Does your family have a cell phone strategy for your kids? I have talked to a lot of parents and many don’t. They simply see the act of giving their kids a cell phone as a way to make life a bit easier and a bit safer. Constant contact has made things easier and safer for us in many ways, so this makes sense.
But should we be doing more? Yes. YES. And YESSSS!!! In this article, I’m going to take a look at some common strategies parents are using and how we can go much further to prepare our kids for the online world.
If Parents Have A Cell Phone Strategy For Kids, What Is Most Common?
The most common strategies are setting up your kid’s cell phone so that safety features are in place. Parents set up the passcode so they can access the phone themselves. They set up parental controls, content filters, and even content-tracking software so they can monitor their kid’s usage of the phone. Sometimes parents enforce time limits or make sure their kids only use the devices in common areas.
These are all good strategies, but they do nothing to help kids learn how to use technology responsibly. They also don’t help kids with the bigger social-emotional impacts of being online.
What Could Parents Be Doing More Of?
Parents need to dive a lot deeper. Talk about things like cyber-bullying, digital-only friendships, gambling, sexual content, mis and disinformation, creating positive content…the list is long. If you think your child is too young or too immature for these conversations, you should think twice about getting them a smartphone. There are other “dumb” or “brick” phones that offer communication without exposing them to web browsers and social media that could take them anywhere.
The Kermode guides are an amazing resource for exploring different topics with your kids. They start with lessons on evaluating online content. They can be easier and less intimidating to talk about. Then when you have those foundational skills, the world of information opens up to you. You have taken a big step in learning how to learn! Now as a family, you can move on to some of those bigger topics together.
Talking about difficult subjects BEFORE kids experience them leads to much better outcomes. They have a better chance of handling these situations with confidence and navigating them in a way they can feel good about afterward.
What Questions Can Parents Explore With Their Kids?
-Why do you think you need a cell phone?
-What are you most excited about when you get a cell phone? What are you most worried about?
-Has anyone you know had problems being online? What issues did they have?
-What do you think are fair rules about using your cell phone?
Kermode Education Can Help You Explore This Topic and More!
Contact the Kermode Education team today to see how our eLearning platform can help your kids or your students improve their digital literacy skills.
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