I’m concerned if I set up parental controls now there could be potential backlash from my kids. Wondering your thoughts on how to approach this?
How Can I Avoid a Backlash?
Often kids like things just the way they are and question why anything has to change. When parents begin instituting new rules, kids may ask, “Don’t you trust me?” or may become angry.
To ease the transition, we recommend sharing your reasons for initiating the change:
- You trust your child, but you don’t trust the content on the internet. It’s your job as the parent to set boundaries to limit what your child is exposed to. The internet is full of inappropriate content–share examples if you it helps you to make the case and makes sense for your child :
- Recent scandals on YouTube and YouTube Kids
- Online chatting (Facebook post)
- YouTube kids
- Wishbone app
- Snapchat discover image
- App that Scarlett was using
- Technology companies have intentionally designed games, social media and video platforms to be addictive, so they can make more money. They want to keep us hooked which is why it can be so hard to turn disconnect:
- Talk about your child’s favorite game and what makes them want to keep playing. Help them to see its addictive features
- Share this article if appropriate: Tech Companies Use Persuasive Design to Get Us Hooked
- You want to minimize the conflict around screen time in your household
- You value your relationship above anything else and find that the battles over screen time are taking too much of a toll
- Setting expectations and guidelines in a Family Agreement will help to everyone to reach a shared understanding
- You’ll know you’ve struck a better balance when the level of conflict is occasional (once or twice a month) instead of daily or weekly
- You want your child to value his or her free time
- Free time doesn’t always have to equal screen time-Use our TimeWise Calculator as a jumping off point
- You will support your child in developing their interests, hobbies and friendships
