320: Kids and tech: what you need to know

Screens are here to stay – which is awesome on the one hand, and completely frightening on the other. Especially when it comes to little kids. It's so hard to know: – what is the right amount of screen time – what is damaging or detrimental – how to come up with guidelines about this in the first place – how to implement those guidelines in the second We discuss all of this today – in fact, we are talking kids and tech all month! Join us as we kick off with a show about the basics: Good guidelines to keep in mind with kids and technology, and also how you can implement those guidelines. Click play to dive in! Here's a cheat sheet for this episode: The guidelines – 1. We all need boredom in our lives. Having digital (or nondigital, for that matter) distractions for every moment when we might feel bored creates people who do not know how to amuse themselves. It even creates people who don't know themselves. So while it might not feel great, making sure that kids have a chance to be bored and need to figure out how to amuse themselves is super important. 2. Less is more. The more time digital devices spend turned over and put away on a high shelf, the better. 3. Don't let tech interfere with human connection and bonding. How to implement the guidelines – 1. Pick your time with care. 2. Put the tech away, for lots of every day. 3. Always, ALWAYS be sure to watch YouTube along with your kids. As kids and media specialist Devorah Heitner says, "there is no safe way for young children to watch YouTube alone." 4. Mind your own tech use as well. Here are the links that come up in today's episode: – The newsletter I did about YouTube, the most dangerous place on the Internet. (And here is where you can sign up to get future newsletters delivered right into your inbox : ) – Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, a great PBS show – Anti-bullying expert Brooks Gibbs invites kids to try and bully him – https://weturnedoutokay.com/joinnpc, the place where you can work closely with me to solve your biggest parenting challenges, feel happy inside, and truly enjoy family time <3 Today's episode is sponsored by the amazing Janine Halloran, expert in teaching kids coping skills, who has created a great resource to help your child handle it when the going gets tough! Listen to today's show to find out how to get 15% off your order, and then Click copingskillsforkids.com/okay to check out Janine's Coping Skills for Kids Cue Card Decks.   Thanks for listening and reading!