08/03/2026
children head back to school. You may be preparing to give them their first cell phone. Before you do, I want to encourage you to take one more important step. One of the greatest risks we hand our children today isn’t the phone itself—it’s unrestricted access to the internet. Predators are actively using social media, messaging apps, gaming platforms, and other online spaces to target children. Online grooming, exposure to po*******hy, cyberbullying, and the rapidly growing crime of sextortion are happening at alarming rates. The statistics are heartbreaking, and this is a crisis that every parent needs to be aware of. Please consider installing a reputable parental monitoring or protection app before handing your child a phone. If your child already has a phone, it’s never too late to add one. These tools can help alert you to concerning conversations, explicit content, online predators, and other potential dangers before they become tragedies. This isn’t about invading your child’s privacy—it’s about protecting them. As parents, we would never knowingly leave our children alone with dangerous individuals who could manipulate or harm them. We shouldn’t unknowingly provide a device that gives strangers private access to them either. I’ve included a list of several well-known parental protection apps for anyone looking for a place to start. There are many excellent options available, but these are some of the most commonly recommended. Parents, please don’t let the fear of upsetting your child or invading their privacy keep you from doing what you’ve been called to do: protect them. Their safety is always more important than their temporary frustration. A conversation, a few settings, and the right tools today could prevent a lifetime of heartache tomorrow.