For parents

Parent Resources

While there are many ways to control web content on your home network or your child’s device, there are just as many ways to get around them. Employing some of these methods may be a good idea in some situations, but none are a substitute for being actively involved with what your child is doing online, setting screen time limits, and keeping up a conversation about digital citizenship.

Instructions: Screen time restrictions

iPad Screen time restrictions can be added to the iPad. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201304. As noted above, there are ways around these restrictions, so they should not be relied upon as a sole means of keeping your child safe. It is also important to remember that the iPads are used as tools at school for a variety of assignments. So restricting them too heavily can cause obstacles to learning resources.

Web Resource: Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. Common Sense Media’s website is loaded with information for parents, such as reviews, articles, blogs, advice, and resources. Their website can be quickly organized by topic or age range.

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. Carolyn Knorr, Common Sense Media

Podcast: Their Own Devices

No matter how tech savvy you are, your kids likely have you beat. Digital natives see the world in a fundamentally different way than all previous generations. This makes 21st century parenting an unprecedented challenge. Join Marc Groman, an Obama White House tech and privacy adviser, and David Reitman, an adolescent medical doctor, for candid discussions and helpful tips about screen time, social media, sexting, privacy, online gaming, and other challenges facing parents today. Marc and David aren't just experts — they’re also married, and raising a teenage son of their own.

Book: It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens by Danah Boyd

What is new about how teenagers communicate through services such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? Do social media affect the quality of teens’ lives? In this eye-opening book, youth culture and technology expert, boyd uncovers some of the major myths regarding teens' use of social media. She explores tropes about identity, privacy, safety, danger, and bullying. Ultimately, boyd argues that society fails young people when paternalism and protectionism hinder teenagers’ ability to become informed, thoughtful, and engaged citizens through their online interactions. Yet despite an environment of rampant fear-mongering, boyd finds that teens often find ways to engage and to develop a sense of identity.

Podcast: Note to Self

Note to Self is a podcast hosted by Manoush Zomorodi that focuses on the impacts that technology has on everyday life. While parents are not specifically the intended audience, she covers a variety of relevant topics including screen time, privacy, scams, and generational