Keeping Kids Safer Online
Dear TLOers,
Happy Fourth! I hope you had a great weekend #TurningLifeOn.
This week we are tackling Internet safety - a topic that comes up often. In our busy lives, parents are often looking for an easy solution in the form of an app or a service that keeps kids safe. Set it and forget it. Unfortunately, Internet safety and digital wellness doesn't quite work like that. There are, however, a few things you can do today to help keep your kids safer online.
First, stop fighting about digital devices and start talking about it.Consider co-teching - using technology together so you have a foundation from which to discuss tricky situations when they arise. If you develop a positive understanding of your child's technology usage, they'll be far more likely to come to you when things go south.
Create a family media plan - together - so rules, expectations and consequences are clearly communicated. We have an example on our website. We will be hosting a "Designing a Family Media Plan" virtual event this fall. I'm also happy to meet individually with families via Zoom to help guide you. Please reach out.
Set up Google SafeSearch and other parental controls, like Apple ScreenTime and/or Bark. We recommend these with a strong warning to parents - nothing offers 100% protection, and apps like these can give parents a false sense of security. While not guaranteed, they can be helpful. Also keep in mind that most schools have firewalls in place to prevent dangerous content from reaching your child's device. If they're using these devices at home, check to make sure ScreenTime and Google SafeSearch are activated. We are aware of situations in which parents assumed school devices were restricted, and they weren't. With ScreenTime, you can limit adult websites, disable apps, and setup downtime and app limits. Need help? Reach out and we'll walk you through the process. Looking for app recommendations, check out this well-researched and thorough report on the best parental control apps by ConsumersAdvocate. Even with parental controls in place, monitor your child's digital media use regularly, and encourage them to come to you if they witness anything online that makes them feel uncomfortable.
Think about digital media use in terms of keeping kids safe. Require device use in a common area so you can monitor both the screen and the audio. Setup app-specific parental controls and limit online play. Establish a time in which devices need to be turned in each day and store devices in a place where kids can't access them at night when they should be sleeping. The old adage, "nothing good happens after midnight" applies to device use, too. There are countless articles that offer additional suggestions. Use our website and blog as resources.
Stay Informed. For younger kids, don't allow the downloading of any apps unless you've done your homework AND used the app yourself. For older kids, require they "state their case" before allowing them to download any apps. What is the app all about, why do they want it, what are the potential downfalls of using the app, how does it jive with your family's values and media plan? Talk about it, think about. There's no rush. There are many websites that review apps and offer suggestions for parents, including Common Sense Media and Protect Young Minds. See these articles about popular apps Roblox, TikTokand Photo Roulette. When your child does start using an app, download it on your device and use it together.
Like the real world, the digital world is a vast and diverse place. The difference is that anyone from the digital world can attempt to contact you or your kids while you sit, presumably safe, in your own home. This often gives us a false sense of security. What could go wrong while we sit at the kitchen table or in our bedroom? But things can go wrong, and we need to work together to protect our kids, just like we would in the real world. We need to prepare them for what they could encounter online, just like we prepare them for the "what ifs" of the real world. Stay alert and stay informed.
You got this!
Adrienne