Screen Time/Cyber Safety


Screen time and cyber safety are things every family must discuss on a regular basis. It is so important, especially with the amount of time our kids are spending online right now.


It's no longer okay to shrug it off and say "Oh, I don't know what my kid's doing all day on that [insert device]. I don't even use Facebook!" There's so much junk online and so many creepy people out there that we have to be informed, aware, and proactive when it comes to who--and what--we allow into our homes.


Here are some tips to help keep your child safe:

CPS_DigitalMediaPoster-EN.pdf

  1. Have a parent control phone monitoring app. A very highly rated one is Bark.

Bark monitors social media, emails, and texts on an unlimited number of devices and alerts parents to suspicious activity—like signs of cyberbullying or self-harm—to help keep kids safe. In combination with ios Screen Time, and parent screening, Bark works.

2. Monitor Screen Time Amount

We have long relied on the Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS)/American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for help with guidelines in raising our kids, and screen time (or media time) is no different. What do the pediatricians as a group think and believe? Screen time for children under 2 years old is not recommended. For children 2 to 5 years, limit routine or regular screen time to less than 1 hour per day. Children above that age should be monitored. Watch for signs that screen use is becoming a problem, such as:

  • Your child complains about being bored or unhappy without access to technology.

  • Oppositional behaviour when you set limits on screen time.

  • Screen use is interfering with sleep, school or face-to-face interactions.

  • Screen time is interfering with offline play, physical activities or socializing with friends and family.

  • Negative emotions after interacting online, playing video games or while texting.

Talk to your child’s doctor if these signs persist, or if they interfere with family life.

The Media Time Calculator designed by the APP is a helpful tool in deciding how much screen time fits your child.

3.Have a family Media Agreement


Whether your kids are in elementary school or whether they're in high school, it doesn't matter. Your family would benefit from having a Family Media Agreement. ​Very simply, a Family Media Agreement is a contract of sorts signed by family members that outlines safe practices for online behavior. It opens the door to frequent conversations about keeping kids safe online. It only takes 10 minutes to create one, and there are several sites that have things all ready for you--all you have to do is sit down with your children, fill in the info, and sign on the dotted lines.

Then, you have to revisit the topic on a regular basis. Set a calendar reminder. Every 3-4 weeks, talk about online experiences, safety, behavior, and passwords.


Common Sense Media has a great Family Media Agreement as well as Parent and Educator Resources.

But you can also find a Family Media Plan on the AAP microsite, HealthyChildren.org, or the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) has a Family Online Safety Agreement which is also awesome.

4. Screen Time Cards

Screen Time Cards allow parents to put some of the ownership of their children’s time in front of the screen on them. The concept is simple: kids choose to ‘use a ticket’ at designated times to play with their chosen screen. The amount of time should follow a set of general guidelines based on the AAP Media recommendations. See above tool calculator.

Check out Screen Time Cards from teachmama.com. Print: ​​​​Screen Time Cards​

5. Teach your kids proper internet etiquette/safety.

These resources are focused on getting everyone to Be Internet Awesome which includes the 5 main focus topics of being smart, alert, strong, kind and brave. Every, single resource is free and can be used at home or in the classroom. It's totally worth checking out.