⬅ Home

Week One - Intro

What children see in the media and through technology impacts their behavior. Parenting can impact how kids use media and how they interpret the messages they receive through the media.

Week One

We also gave you a few resources to use when you have questions about what may or may not be age-appropriate for your child in the media. As we learn skills going forward we will point you back to those resources as a reminder that they are there to support you! For example, this week we will show you how to use media and technology WITH your child as a way to improve your understanding of what they are doing online. The more you learn about the apps, games, and websites your child is using, the more effective you will be at helping them stay safe and healthy!

Bicycle Assessment

Where are you in the bike training process with media and technology with your child?

I'm still holding them - I oversee all their activity and only let them use media and technology when I am there.

It’s great that you invest your time and energy into supporting your child! We will help you learn about risks in media and technology so you can feel confident as you begin to “let go of the bike” down the road.

I'm starting to let go of the bike - In some things my child has independent access but I still check in on new devices/apps or check in on what they are doing regularly.

At this age, a balance of parental support and independence is good! We will help you prioritize areas of support, and also show you how to teach your child how to identify risks on their own.

We bike together - I follow them on social media and check in on their technology use every now and again, but they are starting to really use media/technology on their own.

Co-use and co-viewing of media and technology can be an effective way to monitor your child but allow them some independence as well! We will provide skills that will improve your child's safety as an independent user of media and technology.

We are tuning the bike - we are re-evaluating what access my child has and what oversight I need to give.

It’s normal and good to evaluate how things are going for your child and then make changes in your parenting approach as needed. One of the most important things in parenting is to remain flexible and adjust your style to what your child needs – and this will probably change over time!

My child is riding solo - My child has full access to media and technology, and I don't really need to check in on anything they are doing.

Solo riding that is safe and healthy is our goal for all children’s use of media and technology. It’s wonderful that you trust your child to manage their activities on their own! We will offer some tips on ways you might continue to support your child’s health and wellbeing in digital environments to grow their safety and awareness skills.