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WELCOME

Helping Our Kids

Navigate Digital Media

Presented at Morse on November 16, 2023

Jen Lavalle + Greta MacVicar

Instructional Technology Specialist JK-5

Sam Headley

Interim Principal

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Agenda

  • Introductions
  • Sharing Best Practices from Research
  • Tips & Things to Try
  • Q&A and Discussion

Goal

The goal of our time together is to discuss current research, ideas, and strategies for supporting young children as they navigate digital media.

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Caregivers Unite!

Sharing

Please feel welcome to share questions and resources.

Many Approaches

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We will discuss many approaches - some may work for your family, some may not. We invite you to listen and question with curiosity.

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"Today's generation of children and adolescents is growing up immersed in media. This includes platforms that allow users to both consume and create content, including broadcast and streamed television and movies, sedentary and active video games, social and interactive media that can be creative and engaging, and even highly immersive virtual reality." American Academy of Pediatrics, 2016

"People with children spend, on average, 9 hours and 22 minutes per day in front of a screen: texting, tweeting, Googling, checking the weather."

Commonsense Media 2016

Resource from Common Sense Media: Parenting, Media, and Everything In Between

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56%

Technology Addiction

43%

Too Much Time Online

38%

Oversharing Personal Info

36%

Access to Pornography

Top Parental Concerns

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78%

do not allow mobile devices during family meals

Family

Rules

34%

do not allow mobile devices when guests are visiting

9%

do not allow car passengers to use mobile devices

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63%

say mobile devices are not allowed during bedtime

Bedtime

34%

think that using technology disrupts their children’s sleep

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Key Points

  • The way we use technology as adults is not always the way that our kids use technology, but that does not mean they do not want your help with it.
  • Parental controls are helpful tools to keep kids safe, but they must also be coupled with discussions about behavior online.
  • An invitation to move from the conversations being about the technology to being about the behavior, connected to family values.
  • Lead with curiosity instead of judgement.

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ASK

Ask your students about what they are doing online. Scroll through apps, play games together, etc.

Co-View

MODEL

Examine your own relationship with media. What do you want to model to support your children?

Reflect

PLAN

Consider reflecting on a family media plan that sets expectations for media and technology use in your home.

Reset

PARENTAL CONTROLS

What apps or resources are going to be helpful in planning your family’s media use?

Research

Tips

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Resources

  • a website trusted by educators and parents
  • provides ratings of technology and media for children’s use

Common Sense Media Homepage

Common Sense Census 2021 - a survey of media use by tweens and teens (technical report + infographic)

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Children and Adolescents and Media (technical report)

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Create a Family Media Plan (guided learning, action step)

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Additional Resources

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Family Link: Controls for Google Accounts and kids’ devices (Android, Chromebook)

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ParentSquare Notification Settings