5 Ways Parents Can Keep Kids Safe in a Digital World
As digital natives, kids today have more opportunities to engage with online content. Let’s explore five things parents can do to keep kids safe — and five ways educators can reinforce the message.
A typical evening at the Olsen family home consists of running three teenage boys to White Bear Lake Area Schools hockey, cross country, dance and concerts. At home it’s a flurry of boys doing homework, trying to squeeze in dinner and chores and, of course, scrolling through their Instagram feeds and playing video games. The delicate balancing act of trying to fit everything in might sound familiar to most families. The last thing Donny and Erin Olsen want to do as parents is to worry about their kids’ safety online or wonder if they are spending too much time on their phones.
The Olsen family has found a solution that works for them and helps relieve some of that stress. Once the clock strikes 9:00 p.m. the boys know their phones are off limits and won’t be available to them until the next morning. Thanks to the app Our Pact, parents are able to set restrictions on their kids’ phones and monitor their phone use. Erin added, “I also disable certain apps (like Fortnite) during the school week to keep them focused on school work and their activities.” Our Pact is a free service but has some upgrades that are available for a small fee that the Olsen family chooses to pay for.
“It’s totally worth it to me because I can keep their screen time in check and monitor apps without feeling like I’m completely hovering or invading privacy, ” Erin says.
As adults, we are navigating the waters of raising kids in a digital world for the first time and it’s not always easy to know what to do. We are the first generation raising kids with smartphones, Snapchat and Fortnite. At a recent Parent Camp meeting at White Bear Lake Area High School — North Campus, the biggest concern parents had was about their kids and social media use. Adults reported feeling out of the loop because the kids often have more technology skills than their parents. There are so many sites and apps that it is hard to keep up with everything.
White Bear Lake Area Schools parents are not alone in this frustration. According to the Pew Research Center, roughly two-thirds of parents are concerned about screen time. This is understandable: the dangers of cyberbullying, cyber predators, and inappropriate content available online are well-documented. Kids can also be victims of phishing, falling for scams, posting private information and accidentally downloading malware. Too much screen time has been shown to cause sleep problems, behavior issues, anxiety, obesity, cognitive delays, loss of social skills, and vision problems.
These are all valid concerns: 89% of teens, along with a growing number of preteens, own smartphones. This number has gone up from 41% of teens owning smartphones just six years ago. In 2012, only 34% of teens were on social media apps multiple times a day, but today 70% report using social media. Snapchat is by far the most popular network, followed by Instagram and Facebook.
The stress of technology is also felt by students. According to a Smart Social 2018 survey, teens report being distracted from other important things and their friends:
So what is the magic number of screen time hours kids should be allowed each day? That depends on what Common Sense Media refers to as four categories of screen time:
- Passive consumption: watching TV, reading, and listening to music;
- Interactive consumption: playing games and browsing the Internet;
- Communication: video chatting and using social media;
- Content creation: using devices to make digital art or music.
There are different benefits and risks involved with each category. The child spending two hours a day creating digital music is clearly making better use of their time than the one watching television. There is no magic formula for knowing how much screen time a child should have, but the American Academy of Pediatrics makes this recommendation:
“For children ages 6 and older, place consistent limits on the time spent using media, and the types of media, and make sure media does not take the place of adequate sleep, physical activity and other behaviors essential to health.”
In essence, it’s up to adults to make sure kids are balanced and healthy.
What can parents do?
Stay up to date
Find out what apps your kids are using and check them out on sites like Smart Social. This site rates the safety of the apps with a green zone, gray zone or red zone.
This Australian government website has the most recent information about popular apps.
Get online and be present
Be active on the sites your kids are on and monitor their activity. Parents should always know their kids’ passwords for their phones and any social media sites they are on. Know when they are online and what they are doing when they are online. You could even sit down with them and join your kids in a game of Fortnite!
Be in control
In addition to Our Pact, there are other services that monitor online activity. Bark advertises “affordable, award-winning service (that) proactively monitors text messages, YouTube, emails, and 24 different social networks for potential safety concerns, so busy parents can save time and gain peace of mind.”
Here is a list of the 10 Best Parental Control Apps of 2018 according to Consumers Advocate.
Parents should set passwords on WiFi and set limits on when it can be accessed. Talk to your service provider about how to set up a firewall on your home Internet. For example, here is the information about how to set up parental controls if you subscribe to Comcast.
Remove the temptation
Charge phones in a common area of your home so they aren’t in bedrooms at night. Don’t allow televisions or gaming systems in your child’s bedroom. This makes it easier for parents to monitor and it isn’t so tempting for the child to use when they should be going to sleep.
Sign a contract
Here is an example of a family media agreement that can be signed so kids know what the boundaries are.
The responsibility of keeping kids safe online and setting good examples can’t just happen at home. Educators also need to be involved and aware of what students are doing online.
What can educators do?
Lead by example
We all need times when we are unplugged. If they see adults setting good examples, kids will be more likely to follow their lead. According to the Pew Research Center:
“51% of teens say they often or sometimes find their parent or caregiver to be distracted by their own cell phone when they are trying to have a conversation with them.”
Teachers and parents can set up “technology free” zones or times for a digital detox.
Talk to kids about technology
Encourage kids to talk to you if they are getting bullied or come across inappropriate content online. Talk to students about what apps they are using and how they are using the Internet both inside and outside of school.
Keep a balance
We need to teach kids how to moderate their habits. Balance screen activities with other activities. Most devices now have the capability to monitor device usage, so take a look at your phone and see how much time you are spending on it and teach kids to do the same.
Teach digital citizenship
Teach students about online safety, plagiarism, copyright and how to effectively search the Internet. Help them create strong passwords and tell students not to share personal information online. This should not be a one time lesson or discussion, but should be ongoing between kids with trusted adults.
Common Sense Media is a great resource for parents and educators. It advertises itself as “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.” Their website has advice and information about movies, apps, games and websites.
Nip problems in the bud
Don’t wait until things get out of hand if you see something concerning or sense that something is going on.
Technology and social media are not going away. Instead of banning our children from them, we need to teach the skills they need to safely navigate their online lives. We must seek empowerment so children know how to have a healthy relationship with screen time. It is our job as adults to help guide our kids in making good decisions about their time in front of a screen.
Join in on the action by tweeting how you monitor your students’ online activity! #innovate624
