risky as two strangers have no prior verification by the app.

Omegle Chat just mentions that users should be 17 years of age to subscribe, but the platform is open even for the 13 years old youngster with his parent's consent.

Moreover, it is a free app that has no strict registration and verification policy. The mere warning about age, on the welcome page, can be easily defeated by desperate teenagers to use the app.

Is Omegle safe for kids? let's know more about the app's functionalities to find the answer.

How Does Omega Random Video Chat Omegle Works?

Omegle for kids can turn out as dangerous online activity. Let's know how the app works.

Apart from pairing two strangers, the Omega Random Video Chat Omegle app keeps the identity and the entire chat of users anonymous. The notorious app is famous amongst youngsters and adults to have online fun without disclosing identity.

User doesn't even need to create an account. A simple press on the start button enters you in the crowd of online anonymous users. No one will ever know who you were on the platform and no history of using the app can reveal anything.

Furthermore, this talk-to-stranger app excites the user, specifically our teenagers with the concept of online-date-chat-have fun. Omegle for kids can be cool at their age. As they love to chat/video call strangers.

Is Omegle Safe For Kids?

Is Omegle safe? Well, parents' may have a few points of concern about Omegle for kids after reading these issues.

• Online predators with tricky plans mislead our innocent children and can manipulate them. Predators may plot a scam while chatting on Omegle.
• Omegle for kids becomes risky as many cyber hackers hack Omegle chats. Further, they can misuse these so-called "anonymous chats" for blackmailing or cyberbullying.
• Is Omegle safe facing cyberbullying? No! Users may force innocent kids to sex chat with them. They may simply bully teens and youngsters.
• Enjoying nasty adult talk, sharing sex-related content, using vulgar language, exposing graphical nudity- is very normal on the Omegle platform. Omegle for kids can be traumatic and terrible.
• Many pedophiles use Omegle to misuse minor kids. Sexting and soft porn may harm our kids. Such things are frightening for kids’ safety on Omegle.
• People also use violent and threatening language on Omegle. Parents should protect kids from such destructive app.

Concluding suggestions

Here we sum up with a few tricks and tips to handle the dangers of Omegle for kids.

• Teach kids not to share personal information with anyone.
• Avoid sharing social media life /profiles /images with strangers.
• Never tap on any external link or dubious clickable buttons.
• Avoid sharing images, photos, personal videos to strangers.
• Disconnect whenever you(kids)feel uncomfortable.

No matter how much you restrict your kids from using such apps, they will break the rules and push the boundaries! To outsmart this, parents should use effective parental control apps, like Bit Guardian Parental Control. It is a child monitoring app that safeguards a kid’s digital life.

7 GPS Tracker Apps For Android: You Can't Afford To Miss In 2020!

These days, GPS Tracker Apps are inevitably the best tools to safeguard your loved ones. It serves best in emergencies. It also helps to protect your grandparents and teens. But kids need it the most!

Seven wonders of the world fall short if we see the tiny curious eyes of a child! They always roam here and there out of curiosity, knowing their whereabouts can help you protect them with increasing crime ratio. Caring-tracking your grandparents and other family members to ensure their safety should be your first concern!

So here we share a list of seven best location tracker apps you can not miss in 2020 to protect your kids round the clock!

Bit Guardian Parental Control

This one is a parent's tried and trusted parental control app Check out its features, which ranks it first on our list!

• It gives accurate location details of your kid, with the geofence.
• You can set virtual geographic boundaries and define the center location of your kid.(min. radius 100m)
• When your child enters/exits this safe zone, you get his current location details with the alert in your device.
• The cherry on the cake is this app allows you to set a speed limit of the child's vehicle, and whenever he exceeds this limit, you immediately get notified!
• Find your lost device and enjoy many other exciting features!

FamiSafe

Another app on our list of GPS cell phone tracker apps for Android is FamiSafe, which ensures family safety with its below-mentioned features.

• You can set Geofences and get location alerts.
• A parent can track apps usage and device activity on your kids Android phone.
• It prevents child's access to dangerous apps and websites.

