What are your kids watching?

Introduction

Hello fellow adults to young children! Today we will discuss the importance of using technology in a safe way. When children are handed a tablet/phone/switch did you know they are now open to view anything in the world. Yes, that unfortunately includes images and videos we would not want our young children to see. Don't fret we are here to guide you on how to set up your child's device for safe viewing and share some awesome FREE apps your children will love playing.

Task

Before we begin I want you to know this is a judgment free zone, I do have found my young children viewing things they should not be viewing. The problem is we have not been taught how to provide a online learning environment for our child. This digit age is new to us all and I welcome you to share with me and others what you have learned to keep your children safe online as well.

Process
  • Ipads and Iphones 
    • Screen-time: The link will teach you have to set up time limits on your child's devices. You may want to program a bedtime for the device to turn off or while in school. Your child's device will be linked to yours which allows you to change screen-time as needed right from your device. Another plus about screen-time for apple products is you can allow certain apps to always work when screen-time is on. With my teen we have screen-time set on during school but she can call specific numbers we allow in case of emergency. 

    • Child Restrictions: This is handy to know when you are not able to oversee what your child views on their ipad or iphone. The child restrictions tutorial will give you the piece of mind knowing your child won't accidentally view something they shouldn’t be. 

  • Nintendo Switch

Evaluation

Now that we know how to keep our children as safe as we can while roaming on the world wide web. Let's talk about some fun apps children love to use. Yes we did say these are FREEEEEE!

  • PBSKids 
    • In this app children can interact with their favorite PBS characters in games and videos while learning
  • StorylineOnline
    • This app has many amazing books read to your child by famous actors.
  • StarFallABC's 
    • This is an interactive app for children to learn their letters and sounds. 
Conclusion

The best part of learning all these programs for keep your child safe in the tech world is, you can start today. Again we didn't share this information for you to feel bad about giving your child a device, we shared it to inform you of how to set up safe limits for your child. Allowing them the freedom to explore their devices in a safe way boost their confidence for making safe choices in the future. 

Credits

Resources

Samgraboys. (2023, June 30). Why kids should learn about cyber safety at school. Net Positive. https://www.benetpositive.org/post/why-kids-should-learn-about-cyber-sa…

Oh, E. W. (2020, February 7). 23 great lesson plans for internet safety. Common Sense Education. https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/23-great-lesson-plans-fo…

Safety (Free). Health World. (n.d.). https://www.healthworldeducation.org/safety-free?gclid=CjwKCAjwxOymBhAF…

Teacher Page

Reflection

This interactive lesson is for adults with young children. I feel that teaching families how to help keep their children safe on the internet is just as important as teaching the children. When we open our devices to children it opens a whole new world to them. Unfortunately, we cannot always protect them from this new tech world. I know first hand the importance of setting safe limits on our child's devices. 

The opportunities for safe device use starts with us the adults. As educators it is not only our job to teach children but also the adults in their lives. Tech safety is just as important as teaching how to cross a road. With young children they don't understand that youtube will send them to links they shouldn't be watching and many young children don't know they shouldn't be watching it. Teaching adults how to set age restrictions on devices will give families the support they need to keep their child safe from predators  right in their own home. 

Ensure awareness of this issue is through word of mouth. Adults need to start discussing how the internet and devices can set our child up for failure but knowing before you hand the device over how to prevent unwanted use. Setting up time limits also helps children know that they reached their time for tech for the day or that their is a different task that needs to be completed like school work or sleeping. Paving the way from the start for safe use sets up future success for children.