Tracey Roden Of Frog Street On Raising Children With Healthy Social Media & Digital Media Habits

An Interview With Maria Angelova

Set Limits on Screen Time — Set limits and boundaries on screen time from the very beginning. It is easier to give children more time than take it away. Limits create media-free time that allows children to develop other interests and hobbies and interact with others outside of a device.

Young people today are growing up in an era where screen time is a given from a very young age. Unfortunately, studies show that large amounts of screen time can be damaging, and social media can be even worse. Our children are facing enormous challenges before their brains and bodies have had a chance to develop fully. Social media can potentially keep kids from developing social cues and lead to increased mental health challenges, bullying, and much more. So what can parents do to create healthier habits around social media? How can kids be taught to use social media in a healthy way that causes as little damage as possible? In this interview series, we are talking to authors, and mental health professionals, about Raising Children With Healthy Social Media and Digital Media Habits. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Tracey Roden.

Tracey holds a tenured history of guiding research efforts and developing high-quality digital instruction and assessments. Tracey began her career in early childhood education as a preschool teacher and spent many years in the classroom as both a teacher and a coach before transitioning into educational product development and publishing. With her extensive knowledge and experience in early childhood education and leadership, Tracey continues to advocate for the advancement of early childhood education. Tracey has presented at several national conferences and has completed her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

As a first-generation college graduate, I have always had a passion for learning and education. I have my undergraduate degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Louisiana State University and my Master of Education from Texas A&M Commerce. I started my career as a kindergarten teacher over 25 years ago. It was truly my dream job. I had always wanted to teach our youngest learners. I was a classroom teacher for almost a decade when I had the opportunity to work for a startup ed tech company. I was never a big risk-taker, and it was quite a leap of faith to change careers. However, the risk paid off because, for the last 18 years, I have been guiding research efforts and developing high-quality digital instruction and assessments. During my time with the ed tech company, I began my doctorate work. I recently completed my Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction while in my current role at Frog Street, an international leader in early childhood education. My interest of study was in educational technology with an emphasis in technology used with preschool children. My research efforts created a passion for ensuring that our youngest learners have access to high-quality, engaging and meaningful digital tools.

Can you share the most interesting story that has happened since you started your career?

I have had the great pleasure to interact with many children’s book authors and illustrators. During the summers when I was teaching, I was a presenter at a series of summer teacher conferences. These included many appearances by authors and illustrators such as Bill Martin Jr., Michael Sampson, Ted Rand, Eric Carle, Patricia McLaughlin, and many more. It was always so interesting to hear them speak and read their books aloud.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

My colleagues and I are currently working on creating online tools and experiences that can connect early childhood educators with like-minded people across the nation and maybe even the world. Early childhood educators are natural sharers of ideas and experiences. Having a place to build that connection with others outside of your inner community can help everyone to provide quality learning experiences for children in their classrooms.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

You Are Special: Words of Wisdom for All Ages from a Beloved Neighbor by Fred Rogers. Fred Rogers has been my hero since I was a child. His words have the ability to inspire and touch both young and old individuals. This book compiles his wise thoughts on every aspect of life.

Fantastic. Let’s now turn to the main part of our interview. For the benefit of our readers, can you tell us a bit about why you are an authority on how to help children develop healthy social media habits?

I just finished my doctoral work in education. My research centered on examining the caliber of kid-friendly smartphone apps. Through my research, I have discovered a wealth of data regarding the growing popularity of social media and technology usage by very young children. Also, social media is a common issue in our family as a mother of two middle school boys.

From your experience or research, can you help articulate some of the downsides of children having access to social media? Is there an amount of time, or certain content, that is just too much?

Our children are now using social media as a primary form of communication. They rarely pick up the phone to make a call. They now let their friends know their plans or what they are up to through Snapchat and Instagram! The lack of in-person interaction has created a deficit in how they converse and meet and greet new people. Everyone has their limits to social media based on their own family, household, and experiences. Personally, I think it becomes too much when children choose social media over real-world experiences.

Is there a positive side too? Can children gain and grow from social media?

The positive side is that access to social media allows children to connect with others outside of their inner circle. That was particularly important during the pandemic when children didn’t necessarily have access to their friends or even relatives regularly. My own children have established friendships with other children in our area, but outside their immediate school group, they’ve been able to communicate through social media interactions. That has made their transition to high school a much smoother process.

Social media is an accepted part of life today. We know that along with all of the good comes a lot of challenges. From your experience or research, what five steps can we take to raise children with healthy social media and digital media habits?

Young children are growing up in a world where laptops, smartphones, and computer tablets are common household tools. A casual walk through a shopping center or restaurant will reveal the sight of young children interacting with their tablets or smartphones. Today’s children inhabit a world where much of their entertainment and information is via a technology platform. With this, the lure and exposure to social media start earlier each time a child is given a mobile device. As parents, we often expose them to social media before birth by posting their sonogram pictures on all our social media platforms.

According to a recent study completed by Common Sense Media, children ages eight to 18 engage in some type of media technology via smartphones, tablets or computers on an average of nine hours a day. Parents and families must create boundaries to establish healthy social media and digital media habits in an increasingly digital world.

1. Set Limits on Screen Time — Set limits and boundaries on screen time from the very beginning. It is easier to give children more time than take it away. Limits create media-free time that allows children to develop other interests and hobbies and interact with others outside of a device.
2. Make Decisions Based on Your Family — One family’s limits and boundaries may not necessarily work for another family. While parents should work with other parents to help keep all children digitally safe, you should also limit screen time based on your family’s needs and goals. That isn’t a popular opinion in my own home because my husband and I often have more limitations than other parents.
3. Encourage Connections Outside of Social Media — Children need opportunities to connect with other children outside of social media and screens. Encourage your children to be involved in activities that get them outside and away from media. When children are gathered with their friends, it encourages them to put away their devices.
4. Talk Often about Safe Digital Habits — Make sure your children know the best practices for staying safe on social media. Ensure they understand not to give out personal information, such as their full name, the name of their school, phone number or address. Spend time discussing the importance of not posting inappropriate pictures or updates. Ensure they know to only connect with people they know in real life.
5. Model Healthy Social Media Use — Adults must also watch their social media consumption. Ensure you are modeling good social media habits to your children, and follow your own boundaries and limits set in your home.

How do you effectively respond to the constant refrain of “but all my friends to this!”?

The most effective way to respond to this plea or complaint is to model the appropriate use of social media. It is difficult to explain to children that they are too young or are just not ready to interact with social media when we constantly have our own faces on our devices. As parents, we need to model that there are other ways to interact and connect with others outside of our devices. Show our children that human interaction is so much more meaningful.

What are the best resources you would suggest to a parent or educator who would like to learn more about this?

Common Sense Media is my go-to resource for reviews and advice on everything in this digital world that our children navigate daily. They are the leading source of entertainment and technology recommendations for families and schools. I would also recommend subscribing to Frog Street’s blog for various topics important to early childhood development overall.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

As I mentioned, Fred Rogers has significantly influenced my life, particularly as a teacher. One of my favorite quotes from him is, “Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero. “ So often, heroes are depicted as people who save lives in an emergency. Yet, there are so many heroes who are quietly helping children along the way to become successful in school and life.

What is the best way our readers can continue to follow your work online?

Readers can follow me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-roden/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/TraceyRoden

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.