Online Safety Links and Resources for Parents
Research
First phone recommendations for parents
Digital Milestones - what parents should prepare for at each age and stage of childhood
Five actions parents can take to keep kids safe online (The 5 Circles of Cyber Safety)
Jonathon Haidt’s book “The Anxious Generation” - This popular books proposes that we have over-parented in the real world and under-parented in the digital world. Haidt gives 5 suggestions on what we can do.
Common Sense Media reviews of apps, games, movies, etc
Action
Support KOSA (the Kids Online Safety Act) national legislation - KOSA requires social media platforms to put the interests of minors under 16 years old first, and it provides children and parents with more safeguards and tools to protect children's health and well-being online.
Read about KOSA
Call script and email template and direct link to your Congressperson here
Set up a technology contract with your kids
Join Wait Until 8th - a group of parents delaying giving children a smartphone until at least the end of 8th grade
Write a letter to your school on banning cell phones (template) -
Write a letter to your school on providing parent education for internet safety (template) -
A free tool (Bark-o-matic.com) to help you find parental controls on phones, gaming devices, smart TVs, etc
Self-assessment
The Digital Flourishing Quiz gives you a score on your personal digital wellness and suggests how to improve
Conversation starters to watch as a family
Reverse Selfie video shows a young girl using filters to change her appearance
The Social Dilemma documentary on Netflix - discusses algorithms and how social media platforms make a profit
