How to Monitor Your Teen's Online and Texting Activity to Keep Them Safe Via http://www.howlifeworks.com It's tricky being a parent these days, especially when technology is involved. On one hand, you want to give your kids the independence to make decisions on their own, learn from those actions, and mature accordingly. On the other hand, they're still your baby—no matter what the age— and you want to protect them as best you can. Today's teens spend an average of 7.5 hours a day connected to some type of electronic device, and most know a lot more about the Internet and technology than their parents. From online solicitations, to sexting, to befriending some less-than-desirable characters, many parents have no idea what their children are doing—on the phone, online, or in the real world. This can lead to mistakes caused by youthful inexperience, which can haunt a child and parent forever.  While some adults believe that parental control settings on Internet browsers offer protection, the average desktop browser can't filter everything, and these safeguards can be easily bypassed by a savvy computer user; and, as you're well aware, if a young person is motivated enough, they can be very savvy. "Friending" your child on Facebook is also not a solution since most kids know how to configure their privacy settings to show you only the things they want you to see. It's the same with cell phones, because there's really no way to track someone's texting and call activity. Or is there? A new online service called TeenSafe is making it easy for parents to keep their children safer, while offering young people the freedom they need and want to grow independently.