(ThyBlackMan.com) There are a few things that parents deem as essential purchases for their children. These are things that they simply cannot live without, like a toy box, a tablet or a nightlight. But there is a relatively new app that every parent needs to have that most parents probably don’t know about.
Now, you may be wondering what could be so important about an app that every parent should have it downloaded, but this is one that is made for parents to protect their kids. In this digital age we live in, more kids than ever have cell phones, smart phones, tablet, iPads and other ways to connect with their friends and to the internet. That means that they have what is usually unfettered 
access to all sorts of dangerous material, be it pornography, violence, drug trafficking, human trafficking and more. There are all kinds of dangers lurking in the online space that even many parents are not aware of, and those that want to protect their kids may be willing to try anything they can.
What they may not know is that there is an app made for protecting your children on the internet. It’s called Kidgy, and I can recommend it for parents. What it does is provide parental control over what your kids can access and see. An essential feature is a call log, which tracks all incoming and outgoing calls, and it can even block calls from unwanted numbers. It even tells you how long each call was for so that you know who your kid is spending the most time talking to.
It also offers parental control over apps and features, allowing you to block what can and cannot be downloaded and accessed.
Of course, the parental controls extend to the internet as well. You can use the app to block harmful websites and to see what your child has been accessing online. While you may trust your child not to do anything intentionally harmful online, there is tons of material out there that is disguised innocently, but that can hurt your child either emotionally or electronically. All sorts of harmful websites will teach your child misleading information, encourage them to try dangerous activities, steal their identification or connect them with dishonest people. Trusting your child is one thing, but you should never trust them with unfettered access to the internet.
Internet parental controls with this application extend to keyword blocking as well. You can target specific keywords, such as “sex”, “porn”, “drugs” and more that you want your child to stay away from. You can just think about anything you wish your child would not see or have access to and then add it to the list of blocked sites and keywords to keep them safe. You can also set up the controls to allow you to receive text message alerts whenever your child accesses prohibited sites or searches for something from a list of targeted keywords.
The app includes GPS tracking so you can know where your child is at all times. This is all, honestly, just the tip of the iceberg. There are tons more this app can do, and new features are being added all the time to make control easier and more extensive for parents.
Some of the upcoming features include a panic button which lets children send a message for help with the press of a button. It will message you that they need help and provide details on their location.
Another upcoming feature is a speed limit alert, which lets you know whenever your child is driving over a predetermined speed limit.
One upcoming feature I am looking forward to is a Call Home setting. This feature puts the phone into a setting that locks everything except the ability to call a designated phone, typically the home phone or a parent’s phone.
I think once most people get an idea of what this app can do; they too will feel that they cannot live without it. It’s the Kidgy app is available for download right now on the Google Play store, and the upcoming features make it something that will continue to be used by parents to protect their children from many dangers.
Staff Writer; Larry Rose
