Getting Your Child a New Device For Christmas? Here Are Some Tips
By Movieguide® Contributor
New smart devices are always a hit for Christmas. Here are some safety tips if your children are getting a new phone, tablet, laptop or gaming device as a gift, especially if this is the first time they will have one of their own.
The best time to prepare your child to safely use a personal device is when it is first getting set up. Parents should enable safety precautions built into the device such as Family Sharing (Apple) and Family Link (Android) which allow parents to monitor downloads, usage and location sharing while also managing content ratings their kids have access to.
During the first days of a new device, parents should also set boundaries for how their child can use the device, such as when they can use it, how much daily screen time they will be allowed, what types of apps they will allowed access to and whether or not they will be allowed on social media. It is much easier to have these boundaries set from the start, rather than trying to change habits if problems arise.
Once kids have their own personal devices, parents should also have frequent conversations with their kids about what they have been encountering and if they have seen anything recently that made them feel uncomfortable. These conversations are major safeguards to raise red flags about bad actors who might be trying to harm your kids, while also catching any inappropriate content that may have slipped through the cracks.
Parents should also educate themselves on the numerous studies that have documented the impact technology has on kids. Many studies have been performed around screen time in particular, and this research has linked numerous negative effects to excessive screen time, such as lower cognitive functions for toddlers and higher rates of depression and anxiety among young users.
READ MORE: 5 TIPS TO HELP YOUR CHILD MANAGE THEIR SCREEN TIME
While making rules to limit screen time is helpful, the best way to help your kids use technology in a healthy way is to model healthy use yourself. Parents are the number one place kids learn how to interact with the world, so lowering your own screen time and focusing on time with family will help your kids do the same.
READ MORE: PSYCHIATRIST AND DAD OF 7 SHARES HIS SCREEN TIME ADVICE
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