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Everything you need to know about parental controls, the best age-appropriate games and apps, and other strategies for keeping kids safe online. FAMILIESMANAGINGMEDIA.COM
Practical solutions to help you replace screen time with fun, family-centric activities. FOSI.ORG
Want to combat a cyber-bully? Teach your kids how to stay safe while playing Pokémon Go? The Family Online Safety Institute publishes thoughtful, up-to-theminute advice. RAISINGDIGITALNATIVES.COM
that in addition to being blindfolded, I have both hands tied behind my back and the donkey is a Snapchat image that disappears before I can catch a glimpse. I’m sure there are many of you who know how I feel. When it comes to the Internet and your kids, there is danger that’s both real and imagined. And sometimes it’s very hard to separate those two. Which is exactly what we set out to do in Genevieve Field’s excellent story, by identifying three of the biggest threats to kids online, and how to fight them. I would like to say that the article made me feel relieved, but that’s only partly true— my blindfolded journey isn’t over. If, like me, you want more information, try one of the following:
ON PAGE 176, you’ll find a monthlong meal plan to help control another controllable (in other words, the crazy month of September). What’s even better? All of the recipes—plus shopping lists—are featured on our lifesaving calendar app, Cozi. You can download it from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
SEPTEMBER 2016
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REALSIMPLE.COM
Eye-opening research and parenting ideas from Devorah Heitner, Ph.D., the author of Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World. YOURBRAINONPORN.COM
The science behind why your teen looks at porn, how this “supernormal stimulus” is affecting his brain, and what you can do to help him (or her!) reboot. And, finally, as tough as it is, avoid shaming your kids. As with so many other times in life, when you’re dealing with their screen-size interests, it’s amazing what a little acceptance can do.
P H O T O G R A P H BY P E R R Y H A G O P I A N ; H A I R BY PA U L WA R R E N U S I N G R E N E F U R T E R E R FO R A R T D E PA R T M E N T; M A K E U P BY M E L I S S A S I LV E R FO R M AY B E L L I N E N E W Y O R K . BY M A L E N E B I R G E R B LO U S E .
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we talk a fair amount about controlling the controllables. Although it might not always feel this way, your life is full of things you can control: your sock drawer, your kitchen cabinets, your skin-care routine, your dinner menu. And then there are the things you can’t control. Speaking from experience, I can say some are benign and mildly irritating (traffic), some are benign and quite inconvenient (dog sprayed by a skunk), and some are genuinely scary. I’m talking about our kids’ virtual lives. As Melanie Hempe, the founder of Families Managing Media, says in this month’s story “Parenting Against the Internet” (page 156 ), the smaller your kid’s screen, the more you lose control. I have three children, who range in age from 9 to 21, and my biggest parenting challenge is knowing when to get involved and when to let go. Particularly when it comes to my boys’ lives online. My nine-year-old is easy: He only uses the kitchen computer, and only when an adult is in the room. So we are always looking over his shoulder, literally. As for my two college-age sons, though, they could be texting with Vladimir Putin for all I know about what’s happening on that magical device that fits perfectly in the young adult palm. It feels like I’m playing pin the tail on the donkey, except ERE AT REAL SIMPLE,
