School's out for the summer

As a parent of a teenager, you have faced digital challenges all year long, from teenagers multi-tasking on IM, while doing Google searches (and swearing that they are doing homework), watching the latest videos and tweeting at the same time.

Parents of younger children have had a tough year trying to figure out which app was the best educational tool or how to put screen limits on those iPads or parental controls on a computer.

Parents of toddlers are just trying to get their head around all this digital parenting stuff and they are still wondering why their 2 year old keeps swiping the television screen.

Parents of newborns are in awe of their tiny bundle of joy, and they are taking tons of photographs to share via social media (unwittingly creating a digital identity for their baby.)

Whatever the age of your child, I want to remind you that summer is stretched out in front of us and if you don’t have a digital plan in place, you may find that your kids sit in front of the TV, sit in front of the computer, play on gaming consoles, swipe on their Smartphones – all summer long.

Summer doesn’t have to be a digital battle and if you’re aware of the issues that lead to too much screen time, then you’re already a step ahead of the game.  A lot of children and teenagers turn to screens because of boredom, anxiety, or loneliness.  In my July newsletter, I will provide plenty of digital parenting tips to help you reduce screen times and have a stress-free, fun-filled summer.

So stay tuned.