A friend and then another relative recently asked me about technology in the home. Specifically, what kinds of technology should be allowed and where should it be used within a house with kids and teens. It always surprises me to see kids go to sleep with devices, or to see middle schoolers with devices with unfiltered internet. I really think it’ll become one of these things like looking back to our childhoods and being astonished that we used to not wear seatbelts.
Here are a few tips and thoughts that I shared with them.
- Buy a family desktop computer, and keep it in the living room with the screen pointed out. If you get a Mac it's easy to set up a family account with individual users for each child.
- Buy cellular enabled Apple Watches instead of phones for kids. Manage the settings so that no one can call or text unless they are already in the contacts list. The watches charge at night in the living room. Keep the watch for communication use only, no games.
- Phones, TVs, and iPad screens are never used without parents around.
- Gaming and fun time is done with apps that don’t have ads (use Apple Arcade or buy apps) or use the Nintendo Switch with physical games that can disappear if they become a problem.
- One of the keys to limiting access online for kids is to completely shut it down and then open up what is needed. Websites are opt in, and not “filtered.” If a kid needs to have a broader experience online then they have to ask us for help and we can assist in helping them find the right website using our own parent account. If a website proves useful, we add it to their list of websites that they can visit with their own user. Even the best web filter can be bypassed inadvertently or purposefully.
- Audiobooks and digital books are great. Use your library app to get some free stuff or use Apple Books to purchase books and then provision access to individual children. Also, Apple Books has some great classic audiobooks for free that were produced by Apple recently.
We are the first generation of parents having to deal with this level of technology completely saturating our children's lives. Be intentional. It's okay to move slow. They aren't missing out. They don't really have to have the new gizmo and can just go ride a bike.