Family Tech Blog

Tag: tech

  • We Bought Four Amazon Echo Dots!

    We Bought Four Amazon Echo Dots!

    Well, it is Prime Day and as usual, there are some deeply discounted items available on Amazon. My family usually looks but doesn’t buy on Prime Day, hoping to be able to predict the discounts we may see on Cyber Monday or Black Friday in a few weeks. We especially avoid any smart speaker or digital assistant hardware since we have always had (well informed) privacy issues and concerns. This year it has been different. We caved and bought Amazon Echo Dots for the whole family. Here’s why.

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    They’ll Be Perfect for Our New Home

    Our forever family home is being built and we are planning a move-in just a few months from now. We are going to have more space for the six of us than we have ever had, especially in the kids’ rooms, the master suite, and the kitchen/dining great room. We’ll be a bit more spread out than we’ve ever been and the Echo has some great options for communicating throughout your home without having to scream up the stairs or down the hallway. The intercom feature was a deal sealer for both my wife and myself. The kids are pretty excited too.

    Digital Homeschool Help

    More of us are homeschooling than ever now and with four kids, all doing school work nearly every day, we need help sometimes. YouTube can be great to present some complicated concepts in helpful ways (7th-grade math, anyone) but my kids looking at screens and using a Google Search for spelling or calculator solutions isn’t the safest proposition. Alexa (the Virtual Assistant on Amazon Echo) will answer your spelling, language arts, science, and math questions with no risky search results or screen use at all. It is more important for my kids to know how to get information than it is that they know the info when they pass a grade. Alexa and other Virtual Assistants are the new waves of information access and they aren’t going away. They’re only getting smarter and faster.

    Less Screen Time

    My kids, like all kids, love to sit around and look at a phone or tablet. We are constantly having to get on to them about their obsessive behavior. We try to set better examples, we don’t always succeed, but giving them alternatives is very helpful. The Echo Dot is a smart speaker without a screen. At night, when the kids want to listen to a podcast or music for bedtime they can ask Alexa to play it for them instead of having their screens in their faces right up to when they fall asleep. Studies have shown this isn’t good for their sleep and can actually very detrimental to their development. With parental controls on the subscription services we use and on Alexa itself, we can ensure that our kids aren’t looking at their screens and are only listening to music and podcasts we’ve approved of.

    Safety and Security Upgrades

    All of this is great but digital safety and data security are always an issue. Especially with artificial intelligence that is designed to learn about you in order to be more useful to you. There is an obvious trade-off. You’re giving it information in exchange for convenience. I believe most of us consider that an acceptable exchange, considering Alexa and Google Home have been some of the fastest tech product to be integrated into people’s homes. The truth is that we have been making this exchange for a long time without really thinking about it. Every post on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, every search on Google, and every purchase or browsing session on Amazon has been used to build a database of advertising information about you. This can be scary to many but in all honesty, that ship has sailed and you raised the sails for it to do so.

    When you use these sites, you allow them access to your information. Alexa is no different and my family has considered the risks and decided it’s worth it. First of all, we already get targeted ads because we do so much of our shopping on Amazon and searching on Google. Secondly, the latest models of Amazon Echo Dot have added features like a hardware button to turn off the microphone that makes us feel like we can avoid being listened to when we don’t want to be listened to.

    Risk/Reward

    When you narrow it down it is a consideration of opportunity cost. You have an opportunity for convenience but it will cost some of your info. At a $19.99 price point, the Echo Dot is a great deal right now on Prime Day so we bought four of them. They’ll be here in a couple of days and I’ll set one up and let you know how it all goes. Stay tuned for my (late but in-depth) review of the Amazon Echo Dot as a tool for controlling kids’ screen time.

    If you shop the Amazon Prime Day today, consider using http://smile.amazon.com and signing up to support our non-profit, Four Point Families. You’ll have to search for Four Point Families and select it as the organization you’d like to partner with. Then Amazon will send .5% of your purchase our way to help us continue to protect families. Thanks.

     

  • What Parents Need to Know About the Latest Gaming Tech

    What Parents Need to Know About the Latest Gaming Tech

    Technology is a significant part of all our lives, but more so for our children. After all, they grew up in an era surrounded by technology. In fact, our previous post on what your kids do online found that most, if not all, older children are very much inclined to spend their money on tech, such as new smartphones, Netflix subscriptions, and finally, video games. If given the opportunity, younger children may be equally invested in these things as well. Here is what parents need to know about the latest gaming tech.

    Of course, that’s not to say that gaming is bad. Multiple studies have emphasized ways that video games can benefit your kids, from better coordination to sharper cognitive ability. But there are aspects that every parent should look out for when it comes to gaming tech, and we’ll introduce those in a bit.

     

    What gaming tech should you expect your children to be on now?


    Video games and technological advancements are heavily intertwined, and new technology comes and goes every year. This year, we’ve witnessed the next generation of consoles, with the newest Xbox and PlayStation coming out for the holidays. The metal core PCBs on these devices are built out of materials that allow for better heat dispersion, ensuring smoother performance even for high-end games. They also boast a lot of neat features like haptic feedback and motion-triggered 3D audio that aims to boost the gaming experience. Your children are definitely going to want one.

    However, with new technology comes new threats, and you have to pay attention to what they are doing if you want to ensure they game safely.

     

    What should parents be wary of?

    Data Privacy


    Users give a lot to access online gaming stores, such as birthdates and mailing addresses. The former is there to check the age of the user, which is needed to block them from certain games until they’re older. Mailing addresses are asked so the system can accurately compute for taxes when the user buys a new title. Both are equally dangerous when exposed. It’s highly encouraged that you get physical copies from your nearby GameStop or Best Buy instead.

     

    “Always On”


    Since much of the modern consoles’ features are tied to the Internet (such as streaming, social sharing, and online play), they will always have the option to have their built-in wireless connection turned on automatically. While this is convenient, it could also leave your kids vulnerable to breaches. Since a lot of games are single-player, have them turn off this feature when they don’t need to be connected to the Internet. This will lessen the chances of someone hacking into the console.

     

    Motion Tracking


    As mentioned, upcoming consoles will have a feature called motion-triggered 3D audio. This is where the console tracks the user’s movements so that the game’s sound is projected to where they’re seated. The biggest downside to this is that the game will ask for permission to track human movement in your house, which you shouldn’t give. Turn off this feature when it comes. If your kids want to experience 3D sound, you can always have them plug in some earphones.

    Protecting your kids is not about taking them away from things that you deem dangerous. This will only make them want more, sometimes going behind your back to get them. Instead, support their hobbies. Work with, and not against them, to thwart the dangers that they pose.

  • How COVID 19 is Changing Kid/Family Media

    How COVID 19 is Changing Kid/Family Media

    This is an audio article: Listen to the full article below.

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    How COVID 19 is Changing Kid/Family Media

    Click here for the full Tech Crunch Interview

    • Popular kids apps now see 24hr screen time access
    • Less education on screens and more entertainment
    • More companies are adding kid and family content to their platforms
    • Kids are spending time with each other in “virtual environments.”
      • Kids miss their friends
      • This was already a trend, now it has been accelerated
    • Tech companies are seeing kids as innovative inspiration for their products
    • The tech industry will see a major boom after this COVID19 crisis.
    • Large public events are taking place in digital spaces (Roblox awards show had 600,000 kids in attendance.)

    What Parents Should Know

    This isn’t going away.

    This dependence on Technology was already becoming the new normal. It is now been accelerated due to lockdown. Don’t expect this to change.

    Become Familiar With Your Kids’ Technology

    You can’t be blind to the connected, digital world your kids live in. Focus on the difference between productive/educational time and educational time. It’s about quality of time spent more than the quantity.

     

     

  • 2020 Kid and Family Tech Trends

    2020 Kid and Family Tech Trends

    This is an audio article from BecauseFamily and Family Tech Blog. Listen to the full article below.

     

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    Highlights and Links:

    Kid Online Media Trends

    • Roblox has 120mil users and is worth 4bil dollars
    • Games are shifting to social 
    • Kids are a new audience online, companies are discovering ways to attract them.
    • Kids see no difference in life online vs offline

    Tech Crunch Interview: https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/07/techcrunch-live-childrens-media/

  • Using Tech to Your Advantage, Not Your Detriment | RCK Podcast

    Using Tech to Your Advantage, Not Your Detriment | RCK Podcast

    This is a special crosspost from my other podcast, Raising Connected Kids.
    Click the banner below to check it out.

    WELCOME to Raising Connecting Kids the podcast that answers your questions about the connected world your kids are growing up in.

    I get multiple questions a week. Sometimes through email or FB messages and sometimes face to face at an event or meeting. In this podcast, I’ll be answering the most common questions I’ve had and even, your questions. Email me at BecauseFamily@gmail.org to get your question read and answered on the Podcast.

    Question 5: What are some good things about our technology?

    Since we’re distancing ourselves, perhaps we should focus on some of the good things our kids can use technology for. Here are some ideas and safety tips for using Tech to your advantage, not your detriment.

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    Use Education Sites/Apps: Many are free right now.
    Use them wisely, watch the amount of time spent and what they do with that time.

    Messaging/Video Chat

    • Monitor messages.
    • Use the right video chat apps

    Family-friendly gaming.

    Movies/shows

    Use your screen to get off-screen activity ideas.

    Resource Links:

    Bark.us – Message Monitoring
    kinzoo.com – Messaging app for families.
    Off-Screen Ideas

    CONCLUSION

    Thank you again for listening to Raising Connected Kids, the podcast that answers your questions about the connected world your kids are growing up in.

    Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Spotify (soon), Google Podcasts, and anywhere else you listen to podcasts. Like/Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

    Share the show with your friends and leave a review on your favorite podcast app to help spread the word.

    Remember to visit BecauseFamily.org/partnership to partner with us as we protect children and teenagers by bridging the technology gap between them and their parents.

  • New Tech Products for Your Youngest Children

    New Tech Products for Your Youngest Children

    Every kids loves technology and screens. How often should we allow screen time for our younger children? Companies are making tech for children of every age and much of it was on display at CES2020. We should allow our kids to use tech while allowing them to remain kids. Here are some new tech products for your youngest children that I found at CES2020.

    Marbotic

    Many new learning methods are founded on the fact that the manipulation of physical objects is a key factor in learning for young children. This has been discovered to be a downfall of screen-based learning for pre-school kids. Games like Marbotic give kids an opportunity to learn on their screens while using tangible letters and shapes to control what happens. This taps into the “full interactivity of the screen” to enrich their learning experience. 

    There are several different games available. They use a tangible item to touch the screen and answer questions, the app can tell if they are right are wrong and rewards them or help them. The app teaches shapes, letters, writing, and pronunciation by showing different pictures as a result of what you use to answer questions. They have even partnered with Sesame Street to put out a version of the app with those characters.

    Roybi

    Do our young ones need robots? Many companies are making robots for our kids, even our youngest children. Most of them seem to be pointless companions that are just “smart” stuffed animals. Roybi is different, though. This robot is a teacher.

    Roybi is a personal tutor that interacts with your child to teach them languages and STEM skills. The team at Roybi has harnessed evidence-based practices to help your child learn through play. Listed as one of TIME magazines best inventions of 2019, Robyi Lets kids ages 3-7 learn at their own pace and focus on what they are best at and most interested in. 

    Roybi doesn’t move around but does see and has educational conversations with your child. The robot uses these games to teach science, math and language skills.

    How Much Should My Kid Use Tech?

    Seeing all of these new tech products for our youngest children brings about the question. How much should my kid use technology? The issue is not as much the amount of time our kids use tech. Experts are more concerned with what they are doing during the time they are on these products. The answer is more education and less entertainment. These products give your kids opportunity to use the tech they love while learning skills they will continue to need. Studies have shown that learning only on a screen isn’t as helpful for our preschoolers as learning with things they can touch, feel, and manipulate. These products that combine the screen, voice, and tangible items set our children up to learn important subjects that they will require throughout their education.

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  • Tech Toys Teach the Love of Reading

    Tech Toys Teach the Love of Reading

    Using technology to teach the love of reading isn’t new. Amazon and Barnes and Noble did it with their Kindle and Nook. Now we’re seeing products come out to help children love reading as well. The show floor at CES2020 had several products designed to teach the love of reading. Here are a couple of those products I thought were super unique and cool. 

    Bookinu

    Audiobooks are a great way to consume content while you’re busy doing other things. Reading out loud to your children has been touted as critical for their development. Some products give your kids the ability to hear books being read to them but Bookinu allows the narrator to be you. 

    Bookinu is for children from three to seven years old. It encourages them to love reading through an easy to use app for parents. Moms and dads open the app and read any book they would like into the app. You put a sticker on the book and scan it with the Booking. The Bookinu will then playback your reading of the story through the Bookinu devices so that the child is hearing the book read to them in your voice. It is very easy to use and can be taken anywhere. It can store books internally so that you don’t need a wifi connection to play the content for your child. There is also a headphone jack and a speaker built-in. 

