Raising kids in the tech world isn’t an easy feat. Many of your kids peers are on social media far sooner than they should be and parents allow this to happen. In other instances, where the parents disallowed social media, the kids have helped themselves onto these platforms against parent’s requests. The decision to hide a social media account can occur with a high honors and trouble student, there is no judgement when it comes to kids making bad decisions. With that being said, it’s time to discuss 5 tips to raising kids in a tech world so you can feel confident that your kid is making good decisions.
- Find your Balance – every parent is going to have a different opinion about kids and social media. Find your balance within your household, lay out ground rules with what social media accounts your kid can have and what rules will apply with said social media accounts. Be upfront with consequences and expectations so that there is zero confusion as to what you will and will not allow your kids to do in this tech world.
- Get Educated – most parents in this tech world are aware of social media platforms, but they may not be aware of the privacy features or dangers that are out there for their kids. There are many apps that kids can install to hide social media accounts, messages and even texts. It is best to read up on everything to do with social media to ensure you are raising kids in a tech world without too much danger.
- Demand Disconnect Time – one portion of raising kids in a tech world is to teach them how to balance the tech time and real world interaction. Kids who spend too much time on social media stop learning emotional/social cues. Be certain to demand disconnect time so that your kids aren’t glued to non-personal tech devices nearly 24/7 and have time to get that personal interaction human beings need to stay well-rounded.
- Educate your Kids – don’t be afraid to discuss and show examples of worse case scenarios to your kids. It’s important that they see news coverage of events that have occurred with kids who use social media. Be it coverage of bullying or kidnapping, kids need to have that visual to make them realize the true dangers that hide behind technological devices and social media accounts. Kids are normally visual learners, so find some news coverage you are comfortable sharing and let your kids see first-hand how bad tech can be when kids make bad decisions using it.
- Keep Open Communication – the key to raising kids in a tech world is to keep communication open. It’s important that your kids feel comfortable talking to you about everything. This means they will be more apt to tell you of something they see as wrong online without the fear of getting in trouble or judged by their parents. Allow for open communication in a carefree way that lets you know what’s going on in your kids tech life.
There are so many tips that come into play when raising kids in a tech world, but these 5 tips are some of the major key points in raising kids today. Between open communication, demanding tech-free time, setting forth ground rules and getting yourself educated on social media tricks, you should be set to raise kids in a tech world and mitigate the issues. We hope.