|
|
Parental guidance to maintain
digital wellbeing
24.03.20
|
IN this unsettling time
as more parents in Inishowen try to work from home,
children’s screen time may increase more than usual.
More than ever, it is important to be critical about
the information we read online and to manage your
digital wellbeing. If you feel your screen time is
excessive, or is affecting you and your family, have
a look at Barnardos
other guidance for parents on ways to keep
children occupied during this time. |
 |
Guidance and Support
for Parents for their Children’s Screen Time:
1) Take a break from the news. As a parent,
it is important to keep informed, but be mindful
that an overload of information can increase
anxiety. Check in with yourself to see how you’re
feeling as children can often sense if you’re
anxious or upset. Put a limit on the amount of times
you check the news a day if you’re beginning to feel
overwhelmed.
2) Check reliable sources. There is a lot of
misinformation circulating online and on social
media at present. Before accepting anything as fact,
or before spreading the information around, think to
yourself “where did this information come from and
who wrote it?”. “Is this information from a credible
source or organisation like
www2.hse.ie . Model good behaviour for your
children and encourage their critical thinking
skills when it comes to information they read
online.
3) Keep connected to friends and family.
Thanks to technology, there are many ways you can
keep in touch with loved ones. Zoom, Skype or Google
Hang outs can all help you to have ‘virtual tea and
chats’ to check in with others. Why not schedule to
watch a film at the same time or even organise a
virtual table quiz for others? While we may not be
able to socialise outside of the home, parties can
still take place, albeit ‘virtual parties’.
4) Understand more about parental controls.
Use this time to understand how you, as a parent,
can help your children to stay safe online. Check
out the excellent website
www.internetmatters.org where it shows you, step
by step, how to put in place parental controls on
some of your children’s phones, social media and
browser settings. Understand more about privacy
settings, learn how to help your children block and
report and find out how to install timers so that
your children have limits on the amount of time they
spend online.
5) Take an interest in your children’s online
world. This is a fantastic time to open up more
conversations about your child’s online world. Ask
them what they like to do online and why? Ask them
to show you how to play their video games and spend
time together playing! If your children are older,
ask them if they follow any Youtubers/social media
influencers and spend time discussing what they like
about them. Most importantly, remind your children
to be kind online.
6) Keep learning. There are many educational
websites and apps that will keep children and young
people entertained and engaged. Look on
www.commonsensemedia.org for ideas or perhaps
now is a good time to learn how to code with your
children -
www.scratch.ie Another great way of
learning how to stay safe online as a family is to
explore the free, interactive,
Be Internet Legends game, aimed at primary
school children.
Barnardos CEO, Suzanne Connolly said: “As we face
into a time of uncertainty it's more important than
ever to maintain a sense of routine for the young
people in our lives. While it might feel as though
we are each living in isolation, the advances in
technology means that those we care about, and
excellent resources, are at our finger tips. This is
a fantastic time to reconnect with your children, to
learn more about their online lifestyles and we hope
these tips will not only encourage families to find
a fun sharing space, but also anyone else feeling
isolated at the moment.” |
|
