1. Holly Gerla
Sam Harris
Emily McMason
Parenting
in a
Digital World

2. What is Digital Citizenship?
Using technology:
• safely
• responsibly
• critically
• productively
Build the digital footprint you want. Image: Wikimedia Commons

3. Educate...
• yourself
• your kids
• your family
• your community Image by San José Library
Flickr Commons

4. What’s popular now?
Instagram
Twitter
Tumblr
Vine (17+)
Kik
“Anonymous” Apps or Sites:
Snapchat
Burn Note
Whisper (17+)
Secret
Ask.fm

5. COPPA
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998
(new updates July 1, 2013)
Children must be 13 years of age to use a site
that collects any personal information about
them.
Personal vs. Private - is there a difference?
How do expectations change as your child gets

8. Terms of Service
READ THEM!
Make your children
read them!
Also look at
Privacy Policies or
Community Guidelines
Search terms: privacy, cookies, third parties

9. How many hours per week does the
average American child between 8-18
spend with media and technology?
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, 2010
53 hours per week
(outside of school)

10. The Egg & The Chicken
children’s motivation & learning (learning &
motivation)
Emily McMason
at
THE HEADLINES…
• Study results show for each hour
per day of viewing time for kids
ages 5 - 15, there was a 30% drop
in likelihood of finishing college.
(and the study took into account
children’s IQ & parental
education level.)

11. The Egg & The Chicken
children’s motivation & learning (learning &
motivation)
Emily McMason
at
Rethink
95% of ave. child’s viewing is not content produced
for young audiences.
In fact, 92% of 13 to 15 year olds have seen an X rated film at least once.

12. The Egg & The Chicken
children’s motivation & learning (learning &
motivation)
Emily McMason
at
Rethink
What has happened to our sleep? Children who have more screen time:
resist going to bed, have trouble falling asleep, wake more often in the
night, and are afraid of going to sleep.

13. The Egg & The Chicken
children’s motivation & learning (learning &
motivation)
Emily McMason
at
Rethink
Why does screen time impact our ability to fall asleep?
Exposure to Intense light delays the body’s production of
melatonin- a key sleep regulator hormone.

14. The Egg & The Chicken
children’s motivation & learning (learning &
motivation)
Emily McMason
at
Rethink
And blue light? It is the most effective at suppressing melatonin

15. The Egg & The Chicken
children’s motivation & learning (learning &
motivation)
Emily McMason
at
Rethink
And children who don’t get
enough sleep?
have reduced creativity, poor
coordination, memory lapses, slowed
reaction times, impaired learning,
depressed mood, temper tantrums,
increased aggression and
hyperactivity.

17. Behavior and Development

18. Independence

19. identity
Identity

20. Relationships and Sexuality

21. Peer Validation

22. Cognitive brain
Cognitive Development

23. Media representation
Add Media and Technology…

24. Public

25. Anonymous
Anonymity

26. Replicable

27. Source: dana boyd, Taken Out of Context, 2008
Image: savannahstate.libguides.com
Source: dana boyd, Taken Out of Context, 2008
Searchable

28. Persistent

29. Access to Information

30. Anywhere, Anytime

31. Personalized

33. 1. Make Your Expectations Clear
Ask your kids what they
think are reasonable
boundaries.
Once the rules are set,
put them in writing.

34. The Egg & The Chicken
children’s motivation & learning (learning &
motivation)
Emily McMason
at
Examples
Rethink
Reduce
Restructure

35. The Egg & The Chicken
children’s motivation & learning (learning &
motivation)
Emily McMason
at
Rethink
RULE FOR KIDS:
I think about what I see, and can talk
about what I learned.

36. The Egg & The Chicken
children’s motivation & learning (learning &
motivation)
Emily McMason
at
RULE FOR KIDS:
My parents and I will view media & talk
about issues it raises together.
Rethink

37. The Egg & The Chicken
children’s motivation & learning (learning &
motivation)
Emily McMason
at
RULE FOR KIDS:
I will be screen-free in the two hours before bed.
Rethink

38. The Egg & The Chicken
children’s motivation & learning (learning &
motivation)
Emily McMason
at
RULE FOR KIDS:
I won’t eat in front of a screen.
(and even better, I will go outside and play
for 20 minute before screen time starts.)
Rethink

39. The Egg & The Chicken
children’s motivation & learning (learning &
motivation)
Emily McMason
at
Reduce
RULE FOR KIDS:
I will try three other activities before
asking for screen time.

40. The Egg & The Chicken
children’s motivation & learning (learning &
motivation)
Emily McMason
at
RULE FOR KIDS:
I know our family media time limits.
And I follow them.
Reduce

41. The Egg & The Chicken
children’s motivation & learning (learning &
motivation)
Emily McMason
at
Restructure
RULE FOR KIDS:
There are no media devices in my
bedroom*.
* = good for parents, too. ☺

42. The Egg & The Chicken
children’s motivation & learning (learning &
motivation)
Emily McMason
at
RULE FOR KIDS:
I know the social media app rules and I
follow them.
And I follow our family rules when I am
using social media.
Restructure

43. The Egg & The Chicken
children’s motivation & learning (learning &
motivation)
Emily McMason
at
RULE FOR KIDS:
My parents need to have all of my
passwords and can check my media use
at any time.
Restructure

44. 2. Be Flexible
It’s okay to change your mind, to try a set of
rules and then change them.
Focus on the behavior you want to see, not the
technology.

45. 3. Grandma Rule
Have them envision:
• grandparents
• teachers
• their “crush”
• the dean of admissions
• their potential employers
How are those people going to react when they
see your post?

46. 4. Do As I Do
Model it. Work it. Show your kids that the rules
are livable. By everyone in the family.
Digital images:
an entry point
to the conversation

47. 5. Technology Isn’t Going Away
Educate yourself.
Try new things.
Experience it so you have a perspective that
comes from a place of understanding.

48. 6. Technology by Proxy
If your child doesn’t have a device, that doesn’t
mean they aren’t aware, viewing, or
participating in digital behaviors that may be
questionable.

49. 7. Finding Balance
In the hours our kids are consuming media
content, what aren’t they doing?
"It takes a long time to grow young." by

50. 8. All Media is Educational
What are you learning from it?

51. 9. Parent, party of one.
Don’t be afraid to stand up to the pressure of
your kids and your own peers and say ‘no’.

52. 10. “The Kids Are All Right”
Researcher danah boyd
explores:
• identity
• privacy
• addiction
• danger
• bullying
• inequality
• literacy

53. The Central Challenge of
Navigating Social Media
Context
Audience
(intended vs. actual)
Identity

54. Resources
Tracking the Trackers - Gary Kovacs,
Mozilla CEO
Browser add-ons or extensions:
• AdBlock Plus
• A Clea.nr Internet
• Simple Profanity Filter (for Chrome)
• Ghostery (identify and block
trackers)
• Lightbeam (for Firefox)
Texting & Driving Statistics
BOOKS:
danah boyd, It’s Complicated
Rosalind Wiseman, Masterminds &
Wingmen; Queen Bees & Wannabes
Dimitri Christakis, The Elephant in the Living

55. Q and A
What else is on your mind?