Topic: Holiday Gifts: A Great Time to Refresh Family Tech Rules

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Holiday Gifts: A Great Time to Refresh Family Tech Rules



This year, countless parents will give their kids laptops, smart phones, game systems and iPods. Before the gadgets get fired up and the kids scatter, why not—as the gift giver—leverage the moment and review your family’s technology rules?
 
Going over these few points will take a mere 10 minutes, but could save you hours of heartache.
 
Consider Where You Place the Computer. We recommend that you set up the computer in a high-traffic family area and limit the number of hours your children spend on it.
 
Work as a Team to Set Boundaries. Decide exactly what is okay and what is not okay in terms of websites, chat rooms and what “kind” of information that is appropriate to share online.
 
Together, Agree Upon Family Technology Rules. We recommend the following:



 • Never log in with user names that reveal true identity or that are provocative
 • Never reveal your passwords
 • Never reveal phone numbers or addresses
 • Never post information that reveals your identity
 • Never post inappropriate photos or ones that may reveal your identity (for example: city or school names on shirts)
 • Never share any information with strangers met online
 • Never meet face-to-face with strangers met online
 • Never open attachments from strangers

Once you have established the rules, post them next to the computer. Here’s a Family Game Plan, a printable PDF, that can be reviewed and signed by both you and your children.
 
It’s also important that you, as a parent, become familiar with your kids’ preferred technologies and applications. Also, take the time to know whom they are talking to online. Remind your child never to open e-mails from unknown senders, max their privacy settings, and use settings on IM programs to block messages from people they do not know. Another must: We recommend parental control software for computers and mobile devices for ultimate safekeeping of your family’s online time.
 
For a full download of Family Internet Safety Guidelines, take the time to read this 10-step download.


Orginal article: Posted on December 13th, 2012 by Toni Birdsong