With all the recent studies coming out on the lasting damages screen time has on the development of a child’s brain and how often times we hear about teens getting taken advantage of online, now is a great time to learn about the importance of digital parenting.
The company’s mission is simple: give parents the tools they need to protect their children from online dangers.
I had a chance to do an interview to learn more.
Why can screen time be problematic?
According to the Pediatric Academic Societies, by the age of two-years-old most children have already used mobile devices. That means toddlers already know how to navigate a digital device before they can speak in full sentences. There have also been numerous studies done that have found correlations between excessive screen time usage and its harmful effects on children’s health, such as increase in obesity and disruptive sleep patterns.
Why is it important to not only limit time but also monitor what kids are doing online?
As your children grow up and become tweens and teens, it is crucial to keep an eye on what they are doing online. Online dangers are prevalent, and teens cannot be expected to exercise the judgment and maturity needed to operate these powerful devices without appropriate supervision. Some parents are reluctant to use technology to supervise their kids, but parents must understand it is their responsibility to monitor their kid’s technology usage as they would any risky activities they may be involved in.
Luckily today, there are several parental monitoring apps, such as WebWatcher, that can help. If you decide to take advantage of the many benefits a parental monitoring app provides, it is recommended that you talk to your kids about it. Explain to them that they shouldn’t take part in any activities on their phone that they wouldn’t want their parents to see. This includes, but is not limited to, sexting, engaging with risky apps, conversing with strangers, and cyber bullying.
At first, your child may resent the new restrictions, but years from now when they are applying to colleges and jobs, they will thank you for their clean digital footprint.
How can parents work with their kids to set appropriate limits and guidelines?
Open communication is key to setting appropriate limits with your children on their technology usage. By using control and/or monitoring apps, children may feel as if you are overstepping and not giving them their privacy. First, you must remind them that having a phone is privilege, and if not used responsibly can be taken away at any time. Depending on your child’s age, you must set rules that are reasonable. For younger children, enforce limitations on when your child can and cannot use the phone. For example, the child can play on his/her phone when all his/her homework is done but is not allowed to be on his/her phone during family meals, school or after bedtime. Downloading a parental control app, like Screen Time, allows you to set time limitations, create schedules, pause your children’s devices remotely, and most importantly lets you reward them with additional screen time when their chores are completed.
With respect to tweens and teens, supervision becomes the key issue. Apps like WebWatcher are highly recommended because of its Alert Log feature, which scans all recorded data from your child’s device and uses intelligent filters to identify risky behavior. Parents receive real-time alerts of all highlighted risky behavior, which means parents can just focus their attention on what is important while respecting privacy boundaries. But if needed all recorded data is available for review at any time.
ABOUT SCREENTIME AND WEBWATCHER:
ScreenTime is designed to help parents get a handle on their kid’s screen use. Parents seem to particularly love the Pause Button – a button they can press on their own smartphones, that “pauses” their kids’ devices remotely. They can also set daily screen time limits, block certain apps at specific times of day plus lots of other features that are super useful to parents. https://screentimelabs.com/
WebWatcher lets parents more closely monitor their tweens’ and teens’ device use. All products are discreet and thus tamper proof, and all recorded data is sent to a secure web-based account which allows you to monitor remotely from any device. WebWatcher allows parents to view messages (texts, Facebook and other social media), call history, photos, website history, GPS and more, all from the palm of your hand! https://www.webwatcher.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment