Raising Children in the Age of Screens
We parents all dream of a perfect alternate universe. Wherein, one would not require parents to worry about their children's safety, but this is rarely the case, particularly in light of the recent advancement in practically everything, including education, brought about by technology.
It is a known fact that raising children has never been simple and the growing popularity of social media and broad use of smartphones have added a new dimension to the difficulties for parenthood.
That’s why for today’s blog, we are going to talk about healthy parent-child concepts in the digital age.
Being a Digital Parent
When you think about it, the World Wide Web is now more than a quarter-century old. This means that an entire generation of parents has had to deal with a problem that no prior generation has had to deal with.
They are the first parents to raise their children in the digital age, and they are doing so without a plan. Thus, the majority of us base our parenting approach on our personal experiences of "being parented."
We deliberately try to do things differently, or occasionally revert to skills we acquired from our parents. However, we have had to learn how to deal with challenges that come with living in an internet-enabled environment pretty much as we go, without the benefit of being able to seek assistance from anyone.
According to a Pew Research Center survey, the majority of parents in the United States (66%) especially those who have at least one child under the age of 18, or may also have a young adult child or children - believe that parenting is more complicated today than it was 20 years ago.
The Fundamental Role of Parents
The fundamental role of parents always remains the same: parents must nurture, protect, provide for, love, connect with, and guide their children. It is also true that parent-child relationship strategies in the past and now are most effective when based on positive parenting styles and concepts that promote open communication and trust.
Digital parents, like any parents, must be responsible role models, and they must develop communication and trust so that their children can openly discuss their autonomous online activities. Digital parents should understand what parenting style works best for their family so that their children not only participate but also thrive in the digital age.
Positive Parent-Child Relationship Strategies
A positive parent-child relationship means constant nurturing of your child in order to increase their self-esteem. This type of relationship is deliberate and compassionate, and it produces resilient children who exhibit positive behaviours and well-being. Digital parenting involves helping your children thrive both inside and outside of the digital environment, as well as finding the correct balance between the two.
Here are some helpful strategies to allow you to see how effective positive digital parenting can be in helping your child succeed.
Starting them young: Find high-quality content for your children to study, play, and discover with online resources.
Create guidelines for your family including yourself. For example, with a “family digital media agreement – no mobile phone use during meals”. Remember, being a consistent role model for your child will pay off in the long run.
Explain your expectations for your child's screen time and any repercussions for not adhering to screen time limitations; choose lesser screen timeframes and engage your children in other activities.
Use parental controls to assist you in establishing screen time guidelines as needed.
As your children develop and learn more about the digital world, see to it that you are flexible. Online time is sometimes required for schoolwork. It should not hinder children from having time for social and leisure activities; try keeping a screen log to track downtime, study time, and online time.
Involve your children in the discussion by asking them how they can assist you with your family's media guidelines.
Discuss your family's online sharing values and beliefs.
Reinforce the idea of not revealing personally identifiable information about themselves. Check the privacy and location settings to ensure that access to personal photographs and videos is not permitted.
Make sure your children are comfortable speaking to you or another trusted adult if anything significant occurs or makes them feel uncomfortable when using their tablets or smartphones.
Unfortunately, we must be open to the reality that the internet exposes children to things that we do not want them to see. Thus, it is our obligation as parents to teach children about online safety. Whilst it is reasonable that parents do not want their children to be afraid of going online, this does not mean that they should ignore internet safety.
Balance is essential, and a well-informed child is a safe child.
By removing communication barriers about online safety and etiquette, parents may ensure that their children get the most out of their cyber lives while also feeling comforted about their children's online behaviour.