Parents have understandable concerns about children’s health and screen time in today’s digital world. Here are our school district’s recommendations for parents to help them set screen time limits and understand how their children are using devices for learning with our schools.
Digital devices should be used in a common area (kitchen, family room, etc.) when at home. Avoid having your child bring their digital devices to their bedroom.
Charge digital devices every night in the same location. Preferably in a common areas such as the kitchen.
Actively monitor what is on the digital device. Get the device pass code and frequently look at the apps on the device. If you are unsure of what an app does, Google it!
Establish home rules and consistently enforce them.
Have frequent conversations about what is on the device and have your child show you how they use particular apps.
Determine if you will allow personal content (i.e. photos, music, videos) on the device. Then frequently monitor.
Set parental controls on the device. Be careful because some parental controls will not allow access to the Internet or other functions students may need in school. To learn more about setting parental controls, visit your school's school-specific e-learning tech support page.
Below are some articles from Common Sense Media that may help parents navigate screen use issues with their children. (Be careful, however, because some parental controls will not allow access to the Internet or other functions students may need in school.)