2 minute read
Top 5 digital parenting tips for parents with teens
Cyber Safety Expert, The Cyber Safety Tech Mum
COLUMN
When we become parents, we tend to gravitate towards following the parenting methods our own parents used. This means we are not embarking on our new adventure in the dark. But today, digital parenting has become a necessary tool in our parenting toolkit, and most of us are starting from scratch.
Here are my top five digital parenting tips for parents with teenagers.
Tip #1 - Create a family technology contract
Children (especially teens) need boundaries, and those boundaries should cover their use of technology. Together with your partner, decide what you would like your family technology contract to look like, and what limits it should impose. As a minimum it should include where, when and how devices can be used. Then grab your teen/teens, a whiteboard and bring your best negotiating skills. You want your teen’s input so they are onboard, but you shouldn’t relax the limits you’ve already decided on. Get everyone to sign the whiteboard, take a picture and send it to family members.
Tip #2 - Educate yourself about the apps on your teen’s device.
There is no way you can be across every single available app, but you can pick up your teen’s devices and see what has been downloaded. This is not an invasion of privacy, it is a matter of safety. Find out whether the apps allow the teen to connect with strangers, share images, see nudity, share their location or read bad language.
Tip #3 - Talk to your teens A LOT about being kind online, safe online, and about their online privacy.
Keep the conversations going. You can’t just sit a teen down and announce you are going to have a discussion about online safety. I can guarantee the only input they’ll have is an eye roll. Instead, keep an ear/eye out for articles in the media about online safety. For example, if you see an ad for a news show that will be talking to a parent whose child was groomed online, then use that to open up a conversation with your teen about communicating with strangers online. Chances are your teen can tell you a story about a ‘friend of a friend’ who was groomed online. Use that story to ask what your teen would do if approached online by a stranger.
Tip #4 - Use parental controls to filter content and manage your teen’s screen time.
Teens are still learning how to manage their time. Having unlimited access to the internet can lead to all sorts of issues. If your teen is using social media then make sure you sit with them and set the available privacy settings.
Tip #5 - Find a trusted resource for yourself, because you’ll have questions, lots of them, during your digital parenting journey!
I recommend eSafety.gov.au and commonsensemedia.org. And I recommend downloading the Beacon app.
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