Many of us are raising kids in this age where technology is popular, prevalent, and hard to avoid, but we grew up in a different time. Many of us raising kids today were a part of the last generation to grow up without a handheld device available to them or easy access to the internet. Safety with a screen wasn’t much of a concern in our childhood. We learned and adjusted to advanced technology, smartphones, and social media as an adult instead of a child.
This is important for us to remember. We are navigating a new era of parenting as we attempt to raise children in a world that feels a little foreign to us. Whether we like it or not, our children are going to know more than us about technology. They will learn things from their peers regarding social media that we will never understand. Now, more than ever, we must be informed about internet safety.
While it is easy to use the words technology and cell phones/iPads interchangeably, that is not accurate. There are lots of learning options involving technology which do not require your child to own, or frequently access, a cell phone or iPad. You can read about some of those options, like books on CD, as well as get other ideas here as well as some STEAM activities here. Many of those technological learning methods don’t require the same attention to safety that devices connected to the world wide web would require. For that reason, these safety tips and recommendations are for technology that accesses the internet.
Different families will have different opinions on how much technology/internet access they allow into their home, and this article isn’t to debate or influence that. Eventually most of our children will come into contact with technology, whether it be in our homes or outside of them. For that fact, we would all be wise to educate ourselves on what is out there in terms of social media and other ways of messaging as well as to educate our children on internet safety.
Be Educated
Parents, this is no time to stick our heads in the sand and ignore what is going on around us. Technology is something that our children are going to experience. Some forms of technology and internet usage are going to be better than others. For starters, ask yourself “does my child have access to the internet in this activity?”
Of course for things like listening to an audiobook on CD or using a circuit building set, the answer will be no. These safety tips then do not pertain to that activity. If this answer is yes, that doesn’t mean that activity definitely needs to be avoided. In this time we live in, learning to code or other types of engineering on the computer can be beneficial for kids with that kind of interest.
On the flip side, there is social media and online gaming. There has been lots of research done into the dangers of social media on kids, and I would encourage you to educate yourself on that before deciding to allow your children to participate in it. The book Glow Kids is an outstanding book to help parents and educators understand the effects of sitting in front of a screen, as well as social media, can have on a young brain.
There are also many accounts out there on Instagram with the purpose of educating parents on the dangers of various social media. One of these is the account of the late Collin Kartchner. There are also books out there you can purchase, like The Art of Screen Time, that can help you determine how to use screen time in a more balanced way.
Whatever you decide to do in the way of using technology and screens in your home and homeschool, take time to learn about it first.
![[UN]INTENTIONAL Book](https://toshouse.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/uploads/2022/11/image1-200x300.png)
Are screens holding you or your family back from all you were created to be?
I know what that’s like. I knew if I didn’t figure out how to overcome what screens were pulling me into, I’d miss out on all God was calling me to do.
That’s when I learned the five Biblical practices I share in [Un]Intentional: How Screens Secretly Shape Your Desires and How You Can Break Free.
As a dad of four daughters, a software developer, and a lifelong Bible student, I felt compelled to share what I had learned — knowing that we’re all being impacted by screens today.
Be ProActive
All the things you learn when you look into technology and screen time safety, be sure to teach your kids as well (in an age appropriate manner). Don’t wait until they run into trouble or there is a concern to bring these things up. Children using any form of internet device or social media account must be properly talked to and have clear rules and boundaries before embarking into that.
It is always easier to loosen up later than it is to tighten up so it’s best to set strong boundaries and expectations at the beginning. If need be, you can always change and loosen things up later on. That being said, if you realize later on that you were not strict enough regarding screens, go back and change the rules. It is your job as a parent!
One popular way to set clear boundaries is a cell phone contract, like the example in the free PDF we have provided for you. Download and go through this with your child!
There are books geared toward children that you can read to them to help them learn about internet safety (as well as any other place where they could see inappropriate pictures). One example of these books is Good Pictures, Bad Pictures. There is a version for younger kids and a version for older kids.
Ensure that your child is doing things throughout the day that will stimulate their creativity and imagination outside of a screen. One of the major problems with too much screen time for kids is that it sets their need for entertainment too high. It then can become difficult for them to learn in a less exciting manner. So after spending hours playing reading games on an app, learning to read with a book just doesn’t hold their interest. Let technology be a supplement to increase learning and offer a different method but not be the main focus.
Be Present
With anything related to homeschool, relationship is the most important part. Regardless of what form of technology and screen time you decide to use to educate your children, be present. Know what your children are doing and who (if anyone) they are interacting with. Be present to see what they are using technology for. Shoulder to shoulder screen time is an excellent way to teach your kids about screens while supervising them. Is what they are doing educational or fueling an interest, or is it just a distraction or a way to zone out and be entertained? You want to minimize the time using technology for purely entertainment. Your presence can help with this as you can suggest family activities, like board games, that are fun but also promote connection within the family.
One of the best ways to be present (outside of just being physically present) is to ask questions! Ask so many questions about what they are doing and what they are interested in and then actively listen to the response.
Be available and approachable for when they want to talk to you about something. Hear your child out and don’t react right away.
While there are many uses for technology in education that do not require the knowledge of internet safety, it is still important to be educated. Especially in this age we are living in and with the assumption that things will become even more tech forward as our children grow up.
This article has been written by homeschooling staff writers of The Canadian Schoolhouse (TCS). Enjoy more of our content from TCS contributors and staff writers by visiting our themes page that has a new theme topic added every month.
"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).