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Raising Media Smart Kids

Swigert Elementary - Nov. 2022

Topics

Setting Parents Up for Success
Media Reviews & Media Literacy
Media Management Tips for Families

Presented By: Denver Public Schools EdTech Team

Slide Deck: https://tinyurl.com/swigertMediaSmart

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We are a trusted guide for the families, �educators, and advocates who help kids thrive. �We provide resources to harness the power of �media and technology, and to shape public policy to �improve the well-being of every child.

We are

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This brave new world isn’t easy for parents.

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What are your biggest concerns �about digital media?

What are some of �digital media's strengths?

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How do we use media in balance as �a family, find quality content, set expectations around healthy use to prevent conflict, and raise media savvy consumers and creators?

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All About That Balance

Physically healthy �and sleeping enough?

Source: "New screen time rules from the American Academy of Pediatrics," Sonia Livingstone

Ask yourself — is my child:

Pursuing interests and hobbies (in any form)?

Connecting socially with family and friends (in any form)?

Having fun and learning in their use of digital media?

Engaged with and achieving �in school?

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Set Yourself Up For Success

What are best practices around digital media and devices ?

Use media with your kid.
Know your own rules.
Set expectations and rehearse.
Connect media to real life.
Talk about commercials and other advertising.
Talk about digital citizenship.
Encourage media creation as well as consumption
Model the media behavior you want to see in your kids.

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Be Choosy

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Ratings & Reviews - Common Sense Media

34,000+ reviews across all media types
Key rating elements:

Age-appropriateness
Detailed “nutritional labeling” of parental pain points
2500 types rated for learning potential

Over 25 major media distribution partners

www.commonsensemedia.org/reviews

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ABCs and 123s

Look for apps, TV shows, and movies with positive messages and educational value.

In terms of learning, research shows...

Coviewing helps kids learn letters and numbers.
Parent interaction during an ebook reading plays a positive role on children's understanding of story content.
Beloved characters can boost learning and empathy

How to maximize the learning potential of media?

Check if educators were involved in development,
App should provide feedback and adapts to a kid's level,
Delivers experience only a screen can deliver.

If a piece of paper/blocks/toys would work just about as well, it's probably not worth it.
When in doubt, stick with the winners: You can't go wrong with Sesame Street and most PBS shows/apps, some of which have independent research to prove learning potential and appropriateness.

Real-world activities you can do together that could extend learning?
Choose a media friend like Daniel Tiger
Use our learning ratings

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Declaring Independence

As kids get older, they go their own way

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Common Sense Media Focus Groups

Adults don’t get it. They think I’m addicted to technology — but I’m not.

I’m addicted to my friends.

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Be the training wheels

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Responsible

Do they show basic responsibility with time, valuables, and behavior toward others?

Safe

Are there reasons you need to be in touch for your kid to stay safe?�

Social

Is there a social benefit to having a phone? A social cost to not having one?

Respectful

Do they generally follow rules? Will they agree to the limits you set?

A phone: To buy or not to buy?�

Kids & Smartphones: When? Why? And Should We Wait?

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Cell phone use

Consider giving tiered access to technology, such as starting with a flip phone, and remind children that privileges and responsibilities go hand in hand. A child’s expanding access to personal technology should depend on its appropriate use.
Return of the flip phone!�
Gabb Phone

Does not allow for web or app browsing, or Pinwheel, a smartphone �with multiple built-in parental controls, including the ability to monitor �your child’s communications

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Social media alienates kids.

Myth!

Myth or Truth ?

57 percent of all teens have made new friends online

84 percent of boys who play networked games with friends feel more connected when they play online

68 percent of teen social media users have had online friends support them through tough or challenging times

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Social Media Red Flags

Age-inappropriate content

Public default settings

Location tracking �and sharing

Real-time video streaming

Ads and in-app purchases

"Temporary" pics and videos

Subpar reporting tools

Anonymity

Cyberbullying/negative culture

Don't worry if you can't keep up. Knowing titles is great, but looking at key features of an app is even more important (will include in handout).

Age-inappropriate content: Is it easy to find porn, violence, or substance use? How prevalent is it?

If it's an app with a feed, you can get a sense of what people post and try searching for different types of content.

Public default settings: When you share something, does it automatically go out to all users unless you change that setting?

Some apps are meant to connect with friends and some with the world. Go through the settings to get the lay of the land.

Location tracking and sharing: Does the app track your location? Why? Does it share your location with others? Is there a way to opt out?

Some apps offer features that allows teens to share their location, and some are location-based, which means they connect users to people close by. Check the settings and the app description to see if and how it uses location.

Real-time video streaming: Is live streaming a feature? Why and how do people use it? What are your rules around sharing personal info and taking risks just to get viewers?

