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A 6-Step Guide For Family Technology Use
Getting involved with technology is inevitable nowadays. When used properly, technology can be an excellent way to learn, and to bond as a family. Technology should be meant to unite, and not divide a family, where each member is solely focused on their gadgets. Here is a 6-step guide for responsible family technology use:
1. Start by setting a good example.
Remember, children's minds are like sponges: they absorb whatever they see from their parents. You, as parents, can’t set firm rules if you don’t model them as well, as children follow by example. When you tell your children that their screen time is limited to only an hour in a day, then you should do so as well. It’s easier for children, and even teenagers to follow the rules when they see their parents observing them as well.
2. Avoid having one television in each bedroom.
Responsible use of technology as a family is dependent on setting clear boundaries, and one of these is to avoid having one television in each bedroom, even if you can afford it. It’s enough that every member of their family has their smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Here are the reasons why it’s beneficial to have only one television for the whole family to share:
If you have young kids and toddlers, it’s easier for you to limit their screen time, as you have control of the television and the remote control, and you can also monitor what shows your kids are watching. If you have teenagers, you can force having a family movie night for movies you’ve saved on external harddrives, on a weekend when all the kids are home.
When there’s only one television in the whole house, there’s a lesser chance of family members locking themselves in their rooms to focus on watching TV shows.
3. Understand how every member of the family uses technology and set appropriate rules.
Every member of the family uses technology differently from others. For example, parents might be on their laptops and smartphones for the news or work. Young children use technology mainly for movie and TV shows; teenagers, on the other hand, use technology for purposes such as gaming, shopping, or social media.
Therefore, it’s crucial for you to understand first how every member family uses technology. When you’re aware of this fact, you can then set individual and personalized rules for every member of the family. An example could be:
Rules for mom and dad: no working on the laptop after office hours, and no cell phones when playing with the kids.
Rules for the young toddlers and children: no screen time above an hour, no violent movies or TV shows, and no social media, unless mom and dad knows what your password is.
Rules for teenagers: no sexually inclined movies and gadget use should be limited on a school day.
4. Choose good quality media resources
Good quality media resources are those that promote good values to your children and will help them grow into more responsible individuals, even while having fun with technology. On the other hand, lousy quality media are those that promote lewd acts for minors, violence, and abuse.
With the various media resources available all over the Internet today, it is crucial that you help your children make better choices when selecting what applications to use, or games to play. You have the power to do this as parents, so you should do your research as well.
5. Subscribe to available website protection software.
By having one television to share as a family, you can control what your children watch. However, if your children have their laptops and smartphones, it can be quite challenging to control what websites they open. The best way for you to still have some control, especially when the children are still minors is to install website protection control software. Your Internet company can provide this for you as part of their home broadband filtering campaign.
6. Use technology as a family.
Enforcing family movie nights on the weekend is not the only way for you to use technology as a family. There are other ways for you to do so, such as:
Sing along with your young children the alphabet, numbers, or colors that they see on TV.
Do a fun activity with your teenagers from their smartphone, such as searching for a fun family travel destination for the year, or a new recipe for you both to study.
Teach a child how to play brain-stimulating games such as design games, spelling games, and the like.
These different ways can help you use technology as a family, instead of individually and alone.
Conclusion
This guide will help your family's use of technology healthy. Whatever the reason is for you to utilize technology, it should be for the benefit and welfare of every member of the family. The most important thing for you to do is to set guidelines and rules for technology use together as a family so that you are united in the goals that you wish to achieve.