By now you have probably heard about the hottest tech toys and devices this holiday season, either because your kids have put them on their wish lists or the allure of opening new technology is inescapable even for adults. After a year of staying home, families have used technology to stay in touch with friends and relatives, to work and learn from home, and also for keeping entertained. So a new gadget may be needed to spark creativity and maintain sanity for you and the kiddos over winter break. We get it. But before you hand over a new phone, tablet, gaming system, or wearable device, you should have a conversation with your child about how to safely and responsibly use their new present.
FOSI’s Device Safety Cards can help your family establish some tech ground rules by providing a DIY “contract” for parents and children, setting expectations for things like time limits, app and game restrictions, and who your child can play with online. While those are some starting points for your conversation, we’ve also left in some fill-in-the-blanks for you to customize your experience the way it fits with your family. Effective online safety is about creating the best possible balance, allowing for fun and exploration without compromising on your family’s safety and rules.
On the back of each card is a promise for both you and your child. By committing to learn new things about the games they like to play, and having an open ear for concerns and uncomfortable situations they may experience online, the whole family can not only safely navigate the online world but really embrace the technology that 2020 has connected us with.
Download our device safety cards:
Online Safety Card for Tablets
Online Safety Card for Gaming Systems
Erin McCowey is the Program Coordinator for the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) where she curates the Good Digital Parenting (GDP) program, supporting parents and educators as they navigate the digital world with their children and students. Erin coordinates resources and external contributions to GDP; publishing blogs, parenting resources, and parenting tools. In her work with GDP, she aims to boost the work of other experts in this space so that parents, educators, and other stakeholders are able to benefit from an overall greater digital experience. Erin contributes to FOSI’s events and communications practice, and regularly consults with member organizations on their parenting related resources.
Erin studied Political Science and International Studies at the University of Michigan, graduating in 2017. She joined FOSI as the Program Assistant in 2018 after previously serving as a Program Intern in the summer of 2016.
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