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Some parents today can remember a time without streaming, social media, smart phones, and the Internet. However, for our children, that is all they know. With the use of technology increasing at school for online learning and digital platforms, kids today get more screen time than any generation before. Their access to information and other people is literally at their finger tips with the click of a button or the swipe of a screen. How much is too much? How do I know if my children are safe online? What boundaries should I set for my child and technology?
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics:
FACT: By watching 3 to 4 hours of noneducational TV per day, children will have seen about 8,000 murders on TV by the time they finish elementary school!
FACT: TV characters often try to use violence to solve problems. Children need to learn how to solve problems in a nonviolent way.
FACT: Young children think cartoons are real, and many cartoons use larger-than-life violence just to keep children's interest.
Just like children learn from fathers and mothers, and sisters and brothers, they also learn both good and bad habits from TV characters. Some children learn to:
Fight by watching TV violence.
Become victims.
Encourage friends to fight since it's fun to watch.
How to prevent (or overcome) problems with gaming according to Child Mind Institute:
Gaming should occur only after your child completes his other responsibilities for the day.
Put clear limits on your child’s gaming and reassess if necessary.
Determine a realistic consequence for breaking the rules.
Make sure you know and approve of which games your child is playing.
Once you have established your rules, you must consistently monitor and apply them.
Identify other recreational activities.
Offer positive reinforcement for non-gaming activities.
Young Children (0-4)
Young Children (0-4)
Limit exposure.
Start leading by example early.
Don’t underestimate the value of traditional toys and open spaces.
Leave the tablet at home.
Engage with your child when they are on technology. Watch what they are doing and ask them about it.
Grade School Kids (5-11)
Grade School Kids (5-11)
Watch things together.
Screen time shouldn't be all the time.
Be discerning. Look for things that are age-appropriate, engage your child's imagination, have the right values.
Don't make screens the reward (or the consequence).
Encourage other activities.
Be prepared for them to discover porn.
Encourage them to tell an adult if they see something inappropriate.
Tweens and Teens (12+)
Tweens and Teens (12+)
Keep modeling good tech behavior.
Encourage privacy.
Yes to friending, no to spying.
Make it clear that naked pictures are a bad idea (and explain why).
Texting can be tricky.
Some texting boundaries to consider from Keeping Kids Safe at Michigan State University:
Develop a list of people your child can text.
Establish sites or apps they are allowed to use to communicate.
Determine what information is appropriate to text.
Determine the social media sites they are allowed to text on.
Decide when they are allowed to get a phone or tablet.
Establish where it is appropriate and not appropriate to text.
Establish when your child can share their location as some apps are set to share your location automatically.
Some texting etiquette to consider from Keeping Kids Safe at Michigan State University:
No electronic device use during meals.
Electronic devices must be put away during IRL (in real life) conversations.
Electronic devices must be shut down or set on silent or vibrate mode during family time.
Technology use during homework time is limited to that related to the homework at hand.
Electronic devices must be used in common areas of the home, never in bedrooms.
Taking and posting or otherwise sharing photos or videos of other people (including screenshots of someone else’s information) without their consent is forbidden. (Note: It’s important to empower your child to expect their friends, family, and peers to obtain their consent before taking and posting or otherwise sharing photos or videos of your child, too.)
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