By Jennifer Lobasso

“Screen Time” — a two word phrase that has carved its path into parenting today’s youth.

Tablets, phones, gaming systems, computers are just a few examples of how kids are connected and exposed to the internet on a daily basis.

How much time should they spend on a device? How many devices do they utilize? What tools exist to monitor or limit what they see and hear? How does a parent handle a situation where their child is exposed to something online that either “popped up” unintentionally or because another youngster allowed them to view something inappropriate on their own device?

In part I of my Connected Kids segment, I interviewed children between the ages of 5 and 18 about their online usage and the dangers and benefits associated with the internet.

Part II comes from the perspective of parents. My quest was to gather information through a series of questions about the age and types of devices their children possess, challenges parents face monitoring and controlling their child’s online usage, what dangers they recognize, positive aspects of their use, and also to seek out ways in which parents have implemented methods to limit exposure and adjust to parenting in the 21st century.

Most parents of elementary age children are concerned about their young ones having access to inappropriate content that pops up on screens or in ads.

The concern stretches further as their son or daughter interacts with friends who may not have the same strict guidelines you demand at home.

Parents with children in middle or high school have the addition of social media to battle.

As children begin to earn more independence, it becomes increasingly more difficult for parents to stay in touch with their online interactions.

Add to this issue the hurdle that most teens are more tech savvy than their parents, and the problems compound.

Lisa Neff, a parent of four, attempted to monitor her 12-year-old’s use of Snapchat, but despite her best efforts was unsuccessful.

“Snapchat is banned in my household now … I used tools to monitor his behavior, but they are kids and they can find ways around it … they are smarter than us sometimes when it comes to technology.”

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Controlling access

Social media is the means through which most teens communicate. They post pictures and memes, chat, comment and “like” their friends’ stories, tweets and links. But social media can also be a tool for online bullying, cyberstalking, and alienation. It can create a very stressful dynamic for teens today.

The parents I interviewed overwhelming believed in the need for limiting screen time and some form of parental control.

Apps such as Qustodio, Webwatcher, Bark and Family Time allow parents the capability to observe what is being viewed, block certain sites and lock devices. Some go as far as giving parents the capability of reading all text messages, emails and social media posts and track their children using GPS.

The latter may seem a bit extreme, but when faced with this new tech world, parents should know that there are services out there which can help prevent some of the tragedies associated with social media usage.

Some apps even track a teenager’s device while driving — a chief concern among parents with children behind the wheel.

The app will lock the phone or place it on “do not disturb” mode, making the device unusable until the vehicle is stopped. Distracted driving, especially among teens due to their attachment to their phone, is now, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading cause of death for that age group.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cites 3,166 killed as a result of distracted driving, 300,000 injured and estimates 1.5 million car accidents as a result of cellphone use while driving in 2017.

On the positive side

Despite all the potential negatives, the internet and the technologies it has spawned also offer innumerable positives, and it’s our job to steer our children toward them.

Most respondents cited the educational and informational purposes it provides.

Carol Snyder, a grandmother of four, said, “My 2-year-old grandchildren have learned their colors, shapes and can sing 20 songs. My 5-year-old grandson uses apps to learn to read and do simple math, and my 9-year-old grandson can ask Siri or Google questions about the height of the Empire State Building or view pictures of the Grand Canyon … it’s an endless amount of information right in the palm of their hand.”

Others described the tools used in elementary schools where parents can track their children’s grades, homework assignments and communicate with teachers much easier than in the past.

Educational apps such as Prodigy and Successmaker used in local elementary schools are appealing to young children because there are incentives, competitions and rewards as they complete language arts and math components.

Nicole Dick, mother to an upcoming first-grader, was thrilled with the tools provided by Lehighton Area Elementary Center. “My daughter’s teacher used fantastic apps to communicate with us daily and encourage the children to keep their lessons sharp via learning apps we shared as a classroom … my daughter’s interest in homework was extremely escalated when I said we can look it up on mommy’s phone.”

National brands such as ABC Mouse, Hooked On Phonics, Khan Academy, Quizlet, Kahoot and many more have touted the success stories and benefits of their educational tools.

Balance

So, how do parents juggle the negative along with the positives?

The consensus was that as parents and guardians, you need to start early to set limits and communicate with children about rules and guidelines whether they are in your presence or not. Most also believed it was important to monitor children’s activity, stress the dangers that exist and offer strategies when they are eventually faced with a situation they know in their gut is reckless.

If some of those things fail, then it would be time to use available tools to restrict their usage.

Finally, most believed in stressing the wealth of educational information and online help. It’s important to emphasize how to use this amazing invention to their advantage — whether to improve reading and writing skills, use Khan Academy to break down algebraic equations for your understanding, or even just to ask Siri how tall the Empire State Building is, just because you are curious.

This information age is unlike any other in history, and it’s imperative that we teach kids to use it wisely so that the potential advantages far outweigh the potential negatives.

With the proper planning and implementation, this is well within our reach.