Internet Use and Your Family
Technology can be a wonderful tool for accessing a wealth of information. It can also be a pathway to many things we aren't yet ready for our children to see. Children can stumble upon inappropriate images, excessive advertising, and negative social interactions.
In the library, we are currently talking about how just as we have responsibilities to ourselves, our friends and families, and our communities in the "real world," we also have these responsibilities online. We are talking about things like never giving personal information online without an adult's permission, being positive and respectful in online communications, crediting our sources if we copy any images or information, and letting an adult know if we see anything that makes us uncomfortable. We will also look at examples of "hidden advertising" in the coming weeks.
It's never to soon to talk as a family about your expectations for Internet use. Some recommendations for healthy use include: set limits for screen-time, balance online time with active time, make use of filtering software (but realize it won't catch everything), talk openly about things the kids are doing online, and have screen use be in a common area of your home. Even finding something you wish they hadn't can lead to important discussions.
Commonsense Media is a free site that has excellent resources for parents (and teachers) about various types of media, including advice about managing the Internet and movie/TV/game/app/website reviews for families. Reviews include discussion topics and things for parents to be aware of. You might also want to look at some of the resources on Safe Kids, like the language in their family contracts for online safety.
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