The Influential Parent

TikTok is gaining momentum with a variety of age groups, especially our kids. It is a fun and creative way for anyone to watch, create and share videos. Whether you are new to TikTok, your child wants a TikTok account, or have been using it for a while, we share some fun facts and tips to help parents navigate the consumer side of this popular social media platform.  

Remember when we were growing up, we had to pile into the car, drive to the library, and check out books to learn this stuff. Now our kids have it all at their fingertips. Our kids are wired to look for information this way. There is no longer the barrier of waiting for parents to take us to the library and hoping the book is not checked out. If you -like us- are also monitoring your digital habits or your children’s digital habits, remember not all usage is “bad”. Our children have interests that they want to explore more, and they will continue to develop new interests because of something they’ve heard or seen. Listen to this episode and find out what a few people use technology to learn. 

Picking up where we left off last week, we talk more about notifications and the phenomenon of  DOOMSCROLLING (du-duh-duhhhh!!) How does scrolling and scrolling through social media affect our children (and ourselves) physically, mentally, and emotionally? How does endless time in front of a screen affect young brains? Amanda also challenges Nikki with the question: how much time do you think your kids spend on a device each day?  We dig into these interesting topics this week! 

How much time do you spend on your device? It may be more than you think. In this episode, we spend some time talking about how you can become more aware of your digital habits by using an app. And what about those notifications? Do you have them turned off or on? Listen in to hear our perspectives on what these phone notifications can lead to. 

What digital habits do you have that you hope your children will not learn from you? Tune in to find out a few habits from parents we interviewed. We also discuss how those habits can impact others around them. 

Family Media Plans are a great way for families to develop some rules or guidelines for using devices and have everyone on the same page about the healthy and powerful ways to use technology. We cannot assume that everyone knows what is appropriate and what is not. So it is important to have expectations even for families so there is a common understanding for all family members. Listen in to find out where you can start and a few topics to consider as you build your family plan.

Click here to see Common Sense Media's example of a Family Media Plan. 

https://www.commonsense.org/education/toolkit/family-engagement-resources

Our first episode starts with ideas of what to talk about with your children and how to talk to your children about technology. Listen in so you can start your journey for healthy digital behaviors with a few tips. Click on the link for more ways to become more comfortable having conversations with your child(ren).  

https://hookedoninnovation.com/2018/02/22/digital-parenting-bingo/