Digital life – well that’s a phrase I didn’t grow up with! Queuing for a phone box, reverse charges, ringing a phone box all the things my teenagers have never experienced!
Ringing after six, memorising numbers, even dialing a number – yes I am in my glorious fourties and my digital life is very different from my kids!
Almost in all parts of the world, smartphones and social media are now an almost universal feature of teenage life. One thing is for sure that mobile devices have multiplied and become ingrained in our daily life to the point where it is challenging to remember life pre-smartphone as Apple launched the iPod back in 2001, the iPhone back in 2007, and the iPad in 2010, and they are ever-growing.
It is surprising to know that teens have embraced mobile devices with enthusiasm, and it is concluded with a recent study that almost all teens today have a smartphone and also use the internet and social media. The kids of today’s generation are mostly ditching the traditional devices and getting looped in the social media lives. A recent study shows that teens are looking for some tips on how to manage their digital lives, but they readily say that their parents aren’t up to the task as teens love mobile technology.
Tips to be a part of your teenager’s digital life:
First of all, before you learn about the tips, you must know that parents need to step into the digital game of their teens. No doubt, with teens, you must find it challenging to keep up with technology as it is ever-changing and complicated. It is quite necessary for parents to take an active role in their teens’ digital lives so they can learn what is right and bad for them.
- Ensure your family has a media plan- You must know that media should not only work for you but within your family values and parenting style. Still, at the same time, when you use it inappropriately or without thought, media can displace a plethora of essential activities, including face-to-face interaction, family-time, outdoor-play, exercise, unplugged downtime, and sleep.
- Put some limits on the screen time- Well, you need to have some guidelines in both the real and online world. All we say is that you must know your kid’s friends, even online and not only offline. Know what platforms, software, and apps your children use.
- Ensure you are a great role model– All you need to do is teach and model kindness for your kids online. It is mainly because children follow you more than your advice. If you are interacting, hugging, and playing with them rather than simply staring at a screen, then it is quite possible you will be more available for and connected with your kids.
- Learn about the technology and stay updated- You need to speed on your child’s favourite social media and texting Apps, pronto as it is true that knowledge is power for parents of teens. You can follow a plethora of websites and bloggers that are dedicated to raising parents’ digital awareness.
- Know your parental controls- One thing is for sure parents don’t adequately research and employ parental controls because they are too time-consuming, complicated, and ineffective against tech-savvy kids. The key here is to examine age-appropriate rules that work for your family. Learn about parental controls here.
- Learn about face-to-face communication value- Quite young kids tend to learn best through two-way communication. When it comes to language development, it is essential to engage in back-and-forth “talk time. You can have conversations face-to-face or, if necessary, by video chat with a parent if he or she is traveling. Above all, research has shown that the “back-and-forth conversation” that improves language skills as compared to passive listening or one-way interaction with a screen.
Hence you can say that media and digital devices are a crucial part of our lives.
