This is a day and age of smart devices. Whether it’s phones, tablets or computers. Your kids are going to be on them if they aren’t already. In fact “75% of children 8 and under have access to some sort of smart mobile device at home.” With all the good that can come from your children being online; learning, homework, games, and fun; unfortunately there is a bad side as well. There are predators, hackers, and age inappropriate media out there. So it is very important that we teach our children about being safe when online and how to use smart devices responsibly.
Online safety is VERY important to me. I want my children to know what is safe, what is appropriate and most of all, feel like they can come to me if they have questions or see/say things online they feel they shouldn’t have seen/said.
So I was really happy to learn about the Smart Talk Site. It is a great resource where you can go and set rules and safety with your child. You can create a contract and sign it.
“LifeLock, Inc., and National PTA® have launched a new, free resource for families that helps parents have clear conversations with their children about using technology and agree on ground rules together. Called The Smart Talk, this digital tool is designed to empower families to make smarter, safer choices online and help build the next generation of digital citizens.”
I went to the Smart Talk site with my son and we were able to set guidelines, boundaries and rules about his online time. I love having this resource. It made it so easy for me to have this important discussion with him. I love that we both signed the contract and agreed to the terms together. I feel like online safety and his boundaries are a lot clearer now thanks to this agreement we made, which gives me peace of mind.
Probably my favorite part of our agreement is that we agreed that he would come to me if he ever felt he needed to tell me something he saw or did online. And I agreed that I would not overact if he does come to me to tell me something important. I think that is so great. Kids need to feel that it is safe to come to their parents with anything.
Another important topic we covered is being respectful online. With all the cyber bullying that goes on, it is our job as parents to make sure our children are not doing this to other kids. It is also important for our kids to know that once you put something online, you can’t get it back.
I am so happy with this Smart Talk website and I highly recommend it to all parents!
Visit the Smart Talk site to check out the online safety resources and create your own personalized family contract to encourage healthy digital habits.
Smart Talk Website gets Bragging Rights!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