Family Locator

As the name suggests, it ensures the safety of family by tracing accurate whereabouts.

• Advanced GPS tracking features.
• It provides a real-time GPS location of kids with timely alerts.
• It allows tracking more than one person.
• Ensures smooth operation and instant troubleshoots.

Find My kids

Works exclusively to protect your child and offers the below-mentioned features. Keep a firm eye on your child with this GPS Tracker App for Android.

• Get alerts if your kid visits a particular location.
• Easy to use and reliable.
• Observe the battery level on the child’s device using this app.

MMGuardian

MMGuardian is fundamentally a parental monitoring app that also works as a GPS tracker app for parents.

• Receive the real-time location of children.
• Set screen time deadlines to restrict device usage.
• Block text SMS and calls.

SeTracker

It allows users to monitor and track their kids or family members with easy-to-use features.

• Real-time GPS location with longitude and latitude features.
• You can also insert Geofences.
• Get the location history of your child.

ESET Parental Control

It is the best child monitoring tool that lets parents track the real-time location of a child. Track kid's other mobile usage such as calls, SMS, web history, etc. It is not just an Android phone tracker app, but an exclusive parental control app as well!

Features

• Get complete location history records of your ever moving kid.
• Trace the GPS location of your child in real-time.
• Also, track the Web history and application usage of your kids.

Let’s Wrap up!

Children have the habit of lying; they often want to hide their whereabouts, so their exciting games or inquisitive activities keep going without parental restrictions. But as a parent, you should not only know about their smartphone activities but also their locations.

Also, knowing your dear one’s whereabouts can save them in emergencies. We all heard the phrase a stitch in time saves nine! And this is the right time to stitch it!

Anyway, you can not be with your beloved ones all the time. Let GPS cell phone tracker apps help resolve the worry!

15 Interesting Facts About Social Media And Kids

We know that the list of dangers of social media is endless, and vulnerable kids are more at the receiving end of it. Use the Bit Guardian Parental Control to ensure your kid’s safety in the digital world.

The Internet has practically entrapped everyone, from kids to their grandparents. Such is the reach of social media that even the person living under a rock would be aware of what it is!

Do you know how many children use social media? Half of the children aged 11 and 12 have accounts on social media. 

Having been born with gadgets in hands, children know the technology like the back of their hands. But they are ignorant of the risks associated with overexposure to the devices. Let us learn some facts about kids and social media.

15 Interesting facts about social media and kids

1)   In 2015, the U.K. Office for National Statistics found that children spending more than 3 hours each school day on social media platforms experienced delay in their emotional and social development.

2)    According to a report published by IZA Institute of Labor Economics - just one hour a day on social media can make a child miserable.

3)    Another 2015 study by the British Psychological Society reveals that teenagers feel obligated to respond to social media posts (liking them), replying to texts, and direct messages. This undeniable affects their mental health.

4)     A University of Michigan study suggests that the use of social networking websites negatively affects young adults. The more time they spend there, the more dissatisfied they are from their lives.  

5)   DoSometing.org - one of the largest organizations for young people and social change – specifies several alarming effects of social media. This includes sleeping disorders, depression, smartphone addiction, stress, lower self-esteem, isolation, insecurity.

6)    According to a survey conducted by the Australian Psychological Society, FOMO(Fear Of Missing Out) is one of the main reasons for teens’ extensive use of social media.

7)     A 2019 study from the University of Montreal has established that compared to other types of screen time, social media is more likely to develop depressive symptoms in teenagers.

8)   Instagram mainly affects teen girls more because they unrealistically start comparing themselves with others.

9)    According to Patricia Greenfield, professor of psychology in the UCLA College, when kids use digital media for social interaction, they spend less time developing social skills. They find it difficult to understand the emotions of other people.

10) A survey carried out by the University of Glasgow states that many children use social media at night particularly. Their profound emotional involvement leads to poorer sleep quality, lower self-esteem, and higher levels of anxiety.

11) Research by Larry Rosen, a professor of psychology at California State University, suggests that the teens who use social networks like Facebook extensively might suffer from narcissism and find it difficult to sympathize with others.

