7 Tips for Parenting in the Digital Age

If your child knows they can trust you, they will have no trouble sharing with you. This way you have better chances of knowing what happens in their life without having to stock them. It will help you protect your child both offline and online.

Set the guidelines

Set the tech-use guidelines during a family meeting. You should have a clear picture of what you want to achieve. Ask your children for their opinion. Make sure you acknowledge and include their input. If they help set the rules, they will have less trouble following them. Remember to make exceptions for practical purposes and work purposes. You do not want to find yourself in a role of a constant police officer hanging above their heads.

Plan engaging family activities

If you insist on spending time as a family, which you should, come up with fun activities. They should be equally interesting for everyone. Try to do as many things you can together. When the weather is nice, take them outside. Aim to organize activities which are exactly opposite to spending time with tech, which is usually indoors without face-to-face social interaction.

Spend tech-time together

If you are worried your child spends too much time playing video games, join them. It will instantly go from a loner activity to a social one. Apart from playing video games, you can do quizzes, learn things, and watch movies.

Decide who gets a smartphone

There is a great debate about whether it is good or bad to let your young children own smartphones. The fact is that they are a part of a digital era and mobile devices are the way digital kids stay in touch. You should not make your child into an outcast by not letting them use a phone.  If you want to limit the use, you can get cheap outright mobile phones they could share by switching sim cards Alternatively, you can get prepaid, no contract plans to limit their use by limiting the balance.

Tech-free times

Apparently, staring at a screen can interfere with your sleep. This is why you should determine that no-one is allowed to use tech about an hour before they go to bed. Also, if you want the family activities to be a success, make it a rule that only the parents can carry their phones. Since this would make you an exception, explain that it is in case of an emergency and children tend to have fewer emergencies. If you want to, you can set the on how much time in total they can spend online or in front of a computer a day. However, it could be hard to keep track of, and should definitely not be the only rule.

Tech-free zones

Similarly to that of time, create zones within your homes where technology is not allowed. These should probably be the bedrooms, and the dining room. Make sure that all the technology is out, and that the rules apply to everyone.

Control content and privacy

These are the two elements of tech-use which bring the most malice to your child - Exposure through personal info, as well as, exposure to inappropriate content. Warn your child not to share any personal info online, and review their accounts to make sure they took your advice. Also, use a Net Nanny or a similar system to limit the type of content they have access to.

Stay well informed of the news in the tech world and the options available to your children. This is the only way you can know what you need to protect them from.  Also, you can protect them best by setting a good example yourself and allowing them to have an insight into your tech-related activities. It is then more likely they will be willing to be fully transparent with you.