Family Tech Articles
This Page has a collection of resources to assist parents in navigating parenting in the digital age.
USING INTERNET AT HOME
SOCIAL MEDIA USE
Family Technology Rules: What Kids Expect of Parents
From the University of Washington – a nice set of guidelines about students expect from parents. Students do expect technology limits and supervision.
Common Sense is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology. This site provides information to help parents harness the power of media and technology as a positive force in all kids’ lives.
This Page has a collection of resources to assist parents in navigating parenting in the digital age.
A Parent's Guide to Kids Safety on the Web
An article from Crucial outlining various website resources and guidelines for kids using the internet at home.
An educational resource for raising good digital citizens.
How and When to Limit Kids' Tech Use
Tips on how to teach your children to use technology in a healthy way and pick up the skills and habits that will make them successful digital citizens.
Screen Time in the Age of the Coronavirus
Common Sense Media's Research director explains the science behind the new screen rules.
Tips and Scripts for Managing Screen Time When School Is Online
Call your kids' activities what they are -- playtime, work time, friend time, family time, downtime -- and help kids take responsibility for what they can do and when.
Parents' Ultimate Guide to Parental Controls
Do you need parental controls? What are the options? Do they really work? Here's everything you need to know about the wide array of parental control solutions, from OS settings to monitoring apps to network hardware.
Six Tips for Balancing Technology Use with Other Childhood Activities
Work out which screens are needed when, and use that to drive other decisions.
Family Technology Rules: What Kids Expect of Parents
From the University of Washington – a nice set of guidelines about students expect from parents. Students do expect technology limits and supervision.
Setting Boundaries for Smartphones
Site for parents with resources to help guide student use of digital devices.
A Parent's Resource Guide to Social and Emotional Learning
Grouping of resources on Social-Emotional Learning from Edutopia.
The Balancing Act: Navigating Time Limits On Tech Use
Article from FOSI on limiting tech Use.
Why the Best Parental Control Is You
Instead of flipping a switch, be the voice in their head. By Christine Elgersma, Common Sense Media
Enough With the Screen Time Scare! How to Be Sensible About Children’s Device Use
Article explaining why all screen time is not created equal with references to research from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
American Academy of Pediatrics: New Recommendations for Children’s Media Use
New Recommendations on screen time for children and teens, including link to Family Media Use Plan tool.
Having A Heart-To-Heart About Online Reputation
Article to provide guidance about how to talk to your children about their online reputation, including discussing mistakes made online, and advice to help them think more proactively about their future and how digital plays into that.
The Screen Time Debate: Why “How Much?” Is The Wrong Question
This article looks at why parent need to look beyond just asking “how much time is spent online” to being more concerned with what content is being consumed, when the content is appropriate for your child, and why your child is choosing to spend their time on a certain platform.
Tip sheets written for tweens, teens, parents, educators, and law enforcement, these tip sheets offer guidance on navigating digital safety.
This is the Department of Homeland Security’s National CyberSecurity Awareness Campaign’s presentation for Kids. The Department of Homeland Security helps you protect yourself from dangers on the Internet by teaching you what to look out for online.
STOP.THINK.CONNECT. (Parents and Educators)
This is the Department of Homeland Security’s Parent and Educator Resources site.
5 Benefits of Having a Social Media-Savvy Kid
This article, written by Common Sense Media, was printed in the Huffington Post. Common Sense Media is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology. This article highlights some of the positive impacts of teens using social media. See their full site for lots of resources and advice.
Social Media's Effects on Emotional Well Being
Article from the METRO in the UK
Article in The New Yorker by Maria Konnikova who has a Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia University. She writes regularly on science and psychology topics. In this article she explores the idea that overuse of social media can be alienating.
Young People Who Used The Internet To Do Major Good
In this article from Huffington Post, there are several examples of teens leveraging the Internet and Social Media to accomplish goals and do good.
Benefits of Internet and Social Media
This is an article from Reachout, a mental health organization in Australia. It describes how teens use the Internet and Social Media as active citizens, creators, and team players.
This is an article in Modern Learners by Audrey Watters, a prolific writer on topics of technology and education. In this article she provides data about how teens actually use social media, pulled from the latest Pew Research Center report on teens and social media.
Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015
If the article linked above sparks your interest, I recommend reading the full report from the Pew Research Center on Internet, Science & Technology.
To Keep Teens Safe Online, They Need To Learn To Manage Risk
NPR reports on research findings.
Selfie-Loathing: Instagram is Even More Depressing Than Facebook. Here’s Why.
This article by Jessica Winter, Slate’s feature editor, points out that how Social Media is used (sharing articles and playing games versus trolling for photos of more perfect lives that yours) is an important factor in whether it is likely to have negative impact.
Social Emotional Learning in the Home
Social and emotional learning starts at home. Parents and families are critical partners in helping their children develop social and emotional know-how. They can model the kinds of skills, attitudes, and behaviors we want all students to master. And they can be important advocates for SEL at school.
iRules by Janell Burley Hofmann
In iRules: What Every Tech-Healthy Family Needs to Know About Selfies, Sexting, Gaming and Growing Up, Janell Burley Hofmann provides families with the tools they need to find a balance between technology and human interaction through a philosophy she calls Slow-Tech Parenting. In the book, she educates parents about the online culture tweens and teens enter the minute they go online, exploring issues like cyberbullying, friend fail, and sexting, and helps parents create their own iRules contracts to fit their families' needs. As funny and readable as it is prescriptive, iRules helps parents figure out when to unplug and how to stay in sync with the changing world of technology, while teaching their children self-respect, integrity, and responsibility.
Site offers some free digital resources to support a healthy tech lifestyle!
Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI)
This site offers insight, tips, and resources for both parents and educators around good parenting in a digital world, as well as guidance on topics such as safety, privacy, social media and digital citizenship.
Common Sense Media- Parent Concerns
This is a great collection of questions posed by parents which have been answered by Common Sense Media. You can search for topics and find a plethora of resources and information about all things related to media.