Last week we had our first Parent Well-being Discussion Group and the topic was Social Media and Technology. This is a very vast and broad topic that has so many facets to cover, largely in an unknown space that we are all trying to keep up with. Our children are the first generation that are growing up with technology, smart phones and tablets as being the norm. It was only a few days ago that my 16 year old son asked me how I used to organise to meet up with friends after school. When I explained that we would speak on the phone the night before, he was very impressed at how reliable we all must have been!
Growing up in the digital age is a whole new ball game…as is parenting in the digital age. There is no manual, no instructions to follow and we really don’t know the long-term affects of how this is all going to play out. However, the trajectory is pretty clear, with the health and well-being of young people being of increasing concern, especially in the area of mental health. So as was discussed in the parent group, it is important that we stay on top of online use as much as possible.
So in light of being practical and across everything, we discussed parental controls to use on your children’s devices.
At our recent Annual Report Evening we had Martine Oglethorpe provide an invaluable talk on Cyber Safety. Her recommendation for parental control was Family Zone, an innovative Cyber Safety platform that supports parents to manage screen time, keep content child-friendly, restrict social media, protect devices at home and on the go and access free cyber support.
Qustodio was an option mentioned at the discussion group that also seems to work quite well and comes highly recommended. Some features include visually intuitive web dashboard, extensive monitoring features, social networking filters and good mobile options for both platforms.
Both Family Zone and Qustodio offer a free trial period.
It’s super important that these discussions are had openly with each other as parents, especially those in your child’s group of friends. Get together and talk about the approach you are taking and you will soon see that you are not ‘the only one’ as you child may often say! As a community, we need to be communicating regularly and supporting each other.
In terms of health and well-being, I will always bring the conversation back to connection. As I said in a previous blog, ‘The rights & wrongs of social media’, online use is a very poor yet very real substitute for what we are all so desperately craving, real and true connection. Underlying the need to be constantly filled up by stimulation, is a longing to be nourished by something that is sustainable and supports us to feel settled in our bodies. Real & true connection is without a doubt, the best medicine of all.
By Sara Harris (First Aid & Well-being)
Image: news.mit.edu