Ever wondered how the digital age is shaping the experiences of our children?
Here are some facts:
The above data points show us that children are more exposed to information than ever before thanks to their devices, and they are increasingly looking to their devices to provide all of their social, emotional and recreational needs.
The fact that screens and technology are not only pervasive but necessary is a given in this day and age, but how parents deal with all this is not as obvious.
From online safety concerns to managing screen time and navigating the ever-evolving digital landscape, parents find themselves in an uncharted territory.
While the young parents of today had the last of the truly low-tech childhoods, and now are among the first of the truly high-tech parents, they cannot afford to remain passive spectators as the digital world unfolds. The dynamics of parenting are evolving rapidly and as parents we need to evolve ourselves with it. We should remember that technology is like a tool – its safety and utility depends on how it is used.
We have tried to capture below some traits, habits, ideas that can be cultivated within families and used by parents to ensure that our children take utmost benefit out of the digital world and at the same time ensure their safety.
Be a step ahead of the curve
The first thing parents should do is get up to date with the latest platforms their children are using. This will help parents be aware of what their children are doing online and understand better. ****Our children should understand that technology is not outside our authority. Some children at present tend to respect their parents’ authority in things such as doing the chores, money matters, etc. What we need to make them understand is that when it comes to technology, we should also have a hand. This will happen only when they respect our domain knowledge and know that it is well within our grasp to understand the related nitty gritties.
Establish communication and trust
“The more walls we build, the more we are just creating little hackers who are just trying to get around the fence,” Devorah Heitner, founder of the website Raising Digital Natives.
Parents, more now than ever before, need to establish communication and trust so that children are able to discuss their autonomous online activities openly. Discuss in-depth with children about online safety, digital footprints, cyber security, etc. These conversations should be frequent and relatable to real-world instances. Ask children if they feel that they have a problem. Children go online to find answers to some of these because they generally feel that no one close to them can help them with these issues or that they cannot trust them. Having empathy, being open and non-judgmental will help make children feel safe in opening up to us and will lead to more productive discussions. It is also very important to keep having these conversations regularly rather than a one-off event.