Safely growing up digital
Published: Wednesday, November 7, 2018
By KIM HORTON
Times-News Columnist
It’s hard for me to remember a time when the internet didn’t exist. Or when I didn’t own a cell phone. Or now a smartphone.
For those who remember the Jetsons cartoon from the 1960s, talking on a videophone to someone else seemed very science fiction. I was certain it would be hundreds of years before we could use such technology. I was wrong.
Today, technology is changing so rapidly it’s easy to feel left out very quickly. Before you learn how to use an app or computer program or browser, there’s a new one available that’s even better.
Teens and tweens know this, but since they’ve grown up with this technology, they seamlessly move forward and embrace all that’s new. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 95 percent of teens have access to a smartphone, and 45 percent say they are online almost constantly.
YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat are the most popular online platforms among teens. In the center’s 2014-2015 survey, 71 percent of the teens reported being Facebook users. Now it’s no longer the dominant online platform among teens.
Even children’s access to mobile media devices is dramatically higher according to Common Sense, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology. The 2013 research study stated that among families with children age 8 and under, there has been a five-fold increase in ownership of tablet devices from eight percent of all families in 2011 to 40 percent in 2013.
The percent of children with access to some type of “smart” mobile device jumped from half to three-quarters of all children in just two years. We can rightly assume that these figures are higher today.
Fortunately, guidelines exist to help parents teach safe digital skills. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests treating media as you would any other environment in your child’s life:
• Set limits and know your children’s friends both online and off.
• Make a family media use plan that considers face-to-face interaction and family time, outdoor play and exercise and unplugged downtime and sleep.
• Know what platforms, software and apps your children use and what sites they visit.
• Don’t just monitor your children online. Interact with them. Teach and model kindness and good manners online.
• Avoid digital media for toddlers younger than 18 to 24 months other than video chatting. For children 18 to 24 months, watch digital media with them because they learn from watching and talking with you. Limit screen use for preschool children, ages two to five, to just one hour a day of high-quality programing. Co-viewing is best when possible and for young children.
• Keep family mealtimes, other social gatherings and children’s bedrooms screen-free. Recharge devices overnight outside your child’s bedroom.
• Warn children and teens about the importance of privacy and the dangers of predators and sexting.
• Children mimic their parents, so limit your own media use.
Remember, it’s OK for your teen to be online as these relationships are part of typical adolescent development, according to the AAP. But be sure your teen is behaving appropriately. Remind them that a platform’s privacy settings do not make things actually “private.” Emphasize that once content, including photos, is shared, they will not be able to delete or remove it completely.
Warn them that sex offenders often use social networking, chat rooms, e-mail and online gaming to contact and exploit children.
The benefits of digital and media use are many, but some online behaviors, especially in teens, such as bullying, sexting and posting self-harm photos, or an increase in teen depression and anxiety are a red flag for parents. Next month’s public health column will address this further.
To help parents feel more in control, we’ve put together a list of websites where you can learn about internet safety. Please visit hendersoncountync.gov/health and click on the Community Interest tab on the left.
Kim Horton is the communications manager for the Henderson County Department of Public Health. She can be reached at khorton@hendersoncountync.gov.
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