As a school counselor, I hear a lot of concerns from students, teachers, and parents about the use of technology for elementary students. Although there are clearly dangers of unsupervised use, oversuse, and inappropriate use of technology, there are a lot of resources out there to help parents, teachers, and students safely and successfully utilize technology. As we raise and educate digital natives, we must ensure that they have the necessary technology skills to be successful in their careers but also inter- and intra-personal skills to be successful in all areas of their lives. We can help students be self-aware consumers of digital tools and balanced individuals by providing age and developmentally appropriate limits, boundaries, and education about their technology use. Here are some great resources and how best to use them!
Raising Digital Natives - Dr. Devorah Heitner provides advice to parents on how to guide children in their use of media. Get a free guide on her website or read her book Screenwise.
Common Sense Media - Common Sense Media created lessons for students of all ages to provide them information about safe and healthy media use. Many teachers use these lessons to help students understand media use expectations at home and at school. There is also a great library of resources, app reviews, and Q&A with parents about children’s media use.
American Academy of Pediatrics - Don’t have time to read a book or explore a library of resources? Here are some quick tips for parents about children’s media use.
Healthy Children (Newsletter from AAP) - Use the AAP guidelines referenced above to make a Family Media Use Plan. Also on this site, find links to articles about media use.