When it comes to teens and tech, it’s a whole new world today, literally an online one. Technology has transformed what it means to be a teenager today. It permeates every part of their lives from school to home and has completely changed the dynamics of their relationships and communication.
Trying to parent our tweens and teens with all these devices, apps and social media is challenging, especially considering half the time it feels like they know far more than we do (okay maybe all the time.)
But the worst part of it all is the worry about teens and tech. We worry about what they are doing, who they are meeting, and what they might be seeing online. It doesn’t always occur to us until too late how smartphones can open our teenagers up to so many potential threats.
We adhere to a more mentoring than monitoring approach, meaning it’s more about how they use tech than how much.
We need to keep in mind that not all tech is bad. There are many ways that technology can be beneficial to big kids. Our young people can explore the world in ways never accessible to previous generations. They can get answers to all their most pressing questions with a simple Google search, learn to tackle just about any task by watching a YouTube video and even go to school virtually.
It’s not easy, though, and parents need to stay involved. We’re not saying it’s easy. But we are saying they are worth it!