SAC Substance awareness coordinator

Media and Digital Literacy: Resources for Parents

 

Family Media Management

From movies to TV to games, kids are spending more time with electronic devices than ever before. Common Sense Media encourages parents to take control of the media and technology in their family's life in order to maintain a balance of rich learning experiences with entertainment.

Tip: Use media together. Whenever you can, watch, play, and listen with your kids. Talk about the content. When you can't be there, ask them about the media they've used. Help kids question and analyze media messages. Share your own values. Let them know how you feel about solving problems with violence, stereotyping others, selling products using sex or cartoon characters, or advertising to kids in schools or movie theaters. Help kids connect what they learn in the media to real-life events and other activities -- like playing sports and creating art -- in order to broaden their understanding of the world.

 

Internet Safety and Online Privacy

In today’s world, where sharing is becoming the norm, there's a lot of talk about privacy and online reputation. Everything kids say or do online can affect how others view their character. These articles offer parents insight into how companies can collect and use their kids' data and personal information -- and what they can do about it.

Tip: Explain that nothing is really private online. It's crucial for kids to guard their own online privacy by not posting and sharing things they don't want to become public. A few more tips: Ask permission before you go online. Never share passwords. Keep personal details -- name, address, phone number, how much money your parents make -- to yourself. Think before you post -- is this really something you want to share? Only communicate with people you know -- never chat with or send photos to strangers.

 

Social Networking and Virtual Worlds

Now more than ever, kids are chatting, sharing, and connecting on social networking sites. The latest research from Common Sense reveals that teens are avid, daily users of social media, and 75% of them currently have a profile on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. While they can use social tools to get the best of what the Web has to offer, tragic stories of cyberbullying seem to be a daily news staple. These tips and resources will help parents keep kids' online lives responsible, respectful, safe, and private.

Tip: Help kids understand the line between funny and cruel. Kids' online communication is often purposely ambiguous or accidentally cruel -- both of which can lead to misunderstandings. If drama starts brewing, ask your kid to call or speak face-to-face with their friend to clear it up

 

Educational Issues

We all want our kids to succeed in school. We want to reinforce classroom learning and values at home and be well-equipped to address some of the issues that come up while our kids are navigating technology and digital media to support their schoolwork. These articles will help families guide their kids to make smart, ethical decisions in their digital lives.

Tip: Don’t assume that your children automatically know what’s right and wrong. The digital world operates with different rules -- that is, wherever rules even exist. Establish rules about use right from the start. Make sure kids have cited their material, clearly indicating where they found that statistic, that insight, that map. Be explicit about what is and isn’t acceptable behavior. Don't assume they know. And make sure you have real consequences for breaking the rules.

 

Cell Basic Safety Skills for your child

Texting

Be respectful -- both to the people you're texting with and those around you.

Be careful.   Assume that even "private" texts can become public.

Calling

Verify the caller or texter. Don't respond to numbers you don't know.

Answer the phone when it's Mom or Dad. Make sure your kid knows to answer when it's YOU calling!

Cameras

Ask permission. Before you snap someone's picture, take a video, or forward something, ask if it's OK.

Don't publicly embarrass people. Don't post someone's photo -- especially unflattering ones -- from your cell phone without permission.

Apps and downloads

Manage costs. Make sure your kids understand that they're spending real money when they download apps, games, and music.

Use filters. Check your phone for parental controls that let you filter out age-inappropriate content, restrict downloads, and prevent in-app purchases.

Posting

Be selective -- not impulsive. Make sure kids know to be very selective about what they post from their cell phone.

Be safe. Explain why they shouldn't use location services.