Dear Parents.
With the school taking a bit of a pause today for conferencing I thought I’d take a few minutes to share some thoughts on social media. Social media continues to become more and more a part of our children’s lives and yet we don’t always realize the challenges it can pose for our children.
While there are many fantastic applications with technology it can have a negative side as well. We often don’t realize some of these challenges until it becomes an issue for our own kids. Children are now often given significant access to phones, tablets, laptops, and other devices/games at an earlier and earlier age. Unfortunately, they do not always have the maturity, skills, or family support to always understand how to use them appropriately. I’ve lived these social media challenges raising my own two boys.
Some of my experiences over the years as a educator (and parent) supporting children with social media difficulties would shock many of you. There is a significant shift that happens in the intermediate grades where children go from using devices to play games to using technology seemingly 24/7 to socialize with peers and “surf” sites online. In our childhood days, when we would go home, we would get a break from socializing with peers at least until the next day.
With today’s kids, and their “need” for screen time, they never get a break to recharge their resiliency. This 24/7 connectivity ampifies social frustrations and insecurities in many kids.
Even the most polite, well-mannered students can sometimes become a very different person online with the “screen” between them and others. Our kids need regular talks and parental monitoring to learn about healthy and respectful use on technology. Some parents feel this is a school issue, however it is not. It is more of a family, and community issue, as most of the challenges that I support around social media stem from issues after school hours.
To teach students healthy habits around technology our school has a technology policy and we provide regular instruction on how to use these devices appropriately as tools. During instructional times we also ask children to keep any phones they might have stored away so it doesn’t negatively impact their learning. Similarly, at recess and lunch, we want the kids playing together and socializing rather than stuck behind a screen. Our aim as a school is to teach the students how to use these technologies as useful tools and to not have these devices hinder learning or socializing opportunities.
As parents, you can also help teach your kids healthy habits around technology/social media to reduce the chances of them having negative social experiences while using these devices. To help your child develop the skills they need around technology consider becoming more involved with your child’s social media presence and use by:
- Regularly see what games, programs, platforms they use.
- Spend a little time monitoring and talking to them about what they are doing on their devices
- Talk about how to communicate safely on devices
- Talk about what to do if they are confronted by negative messaging online
- Limit their screen time.
- Don’t allow devices to be brought into bedrooms at night.
- Don’t allow your children to join large social media online groups, or group chats, unless they have a clear purpose (ie a sports team group)
- Regularly remind them that anything they post, write, and/or send on a device should be always considered “public”. Students often don’t understand that they cannot take something back, or control how it is used by others, once it is sent or posted.
- If they have a device for “safety” then get one that only allows calls and texting. Do they really need to be regularly on Tik Tok, Snap Chat and Instagram?
Thank you for taking a few minute to read my thoughts on this matter. It is based upon my many years of experience working with kids in elementary school settings. I hope it provides some food for thought, and is helpful in helping you support your child(ren), to develop healthy habits and skills around technology use.
Sincerely,
Mr. Wheatley