Lots of live streaming is mundane and tame, but it's easy to share social media info and other personal information with anonymous viewers. Sometimes kids also do things they wouldn't to get more views and follows.

Ads and in-app purchases: Are there ways to spend real money, and is it necessary to spend to "get ahead" in the app?

Though the majority of social media apps are free, many have options to spend money. Descriptions in the app store usually outline them.

Temporary pics: Is there a feature that promises that content will "disappear"?

Though this trend is slowing down not that more users are learning that it's easy to capture "temporary" pics, it's still a good idea to remind teens that nothing really disappears.

Subpar reporting: Is it easy to report and flag inappropriate content and users who harass others?

Many apps make it very obvious how to report and block people and content, but it's good to know how to do it before something happens.

Anonymity: Is being anonymous a big part of the app?

When people can hide, they're more likely to make poor choices, so while an app built around being anonymous isn't negative by default, many of them are.

Cyberbullying/negative culture: What's the overall feel? Are people on the app to have fun and connect or be cruel, rate others, one-up others, etc.?

Some apps are bad news right out of the gate because people use them to make fun of others and share iffy stuff.

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Social Media Red Flags

11 Social Media Red Flags Parents Should Know About

What to do: Ask your kid whom she follows, and ask to see what's being posted. Use the app yourself and get a sense of what comes up in an average feed (or features like Snapchat Discover). Then try searching for content you're concerned about and see how easy it is to find. Check the terms of use to see what the app allows and whether users can flag violators. If your kid uses TikTok, you can enable content restrictions that limit mature videos, but most social media platforms don't offer that feature.

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Social Media Tips

Don’t go from ‘zero to 100.’

Consider letting your child text with a best friend or a cousin on a shared family device to start -rather than giving your kid a smartphone and letting them download multiple social media apps.�
Allow them to add one social app when they’re ready (Think about the most appropriate age for your child to start using social media, taking into account their personality, impulsivity and maturity level. )�
Your kid may want to use an app like Snapchat because all their friends are on it, even though the company’s rules say they’re too young. And if that happens, you can reach out to other parents to see if there’s an alternative way for the kids to communicate that allows you to stay true to your own values.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/21/well/family/teens-social-media-help.html

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Social Media Tips

Set time limits

Think about the least invasive ways to set time limits and establish social media etiquette rather than constantly monitoring your child’s online interactions, and aim to come across as supportive and helpful, rather than someone who will be perceived as anxious, shocked or punitive.�
When you decide that your kids are ready to have their own device, don’t give them 24-7 access to it.�
Remove phones, tablets or other electronic devices from your child’s bedroom at night. And if your teenager uses their phone as an alarm clock, buy an alarm clock that is not connected to the internet.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/21/well/family/teens-social-media-help.html

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Social Media Tips

Set time limits

Choose one platform and one time period.

Example, say that your child can use Instagram for 30 minutes a day. You can set that limit via your phone — on Apple look for the Family Sharing settings and on Android you can use an app called Family Link. When the time limit is up, the app on your child’s phone will no longer be accessible. �

If you have a kid who is tech savvy and might try to override settings like this, you may need to physically remove their device after the time limit.�
If you prefer not to monitor social media use electronically, you can simply ask your child to hand over their phone while they focus on homework or another activity.�
It’s important for kids (and adults) to understand that the more we pay attention to our phones the less we’re investing energy in the rest of our lives and, as a result, “the rest of our lives actually become less interesting,” said Anna Lembke, the chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic at Stanford University and the author of “Dopamine Nation.”

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/21/well/family/teens-social-media-help.html

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Social Media Tips

Help your teen understand and curate their feed

Experts said it’s helpful to talk to your teenager about who they are following, and how these accounts make them feel.�
Teenagers should be especially cautious of any dieting or exercise sites because they could “clog up your feed” and potentially encourage unhealthy thoughts or behavior. Algorithms will serve content related to who your kids follow, what they search for and how they browse online.�
Ask teenagers to dig into their social media settings to find out why certain ads pop up in their feeds.

Start by visiting the Instagram app’s settings, then choose “security,” and then “access data.” Under “ads interests” you can view the specific things that Instagram thinks you like, based on your personal data; most students have no idea this even exists.�
To start, you can ask what your child’s top five accounts are versus their bottom five accounts — and share your own as well — and talk about why you ranked them this way.�
“You want to be around accounts that help you become the best version of yourself.”�-Laura Tierney, the founder and chief executive of The Social Institute� � Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/21/well/family/teens-social-media-help.html

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Privacy Settings

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Keyboards Can Make Us Careless and Cruel

It’s never too early to talk to your kid about digital citizenship, being kind online, and calling out cruelty!

