01-28-2019, 02:32 PM
Fact: The internet is a scary place.
Fact: Kids are stupid
These two truths keep me up at night wondering how, as parents, can we best prepare them for entering the digital world yet still provide that access in an appropriate and safe manor as possible? Right now it's not too bad, they use their kindles in kid mode which has to have content white listed to them, plus has timers and ability to limit by type. i.e. I can turn off games but leave access to books. Oh, and a shout out to Amazon for recently opening the portal parents.amazon.com so I can remotely manage their configurations, this has been a huge help!
My daughter is getting to an age where some of her friends are getting smartphones, she's started in on asking for one but hasn't fought the flat 'no' yet.
My running plan is to setup a full web proxy at the house for when computers/phones make their entrance and restrict access through that, but it won't solve the issue when they go somewhere else for access. Hopefully the devices will come with some better parent administration in the next couple of years, but I'm curious if anyone has experience with that on any other platforms like ios or android?
A big part of the equation for me is having open discussions around the dangers that exist out there and try to help them learn how to think critically and protect themselves. In my 'trust but verify' mentality, I still want/need to be able to provide a safety net around them though, so any ideas or experiences you may have would be welcomed.
Fact: Kids are stupid
These two truths keep me up at night wondering how, as parents, can we best prepare them for entering the digital world yet still provide that access in an appropriate and safe manor as possible? Right now it's not too bad, they use their kindles in kid mode which has to have content white listed to them, plus has timers and ability to limit by type. i.e. I can turn off games but leave access to books. Oh, and a shout out to Amazon for recently opening the portal parents.amazon.com so I can remotely manage their configurations, this has been a huge help!
My daughter is getting to an age where some of her friends are getting smartphones, she's started in on asking for one but hasn't fought the flat 'no' yet.
My running plan is to setup a full web proxy at the house for when computers/phones make their entrance and restrict access through that, but it won't solve the issue when they go somewhere else for access. Hopefully the devices will come with some better parent administration in the next couple of years, but I'm curious if anyone has experience with that on any other platforms like ios or android?
A big part of the equation for me is having open discussions around the dangers that exist out there and try to help them learn how to think critically and protect themselves. In my 'trust but verify' mentality, I still want/need to be able to provide a safety net around them though, so any ideas or experiences you may have would be welcomed.