There’s no arguing that modern technology poses a range of dangers to your children’s development and to the value of their relationships. You know your child needs your guidance to develop a healthy relationship with technology, and to learn to regulate their own use in a healthy manner in the long term.
You also know that you must protect your child, especially from more acute threats, until they learn the foundations of self-regulation.
Ideally, your child’s school would partner with you to help you manage technology use and nurture the development of your child’s inner life. But the reality is that screen time and internet exposure is becoming increasingly pervasive in most schools.
The world is becoming increasingly digital. Whether you keep your children on a strict screen-time schedule or allow them to regulate their own time, these tools will help you keep your children safe as they explore the digital world.
Password Manager
Password managers can keep your children from accessing sensitive account information while using your devices, while keeping those accounts accessible to you.
A password manager is digital organizer for all of your online passwords that is stored online and accessed with, well, a password.
The benefit of a password manager is freedom of security. With a password manager you can protect all of your online accounts with strong passwords with the reassurance that you will be able to access your accounts even if you can’t remember each individual password. And that’s great, because the number of password protected accounts we need just to get from one place to another is only increasing.
When deciding on a password manager, you’ll have to determine whether you prefer cloud storage or local storage, which will depend on two things: how much functionality you desire and how paranoid you are. Local storage is a good idea if you’re very worried about a data breach or if you work in a highly sensitive field.
Parental Controls
Nearly every digital device is equipped with parental controls designed to help parents set and enforce limits on screen time, content, and more.
Sometimes, a device’s onboard parental controls simply aren’t enough. In those cases, there is a wide range of third-party controls, which give parents more options and provide greater functionality. Most parental control apps require a yearly paid subscription, so be sure the app you choose is right for your family’s needs.
Parental controls are important on your child’s personal devices, as well as family devices.
Click here for a detailed list of parental control options.
Communicate
Any time you consider restriction, you must also consider how such measures will affect trust between you and your child. Your child needs your trust to transition through to adulthood in a whole, healthy manner. However, this trust must be mutual. Your child must also trust you.
Thus the importance of communication. As a parent, you can’t demand trust. It’s a gradual process that requires mutual commitment and constant communication over time.
“Our highest endeavor must be to develop free human beings who are able of themselves to impart purpose and direction to their lives. The need for imagination, a sense of truth, and a feeling of responsibility—these three forces are the very nerve of education.”
― Rudolf Steiner
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