10 gadget rules every teacher of young students should follow
by Marion Jude Gorospe
A child is a child. One must never leave him or her with an electronic gadget unguided. The internet, unlike television, is by default unfiltered. It is as dangerous as Pandora’s Box. With a click of a button, kids might unleash a myriad of problems that will directly affect their well-being. The internet might hook kids up for hours, hampering their progress in school. Excessive gadget use, as others claim, might even lead to obesity and attention deficit. So it is up to us, teachers and parents, to make sure kids know their limit. If you need help in guiding your children with regards to gadget use, then this article is for you.
RULE 1: Know the gadget first. We need to be aware of the capabilities and affordances of the gadgets kids are making us buy. Doing so will empower us to choose the most appropriate and safe gadgets for our children, and to maximize the gadget’s feature to help us carry out parenting tasks.
RULE 2: Parental Control must be up and running. Different gadgets have different ways to access and set up the Parental Control option, but often, it can be found in the settings menu. Set the Parental Control continuously running to make sure our kids are steered away from malicious and dangerous online content.
RULE 3: Allow the use of social media only when your child is of legal age. There is a reason social media platforms require an age limit, so follow it. The internet is full of trolls and unsavory characters who don’t choose their victims. They will exploit posts, comments, videos, and photos in every way they please. If your child is already in social media, it’s critical to make time to talk to him or her about the basics of safe and appropriate online behavior. Remind them to be wary of accepting friend requests. Tell them it’s better to accept those that they’ve actually met in person.
RULE 4: Monitor downloading of apps, games, movies, documents, and other files from the internet. When a child’s downloading activities are left unchecked, he or she might download apps, games, e-books, videos, or any other software that could damage a device’s operating system and compromise its sensitive documents. It’s also wise to check the specs of the downloaded material if it’s within the child’s age group, or if it contains mature and violent content.
RULE 5: Do not allow minors to upload videos. With apps like YouTube and Snapchat, creating videos has been a cool way for kids to communicate, express their creativity, and learn. But it can also be dangerous, an easy way to expose minors to various kinds of exploitation. Always be guided by the age restriction of video uploading platforms. When a child is of legal age, guide him or her about the benefits and possible irreversible consequences of uploading videos. Create an account together and make it an enjoyable family project.
RULE 6: Do not allow the use of gadgets during family time. Family bonding time—whether it's dinner at home or in a restaurant, watching TV together, strolling in the mall, or attending mass—is sacred time. Don’t allow gadgets to distract real conversations and interaction during these moments.
RULE 7: Impose the LPMS time or Less Play, More Study time. When kids are left to their devices, especially when playing games, they tend to forget the time and, consequently, their responsibilities at home or for school. This is the ‘flow experience’, a term usually associated with digital gaming. To avoid this, parents can implement the Less Play, More Study (LPMS) time, wherein the kids may be allowed to play for an hour a day and use the remaining time for study. Parents need to be consistent in implementing this rule in order to build routine.
RULE 8: Get familiar with internet slang. LOL, ATM, BRB, BTW, IMO, and PM are just a few in the long list of internet slang young people use in text messaging, online chat, and social media. And the list gets longer and longer as new slang words pop up every day. Parents, in order to keep up, can look up the meaning of internet slang on Google or they can simply ask their child. Doing so will make the child feel that his or her online behavior is important and given priority attention.
RULE 9: Play digital games together. Let kids see the fun of playing digital or online games with their parents. Not only does this create a happy bonding moment, it also gives parents an opportunity to examine the game and evaluate its value to the child’s overall development.
RULE 10: Set a good example. Kids look up to their parents as role models, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if they continue to do so even in terms of proper gadget use. The best way to teach children is still to ‘walk the talk.’ Setting a list of rules is not enough. If you want your kids to exercise responsible gadget use at home and in public, you must show them that you spend less time with gadgets and more on physical interaction.
Parenting digital natives is a tough job. It is not taught in schools. One thing that surely works, though, is proactive parenting. This means seeking out the help and advice of other parents, teachers, or adults in the community and forming a support group, or posting questions and receiving feedbacks from other parents in online forums and discussions. We cannot just leave our children with their gadgets and sit back and relax. We must take on the challenge of implementing gadget rules. And when any of the rules are disobeyed, we need to apply tough love. Consequences must be set. It may be as simple as turning off the Wi-Fi, or as harsh as confiscating the gadget for a day or two. Hoping that our kids grow up to become well-balanced adults is not enough. We need to take an active role in their digital lives. And we need to do it now.
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