Focus on the Positive Aspects
The digital landscape is constantly expanding and evolving, which can make it challenging for parents to stay informed about the latest developments, let alone monitor potential risks.
However, it’s essential to highlight the advantages of kids and teenagers being online. These benefits include conducting research, participating in real-time meetings, forming and sustaining friendships, and exploring diverse ideas that they might not encounter otherwise.
By establishing appropriate boundaries, children can enjoy these advantages while developing critical thinking skills to navigate risks and ensure their safety.
Did You Know?
Recent reports from Canadian parents indicate that 36% of 10- to 13-year-olds use digital devices for non-school-related activities for three hours or more each day.
Key Information for Parents
MediaSmarts, a Canadian organization dedicated to digital literacy, identifies two crucial aspects of healthy digital engagement.
Digital Well-Being: This refers to the effective and meaningful integration of digital technology into family life, which can vary significantly from one family to another.
Meaningful Engagement: This involves finding a healthy balance in the use of digital technology within family life, enabling the mitigation of risks while also embracing opportunities.
Common Parental Concerns
With these objectives in mind, parents should take proactive measures to reduce risks for their children. Common concerns often revolve around what MediaSmarts classifies as the “Three Cs”: content, contact, and conduct.
These concerns encompass the risk of children encountering or creating inappropriate, manipulative, or violent content; potential interactions with predators or harmful contacts; and issues related to engaging in or being victims of harmful online behaviors like cyberbullying.
Taking Practical Steps
There are several actionable steps you can implement to ensure the safety of both you and your children. Setting a positive example of the digital behavior you wish to see is an excellent starting point.
Communicate: Initiate conversations about risks and responsible online behavior in a proactive, reassuring, and nonjudgmental manner.
Familiarize Yourself with Technology: Take the time to understand the technology your children are using. Experiment with apps and games before allowing them to download anything independently, and regularly check in on their screen activities.
Implement Filters: For more thorough monitoring, consider implementing device profiles on iOS or Android to filter your children’s internet usage. This can help screen and control the sites they access and the ads they see.
Monitor Accounts: Explore software that tracks children’s digital accounts, providing parents with detailed reports on website usage and alerts for inappropriate behavior.
Encourage Digital Literacy: While no tool guarantees complete safety, equipping your children with strong digital literacy and critical thinking skills is crucial.
Set Screen Time Limits: Establish fair and realistic screen time limits to balance online benefits with grounding in the real world. Remember that not all screen time is equal; some activities are more constructive than others.
Foster Critical Thinking: Encourage your children to critically analyze online content. Model the importance of careful evaluation and discuss concepts such as “filter bubbles.”
Teach Identity Theft Prevention: Protect against identity theft by instructing your children on creating strong passwords, managing privacy settings, and securely handling personal information.
A Customized Approach is Essential
Digital well-being is unique to each family. Various factors, including societal and cultural values, children’s ages, personalities, social contexts, access to technology, supervision levels, and role model availability, all play a role in shaping what optimal digital engagement looks like.
Be compassionate towards yourself and your children as you navigate this complex landscape, and remember that there’s no need to measure your practices against those of others.
Fostering Healthy Communication
When discussing sensitive topics like digital well-being with your kids, aim to make these interactions as constructive as possible.
If you come across something concerning, Dr. Dave Anderson, vice president of school and community programs at the Child Mind Institute, advises to “slow down, step back, and try to understand the context” before reacting.
When you do begin the conversation, prioritize cooperation and compromise instead of punishment and confrontation.