    Dipongo

    “Dipongo is the first creative app for personalized stories mixing both real and virtual worlds.” – Dipongo Website 

    Using voice recognition the app chooses the right story for kids based on their likes and dislikes. You then use tangible objects to influence the story through photos and augmented reality. Kids create, draw, build, and mold to get the story to continue. The story changes somewhat based on what you choose to insert into the narrative. If you build a bridge to get over the valley they’ll cross it. If you take a photo of a plane, they’ll fly across. 

    Stories on Dipongo are co-authored with childhood and creativity professionals. The award-winning app was designed to educate kids on problem-solving, socialization, and contributing to a story. Watching the example on the show floor at CES caused me to smile a silly grin that wouldn’t go away. The cute characters and unique challenges are sure to keep your kids entertained for a long time, all the while teaching them some very useful skills. 

    Counterintuitive? 

    It may seem silly to use technology to try and encourage your kids to love a not so tech-centric activity like reading. Why not harness something they already use to encourage such a helpful skill. If reading out loud to our kids is such a great thing then an app that lets us read to them whenever we would like can only be super helpful. If we don’t allow it to replace the times we sit with them in person it can be a great tool. Using behaviors from Alexa and GoogleAssistant to read to our kids is neat but the voice of their parent isn’t being heard. Bookinu gives loved ones the ability to re-insert themselves into the read-aloud activity that is so beneficial. 

    Giving older kids a way to interact with stories through augmented reality and building with tangible items is a wonderful idea also. This allows them to get lost in storytelling in a way that they may have never before. Storytelling and creativity is critical and will always be skills that kids can harness to be successful in the future. Dipongo gives them a head start on those problem solving and storytelling skills. 

    The goal is to find tech that entices our kids to learn and gives them tools that they’ll need to succeed. There is a lot of tech out there that distracts our children and can even become harmful. I was excited to find these two options that give parents the ability to harness their kids’ love of tech to encourage a love of learning. The love of learning will serve their children well for the rest of their lives. 

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  • CES2020 | Protecting Your Family’s Privacy and Data

    CES2020 | Protecting Your Family’s Privacy and Data

    Walking the show floor at CES can be a major assault on the senses. Every booth has music and lights and giant screens or projectors showcasing the latest and best of their technology offerings. One thing that is cutting through all of the noise, however, is the need for tech companies to earn the trust of their target consumers. Voice control, smart home technology, and data mining for convenience in retail are on the rise. The companies who use our information to make our lives easier have to convince us that they are going to stop there. The good news is that it seems they are understanding this truth.

    Protecting Your Family’s Privacy and Data

    Robin Raskin, the founder of Living in Digital Times, said that trust will be a major theme at CES this year. I spent several days on the CES show floors and I can tell you this is the truth. Car manufacturers are explaining how their tech is built to keep you safe. They are saying that the information gathered about you is meant to make the goal of safety more attainable. Convenience is being showcased at nearly every booth on the floor as well. Convenience requires data, so it is no surprise to see these exhibitors featuring their privacy policies upfront for all to see. Even toy makers are touting their focus on privacy. The connected toys your children will play with shouldn’t be tracking their every move.

    Trust and Responsibility

    Protecting your family’s privacy and data is a huge responsibility. The responsibility for data privacy, security, and trust are shared, though. We, as consumers need to know the role we play in protecting our information. There are key factors we must keep in mind when thinking about security. Our passwords are very important. We must make sure we have different passwords across our online accounts. Also, be careful to use passwords that aren’t too easy to guess. Finally, we have to remember to set the security settings on our new smart devices when we take them out of the box. That new thermostat or camera is connected to the internet. That makes it susceptible to hacking and therefore security settings must be set. If your device offers “two-factor” authentication then set that up as well. It can seem inconvenient but it will protect you from a lot of trouble in the future.

    Companies can only do so much to protect your data and security. They can give you tools to protect yourself but they can’t force you to use them. Check out my other articles on data privacy HERE.

    One last important tip is that you only buy smart home devices from well-known, trusted companies. Most of the time, these larger tech companies have had multiple levels of scrutiny concerning their privacy policies. Some smaller developers from other countries will have had less accountability for what they do with your information. Their products cost less and seem to work in the same way but you aren’t guaranteed the safety settings some of the larger companies will give you. All of these products are a privacy risk but you’re likely to have more transparency from a larger, more established company.

    A Caveat.

