“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.”
― James Baldwin, American Novelist
Most parents know that they need to be mindful of how their children are consuming information that is available to them on the internet. Parental involvement plays a critical role in keeping children safe in the digital age. The challenge that most parents face today is that of keeping up with the latest technology, such as apps and gadgets, which evolve every single day.
What parents need to remember is that the fundamental rules of good behaviour apply in the virtual world as well.
In this article, we will cover questions that parents need to ask themselves regarding their child’s involvement in the digital world.
Dr Yalda T Uhls’s book, Media Moms & Digital Dads; A Fact-Not-Fear Approach to Parenting in the Digital Age, lists a few questions that digital parents need to ask themselves about their child’s involvement in the digital world. Dr Yalda Uhls is a developmental psychologist and an expert on how media affects children. She is a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Below are sets of questions for parents of children from different age-groups:
For parents with preschool children
Though the internet consumption is the lowest at this age, parents do need to set a few guidelines. They are as follows:
School children consume the internet significantly more than the preschoolers. The book mentions a few questions specifically for parents with school-going children. Parents need to increase their involvement and ask more questions. They are as follows:
Parents today have to deal with a lot more than just behaviour and development of the child. For not so tech-savvy parents, this can prove to be more challenging than others. Asking these questions will help you understand where you stand and what more you need to do to keep the child happy and safe in today’s digital age.
Did you find this article helpful? Would you like to read more about digital parenting? Do you have any questions that you would like us to answer? Let us know in the comments below, or drop a note to storyweavers@byjus.com.
Reference:
Uhls, Y. T. (2016). Media Moms & Digital Dads: A Fact-Not-Fear Approach to Parenting in the Digital Age. (n.p.): Taylor & Francis.
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