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Best �Approach �to Bullying

�Report abuse �Encourage "upstanding"

Collect proof

Involve others

Limit online access

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GuardChild citing Pew Internet and American Life Project, National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Cox Communications Teen Online and Wireless Safety Survey, YISS study

20–54%

of teens have sent or posted sexy �pictures of themselves. Most sexy pictures are sent to a significant other.

51%

of girls say they felt pressure from �a guy to send sexy pictures.

30-40%

of teens say nude photos are �shared beyond intended receiver.

Keeping Our Kids Safe

Worst-case scenarios exist, but they are not the norm!

9%

of kids receive unwanted online sexual solicitations (as of 2010).

4%

of kids have online interactions where a predator attempts to �make contact offline

Beyond bullies, there are other digital media-related worst-case scenarios we want our teens to avoid: sexting, self-harm, and online predators. But keep in mind -- even though bad things can happen, they're not the norm!

Statistics around these issues vary quite a bit, so take them all as ballpark:

20 to 54 percent of teens have sent or posted nude or seminude pictures of themselves.

Most sexy pictures are sent to significant other
36 percent of girls and 39 percent of boys say nude photos are commonly shared with people other than the intended receiver
51 percent of girls say they felt pressure from a guy to send sexy pictures

Some teens visit pro-ana, cutting, and other self-harm sites
9 percent of kids get unwanted online sexual solicitations
4 percent have online interactions where a predator attempts to make contact offline

Teens run into rough patches figuring out who they are (many of us did, too). Remember that shame and anger can shut kids down, so a gentle, open approach often works best around these sensitive topics

When it comes to sexting...

Try to talk before it happens
Remind them that once a pic is out there, they've lost control of it
Resisting pressure is easier than dealing with embarrassment is pic is shared

In terms of self-harm ...

Teens go online to get support more often than to reinforce negative behaviors
If you have concerns about your teen's mental health, it's best to get help from a professional

Then there are online predators …

Teens who overshare or post sexually explicit material are most targeted, so talk to them about who can see what.
If they tell you someone approached them, get proof and report it.
If they're getting gifts, hiding online activity, or withdrawing (more than usual), it's time to intervene and find out what's up, as teens often like the attention and the predator builds trust.

That said, it's all about awareness rather than anxiety. Though it's unlikely (and not necessarily advisable) that you'll know every single thing your kid says and does online, it's good to stay involved and have the uncomfortable conversations to help keep them safe.

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It’s never too early to talk to your kid about digital citizenship, being kind online, and calling out cruelty!

It’s never too early to talk to your kid about digital citizenship, being kind online, and calling out cruelty.

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Choose�Help kids make �good choices.��Check�Check what�they're doing.��Chat�Follow up �with a chat.

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We Can Help!

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Myth!

Myth or Truth ?

Parents spend less time on devices �than kids/teens

Parents spend 9:22 with screen media daily, including for personal and work use. 7:43 of that time is devoted to personal screen time. Tweens spend an average of 6 hours/day and Teens an average of about 9 hours/day on screens.

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https://www.commonsensemedia.org/family-media-agreement

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Spanish: Link

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When all else fails, tracking software might, too.

Nick Shaw of Norton Security

"Technology is going to help you," he says, "but it's not going to get away from the fact that you should be having more conversations about this with your kids."

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Website blocking/filtering*

Opendns.com

*One of many options for parents; DPS does not recommend any home internet filtering products

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Apps and Software for Families

Parental Control Software Review (PC Magazine)

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DPS Chromebook Use and Student Safety

When students use DPS Chromebooks & iPads for school work and research:

Only dps.net accounts can be used. (iBoss filter active on all networks and at all times)

Only dpsk12.net accounts can login to Chromebook
Internet-filter active regardless of user or network being used
No guest or incognito mode available
Cannot delete internet browsing history (Chromebooks)
LanSchool monitoring for on-task focus (school decision; only works at school site)
Gaggle screening of Gmail & G Drive for safety
Digital Coach for staff training

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Use media to connect, have fun, and guide kids as they start to navigate on their own.

Instead of shutting it all down, build it up!�

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Resources for Support

Connect with us � @commonsensemedia

@CommonSense

commonsenseorg

Sign up today for our�tips and updates.

Tell your school about our �digital citizenship curriculum.

Tell�

commonsensemedia.org

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DPS Library Resources – Free at Home

lion.dpsk12.org

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DPS eBooks & Audiobooks – Free at Home

Intro to Sora App Video

Sora

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You got this!

(image positive thumbs up, slightly humorous ok)

YOU GOT THIS!

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Britney Horton, DPS Digital Coach, britney_horton@dpsk12.net

Denver Public Schools EdTech Team
Email: edtech@dpsk12.net�

Contact

Slide deck: https://tinyurl.com/swigertMediaSmart

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Thank You