    Some privacy/security startups are making big waves right now. They are smaller companies that have security and privacy in “front-of-mind” as they develop their technology. My advice is to ask questions and look for more info on their privacy policies. Some of this new security tech is very cool and will be very helpful. Others are taking advantage of the new focus on privacy to sell more stuff that doesn’t work. Be a wise consumer. That is the most critical step in protecting your privacy.

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  • The Family Tech CES2020 Preview

    The Family Tech CES2020 Preview

    Every year at CES, tens of thousands of people gather to see the latest that technology has to offer. Every tech media outlet covers CES. They’ll be talking about everything from virtual reality to massage chairs. This is your Family Tech CES2020 preview. There are a lot of interesting topics being covered at CES this year. Here are some that I think are the most interesting and some that are specifically important for families like yours.

    TV Talk

    Welcome to the age of the 8K television. That’s right, we’ve skipped from 4k resolution to the mind bendingly clear 8k quality. Some say that the human eye can’t even discern that kind of clarity but it sure would be fun to find our for ourselves. The 8k tvs from LG, Samsung, and Sony tout such amazing tech that you need a screen larger that 65 inches to even get the full benefit.

    Voice-Enabled Digital Assistants on Everything

    Voice assistants are in everything. It’s in your car, your TV remote, even your toilet and shower. That is going to continue at CES 2020. Look to find voice activated technology in more and more gadgets this year. Even our kids are being offered toys and gadgets with voice command tech built in. Voice Assistants aren’t new but seeing them integrated into everything else only proves that this concept is here to stay.

    foldable phones family tech ces2020 preview

    Crazy New Gadgets

    There is always some crazy stuff at CES. Some is pretty unimportant but interesting. Some things are said to be the new face of technology but just seem strange to me. Foldable phones fit into that category, so do many of the robot offerings at the conference. Either way I’ll be looking for the most amusing and interesting gadgets to show you at this year’s CES.

    5G Technology

    5G is a bit of a buzz phrase these days but there is some actual technology behind the term. This fast, “over the air,” data connection is finally starting to spread for real. Many major cities are adding 5G to their infrastructure. It’s expensive and coverage is spotty but wherever it works, it’s lightning fast. The reason 5G is so critical is the role it will play in the roll out of self driving car technology. The connection speed that 5G offers is critical to the success of the self driving revolution.

    Self Driving Car Technology

    Self Driving Cars are always the bell of the ball at CES. This year will be no different with more and more companies finding ways to implement the improving technology. Not only are the cars themselves a big deal but the tech around mapping, connection speed, and entertainment inside your self driving car is becoming a major reality as well. It isn’t easy to hitch a ride in one of these vehicles at CES but I’m going to try my hardest this year.

    What Parents Should Know

    The future of technology is always going to include products to entice our children. Coding toys, games, gadgets, and safety tech are all being highlighted at CES2020 and I’ll be there to show you what to look out for and what to look forward to. As I look toward this year’s conference, here is a family tech preview of CES2020.

    Ed-Tech

    As highlighted last year, education technology is a going to be all over the show floor at CES. I’ll show your new coding games and toys as well as virtual and augmented reality classrooms. Robots will play a major role in training students for future technology jobs as well. Keep your browser open to the Family Tech Blog to see more as the conference starts up next week.

    pet tech family tech ces2020 preview

    Pet-Tech

    The furry members of our family have a place at CES as well. Dog toilets, cat toys that move across the ground, connected leashes, and even fenceless boundaries highlight the pet tech industry at CES. You’d be surprised how much tech can help people care for their pets and help pets care for their people. You probably wouldn’t be surprised, however, at some of the goofy pet tech that shows up at CES as well.

    Smart-home/ Home Security

    Everyone’s homes are becoming smarter and smarter, even if the way we use the technology isn’t so wise. Technology that can keep our home network and connected devices safe is crucial and thus, a major factor at CES. I’ll be spending quite a bit of time chatting with developers about their products intended to keep your data secure. Some even offer new parental control solutions as well.

    Connected Toys

    So many of our toys are connected to the internet now. Games, robots, even racetracks are finding ways to connect your tablet or smartphone. You are given an online account in order to fully play with these toys. This is introducing our kids to use of the internet earlier and earlier. What products are coming up that feature connected toys? I’ll gave updated information for you from CES next week.

    Avast All-in-One Security and Safety – Omni

    I’m very excited to test out one specific piece of family safety technology. Avast’s Omni device is an all-in-one way to protect your network from hackers, malware, spyware, viruses, and even set up parental controls and GPS alerts. I’m excited to have a hands on look at Omni while I visit their booth at CES. I’ll also be able to hear from their VP of Product Deliver as she shares at the Family Tech Summit on Thursday of the conference.

