Kids & Tech Safety Tips

Kids and technology is a topic that can’t be ignored. Armed with tablets and smartphones kids can test boundaries as they explore the Internet, text with friends and participate in social media. From tweens to teens, our kids are tech savvy and that means that as parents we need to be as well.

So, as we prepare to send our children back to school, AT&T has some suggestions to help parents with what they need to know when it comes to technology and our children’s safety.

1) Get tech savvy. Talk to your kids about what sites they’re visiting on the Internet and what kind of social media they are participating in. You should even experiment with them yourself. This will give you a better feel in evaluating risks and potential abuses. Friend them or follow them.

2) Check privacy settings on social media, but emphasize there is no privacy. The more private, the less likely inappropriate material will be received by your child, or sent to their circle of acquaintances. But make sure your child understands that everything sent over the Internet or a cellphone is public and can be shared with the entire world, so it is important that they use good judgment in sending messages and pictures and sharing on social media.

3) Set rules for texting. Only allow texting at specific times - no texting at school while in class, no texting until homework’s done, and no texting after a certain time at night. Tell your child you have the right to monitor the texts that are sent and received.

4) Research what your carrier offers that can help. AT&T has Smart Limits which allows parents to block unwanted calls and texts from up to 30 numbers, set monthly limits on texts and mobile purchases and restrict texting, data usage and outbound calling during specified times of the day.

5) Set boundaries. A parent’s responsibilities in overseeing their child’s technology use are not much different than in other areas of daily life. We can’t be with them every hour of the day, but we can set clear boundaries on appropriate and inappropriate uses of technology. Make sure these rules and the consequences of breaking them are clear. And monitor use to make sure they are following the rules.

AT&T hopes that armed with a little knowledge parents can help support their children’s use of technology safely and responsibly.