It’s reported that 81% of kids under 2 already have an online presence either through photos of proud parents or with a social media page dedicated to them. After birth, 7% of newborns even have an email address. Not to mention kids ages 2-5 can play video games and download apps better, and faster, than they can ride a bike or tie their shoelaces. And now that iPhones, iPods, and iPads are the top holiday wish-list items for kids ages 6 to 12, 95% of teens are online, logging in more hours surfing the web than they are doing homework. Wednesday’s guests, Pam Worth of Tiny Treks and Dr. Jodi Gold, author of Screen Smart Parenting, discussed how to establish smart screen-time habits with your kids.

Here are their words of wisdom:

On Class120 app to monitor if students go to class: “By the time children are college age they should be responsible for their own actions.” Pam

“I would like it messages were sent directly to the college kids.” Jodi

On free-range parenting: “Depends where you’re living and what kind of community you’re in.” Pam

On anti-bullying father: “I think it’s a scary thing with teenagers and bullying than bullying back.” Pam

“There’s a better way to manage rage than taking it to social media.” Jodi

On Unplug & Play Week: “Turn Off the TV Week was a great movement. It needs to come back.” Pam

“Our kids need more time off technology.”  Jodi

“A contrived thing sometimes helps people remember what it’s like to live a certain way.” Pam

PAM WORTH

“I had a group of moms who were disgruntled with the programs for kids. I brainstormed and created Tiny Treks. Every single mom signed up.”

“My kids had zero TV til 5. It’s interesting that children are having devices as young as one.”

“I saw a huge discrepancy between TV and how well kids did in school.”

“Have very conscious time during the day for parents and kids to unplug.”

“It’s important to prepare and be an exciting and interesting parent. Get creative instead of plugging kids in.”

“Fill up the sink with bubbly water to distract them while you’re cooking. Keep them in the kitchen. Engage with them.”

“You didn’t have kids for them to be perfectly neat, you wanted them to explore their creativity and think out of the box.”

“Develop a family culture. Have family meetings and know things can change.”

“If you choose to pick up your phone during dinner, you clean up after the meal.”

“There’s so many studies about the benefit of a shared dinner.”

“What you make as a rule at 3 will change at 4. But start family meetings while very young to evolve with our children.”

“If your Grandma can’t see it, don’t write it.”

“To see us unplug and for us to say ‘I’m going to read a book’ and see us do it.”

“We get that we’re plugged in but we have to set aside time to interact without technology.”

“I see their pictures but I don’t ‘like’ them. That’s for their friends to do.”

DR. JODI GOLD

“We need to plot a smart plan for navigating the digital behavior.”

“Families need an explicit plan for how they will maneuver the digital landscape.”

“Parents need to be a model for their children’s digital behavior.”

“We have to look at digital milestones. The footprint begins at birth.”

“What might be appropriate for a 12-year-old may not be appropriate for a 6-year-old.”

“Parents on the East Coast especially think they have to know World of Warcraft and Twitter to interact with them digitally.”

“For kids to spend 8-11 hours plugged in we have to find out what is creative for them online and let them explore it. Best way: Ask them.”

“Sometimes parents need to use devices to babysit kids. Set a time limit for yourself and interact with your child.”

“Privacy means reading a diary. Parents should respect that. But what kids post on social media is not private. Parents should monitor. Be seen and not heard.”

“If you’re online with them you can help get them out of sticky situations.”

“Whether we like or not our kids are growing up in the digital world and we need to embrace it.”

“If you interact with your kids online it’s beneficial. Online worlds are an incredible place for play.”

“Now the whole world of play opens up to them online. There’s so many opportunities.”

“Have a discussion with your partner about your relationship with technology. What are your limits? Don’t ask kids to do things that you can’t do yourself.”

“Include your kids in the process of setting digital household rules.”

“Don’t take away the phone, teach your kids how and when to use it.”

“Sit down as a family and figure out how you use technology to be a better person.”

“Don’t sleep with your phone.”

“The iPhone replaces the blankey for kids and becomes the iBlankey.”

“The more you restrict the phone the more you’re going to push your kids underground.”

“We can’t get stuck. While were lamenting the handshake we need to teach our kids good skills to be better digital citizens.”

“We need to unplug so we can be kind in person.”

“The dialogue starts young: How to share, how to be kind.”

“It’s okay for our kids to see us struggle. It’s ok for them to see that it’s not easy to unplug all the time. It’s a struggle worth fighting.”

“The average teen does 3000-plus texts a month. It’s a skill.”

CALLER BECKY

“Hands on, doing it with fun makes a huge difference for the children.”

“I’m 54 I never got into Facebook. I will text but I don’t like to do email. Things get misunderstood.”

“Teaching manners and kindness are extensive lessons for parents.”

Make sure to tune into Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg next week, only on SiriusXM channel 111 at 9 PST/12 EST. 

Comments

comments