What is the appropriate age to give your child a phone? Are there steps you should take before this milestone? What rules should be in place for your child’s first phone? Parents today face these tough questions and more. This post shares three things you can do to help your child and your family prepareContinueContinue reading “3 Steps Before Giving Your Child a Phone”
Tag Archives: Screen Time
Help! I Gave My Kid a Phone Without Rules.
Recently, a parent asked me this question: “I gave my kid a cell phone without establishing rules first. It’s not going well. She is glued to her phone night and day. Is it too late to put rules in place?” The good news is that it is not too late to implement new phone rulesContinueContinue reading “Help! I Gave My Kid a Phone Without Rules.”
Parental Controls and Child Safety: Protecting Kids Online
Summary: Parental controls and child safety settings can help protect kids online and reduce young kids’ access to inappropriate content. To be most effective, controls should be set up on all devices your child accesses and accompanied by ongoing family conversations about digital safety. This past week, I visited an elementary school to discuss digitalContinueContinue reading “Parental Controls and Child Safety: Protecting Kids Online”
Cyberbullying Vs. Digital Drama
In the digital lives of preteens and teens, the terms “cyberbullying” and “digital drama” are often used interchangeably, but there are key differences and unique ways to respond to each. Let’s start with a quiz. Quiz: Is it Cyberbullying or Digital Drama? Ava and Itzia are calling each other mean names on social media followingContinueContinue reading “Cyberbullying Vs. Digital Drama”
How to Talk to Kids About Digital Footprints
How can parents talk to kids about digital footprints so they actually listen? How can caregivers explore online reputations in a way that connects with teens? This post explores these questions and more. Many parents are concerned that their child or teen might post something they later regret or that will negatively impact their future.ContinueContinue reading “How to Talk to Kids About Digital Footprints”
3 Words Tech-Savvy Kids Understand
Kids become more informed tech consumers when they understand the tech business model. This article, inspired by The Phone Book – Stay Safe, Be Smart, and Make the World Better with the Powerful Device in Your Hand, shares 3 words tech-savvy kids understand. Over the past decade, anxiety surpassed depression as the most common reasonContinueContinue reading “3 Words Tech-Savvy Kids Understand”
5 Family Conversations that Support Kids Healthy Screen Habits
This post shares five family conversations about technology and devices that help kids build healthy screen habits. Helping kids develop safe and healthy screen habits is a cornerstone of parenting today. Conversations about digital footprints, stranger danger, screen addiction, and more are common in families as parents try to keep their kids safe. While researchingContinueContinue reading “5 Family Conversations that Support Kids Healthy Screen Habits”
Helping Kids Understand Mindful and Mindless Screen Time
This post defines mindful and mindless screen time, and offers ways to help kids become more aware of their own screen behaviors. My teen daughter takes a break from TikTok over the summer. This is no easy task, given that staying up-to-date on trends means staying current on what is happening on social media forContinueContinue reading “Helping Kids Understand Mindful and Mindless Screen Time”
Middle School Stuff #7: Social Media
This series of posts explores the tricky side of middle school. Here’s post #7 – Social Media. If you missed earlier posts, here are links: #1 – Judgment, #2 – Friendship Changes, #3 – Popularity, #4 – Crushes & Dating, #5 – Cliques & Groups, and #6 – Gossip. While researching ‘Middle School – Safety GogglesContinueContinue reading “Middle School Stuff #7: Social Media”
Helpful Tips for Family Tech Agreements
Thinking about creating a family tech agreement and looking for tips? A family tech agreement is a set of rules about how devices like smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs, and gaming consoles are used in your home. Besides establishing boundaries for screens, these agreements encourage families to come together and discuss healthy technology use. A familyContinueContinue reading “Helpful Tips for Family Tech Agreements”