12) A recent analysis published in the journal PLOS ONE found that teenagers spending more time on the Internet have thoughts of self-harm or suicide. They have increased chances of being victims of cyberbullying too.

13) According to Pamela Rutledge in Psychology Today, “a teen who lacks self-confidence might develop an obsession with selfies, which is a form of ‘acting out,’ a typical behavioral pattern to get attention.”

14) A study published in the medical journal JAMA indicates that the teens continuously checking social media and stream video might develop symptoms of ADHD, which causes shorter attention span, or distractibility.

15)  Research by a team of economists at the University of Sheffield implies that the more time teens spend chatting on social networking sites, the less happy they feel about their school, appearance, family, and their life overall.

Screen relationships distract kids from spending time in real-life relationships and developing social skills.

Download Parental Control Apps for Android, apply screen time control, limit their smartphone addiction, and create a safe digital world for them to explore.

What Is The Appropriate Age For a Kid For Using Social Media

One of the biggest conundrums faced by today’s parents is when to allow their kids to use social media websites.

For the healthy growth of your child, it is necessary to follow age restrictions on social media. Learn what are they and how to manage it with parental control apps. Read also: An Age-by-Age Guide for Children and Smartphones

Why do we need age restrictions on social media?

A child younger than 13 years is not mature enough to have developed cognitive functions for impulse control.

Any mistake or misjudgment, which can potentially affect their future, cannot be erased from the web. If online predators target a child, they cannot deal with the situation at a young age.

Let us find out the age restrictions on some of the most reputed social networking sites that connect the members on a common platform.

Which social media websites have an age restriction?

Facebook

• Facebook does not allow children younger than 13 years to create an account. Though in some jurisdictions, the age limit may be higher, for example – in South Korea and Spain, kids above 14 can use Facebook.
• Facebook clearly states that creating an account with false information is a violation of their terms. And it asks the parents whose underage child has created an account on Facebook to help them delete it.
• Users can also fill the form to notify an account belonging to an underage user, and Facebook promptly deletes it.

Instagram

• Instagram requires its users to be at least 13 years old before they can create an account (in some jurisdictions, this age limit may be higher).
• Instagram also asks users to fill out a form and notify them about the accounts being operated by underage so that they can delete them if they cannot verify that someone over 13 years old is managing the account.

Twitter

• Calling it age screening, Twitter also requires the user to be at least 13 years old, or in the case of Periscope 16 years old, to use their services. 
• But, during the signup process, a kid can enter a fake date of birth, and there are no preventive measures to supervise that.

Snapchat

• Like other social media websites, Snapchat has a minimum age requirement of 13 years old. But it is easy to circumvent this by providing the concocted date of birth, and the service has no way of checking.
• The app is more alarming because it makes the users believe that their images will be safe as they will be removed after a specified time, so kids become bold and might share an embarrassing image. And if the receiver takes a screenshot before that, then it can be circulated easily.

For other platforms, such as Pinterest, Tumblr, and Kik, the minimum age is 13; for Vine, Tinder, and Yik Yak, it’s 17. YouTube allows persons, 18 or above to be account holders, but a 13-year-old can sign up with a parent’s permission.

Parenting tips: How to restrict underage children from using social media

• Educate them about the skills they’d need when starting to use social media.
• Keep an eye on their browsing history.
• Inform them about the online dangers – cyberbullying, pornography, online predation, sexting, etc.
• Download and use parental control apps to supervise the age limitations on social media and to block those apps if you find them in your child’s phone. You can also disable Play Store, prohibiting them from downloading any new app.

When a child signs up for an account with a fabricated birth date, they cannot have the protection offered by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and their personal information is at risk.
According to research, by the time kids are 10, approximately 59% of them have already used a social network, 52% of 8 to 16-year-olds admit of ignoring Facebook’s age restriction.
The age restrictions on social media are not law; they are recommendations. It is easy for a child to fake birthday and to create an account. That is why a parent needs to monitor their children’s online activities with parental control apps for Android.