    A Long Six Days

    Hope you enjoyed this family tech CES2020 preview. This event is a lot of work and makes for long days. It is, however, some of the most useful and rewarding work I do all year. The new tech, updates on the latest trends, and marketing strategy research gives me such great information to pass along to you, parents. Thank you to those who have partnered with BecauseFamily for this trip to Las Vegas. If you would like to partner with our organization just visit our Partnership page. You can follow every detail of my adventure to CES2020 on our Facebook Page, our Instagram, and on YouTube. Thank you again, see you soon, from Vegas!

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  • This Digital Citizenship Curriculum May Not Be as Helpful as You Think

    This Digital Citizenship Curriculum May Not Be as Helpful as You Think

    I end every workshop and nearly every video and podcast telling parents to talk to their kids about digital citizenship, screen time balance, and internet safety. I often point them to videos or articles I have made or written that will help them with these topics. Cornell University, in partnership with Common Sense Media, have put together a resource for schools that claims to be perfect to help you, the parent, talk to your kids about these critical topics.

    “Social Media Test Drive” is a curriculum created to help teachers and parents guide their kids through healthy internet use and digital citizenship. The lesson plans for younger children were good. They featured fun videos with cartoon characters singing about what to do if you see a bully and why you shouldn’t talk to strangers online. Some of the curriculum for older kids, however, gave me some red flags.

    Minimizing Research

    The videos that I watched that were created for older kids and teenagers did a good job of presenting research that shows how dangerous too much social media or screen time can be. Unfortunately, most of the videos then downplayed the research by comparing it to anecdotal evidence that is gained simply from the way they know kids feel about using their devices and social media. It felt as if the video was pandering to young people, encouraging them that there aren’t many dangers online as long as they know how to use the internet properly.

    “Find Your Tribe”

    One of the things that is increasingly dangerous about social media and internet usage is exactly the same thing that many will say is a great benefit. The ability for kids (or anyone for that matter) to go online and find a group of people who think exactly like they do and believe exactly the same things they do. This seems like it would be a good thing. In fact, one of the Common Sense Media training videos called it “Finding your tribe.” The problem comes when you surround yourself with so many like minded people that you are no longer encouraged or even able to think critically about the things you see, hear, and experience. We should be hearing voices that contradict each other sometimes so that we can grow in our understanding of the world. The internet can be good for that. We can learn about new ideas, new places, and new types of people. The problem is that when we dive into social media by clicking like or double tapping every post of every person who agrees with us on everything we think, we are telling the algorithms to feed us more and more of the same thing. This is tricking us (not just our children or teens) into thinking that everyone who is right thinks exactly like we do. This is a dangerous attitude and if “your tribe” means people who won’t challenge you when you’re wrong. I hope my kids never find theirs.

    Relevance to the Point of Irrelevance

    Unfortunately these videos remind me of the after school specials we all made fun of when we were kids. The young guy standing in front of motion graphics and reading a script about how to use the internet wisely. It’s been done before. It was done with cigarettes, it was done with drinking and driving, now it’s being done with the internet. It all reminds me of the end credits scene for Spiderman Homecoming where Captain America shows up give a speech on patience. As I mentioned above, it seems to be pandering and I can imagine it being laughed off by most kids in the age group it is intended for. Even with the obsolescence of the “after school special concept” these videos attempt to be cool, especially by downplaying the dangers of phone usage and encouraging kids to just “be careful.” They try so hard not to say anything that will make students shut down that they barely say anything helpful at all.

    It Falls to the Parents

    Ultimately these issues are the responsibility of us as the parents of our children. Only we know what it will take to get them to understand the truth about their time online. We are the only ones that can set the standards of internet use in our families. We are the ones who can set the limits we feel are best and do it in a way that helps our children feel that they are partners with us as we work towards developing healthy tech habits together as a family.

    We should use the resources at our disposal, accountability software, filters, message monitoring, and built in parental control settings can all go a long way to help us keep our kids safe and teach them how to protect themselves. There are truly dangerous things on the internet. These things shouldn’t be glorified or blown out of proportion but they shouldn’t be ignored or downplayed either. We, as the gatekeepers of our homes, must decide what level of discretion we will use in protecting our children. We can rely on our schools or other companies or organizations to do it for us.

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