A big concern for parents and educators is how to keep kids safe online, how to regulate screen time and technology use, and what boundaries they should set. The following websites have a wealth of resources for parents. Talk with your child about what they are doing to keep information private, to safely store passwords and how they are deciding what is safe to post. Make family guidelines and rules and ask children to show you their social media sites from time to time.
Common Sense Media A range of information and quick videos for parents; current terminology used by kids online; information about websites, games and even movies; and much more. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/parent-concerns Smart Parents Does and Don'ts guide for upper primary-early middle school. https://www.smartparents.sg/child/social-and-life-skills/9-social-media-dos-and-don-ts-for-junior-8902646 Apps that Hide Apps Do you know what a Vault or Ghost App is? It is an app that looks safe and would not get a parent's attention, but actually can hid other apps. Check out a few that students are using. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/denise-lisi-derosa/how-to-find-vault-photo-a_b_8522076.html Kids, Safety and Social Media by Huffington Post Lots of great resources and links to other articles. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/denise-lisi-derosa/kids-safety-and-social-me_b_9176810.html
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Talking with Teens and Pre-teens is a complex issue. We had some great discussions at the January Conversation with Counsellor sessions on this topic. As parents and educators we need to have many tools in our toolbox when it comes to communication because what works one day for one teen, may not work the next day. If you were unable to make a session, you can find the handout on the Counselling section of our http://isssupportforfamilies.weebly.com website. Active Listening and establishing the habit of providing a safe place for your child to talk is the first step. The following New York Times article highlights many of the same points we discussed such as listening, without judgment and without offering advice. This helps create a safe place where teens feel they can share what is on their minds. Sometimes people (teens and adults) just need someone to listen. This type of active listening is difficult for adults to do because we have experiences and wisdom we want to share. However, allowing space for teens to talk through their own ideas out loud can help build their confidence, resilience and independence, which are skills we ultimately want them to have as functioning adults. Our next Conversation with Counsellors is on 13 March 8;30am or 6:00pm on the topic of Empowering Parents. https://nyti.ms/2hBonqM
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Mrs. ContrerasSchool Counselor Archives
February 2022
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