Hey y'all, it's me again with some family tips! It's a well-known fact that movies and other electronic media are here to stay. It's also a fact that kids will from now on grow up in a very technological environment. As you know, not all media is good for kids. Stuff like pornography, excessive violence, etc. should not be around, but they are. Therefore, you need to equip your kids to be smart about their tech choices.
Tip #1: Check the Ratings
The rating of the movie on the box is the best place to get a general idea of a movie's acceptability. There are many sites where you can find info on this, but here's a general guideline: G means General Audiences. That means the film should be fine for everyone. But never go by this rating alone! Many G-rated motion pictures contain worse material than those rated PG or even PG-13. Always exercise caution. A rating of PG means parental guidance is advised, as content may include mild language, violence, or other things unsuitable for some children. PG-13 indicates that the film in question has stronger matter. A pre-viewing by the parent is imperative. R-rated movies should be avoided by everyone. They contain the worst of violence, sex scenes, and other unsavory material. Those are the most common movie ratings, but you should always preview a movie before your child watches it.
Tip #2: Read Movie Reviews
Now that you have a general idea of whether or not a movie is good for your kid, you should find out what exactly this movie has. Movie reviews are the best for finding exactly what makes a movie so bad or so great. Some websites include:
(none of these are sponsors at time of writing)
commonsensemedia.org Note: This website has hints of DEI. If they go bad, I will notify.
https://theelvenarcher07.wixsite.com/rodential-reviews This is our website for reviews of all kinds of media; movies, books, games, and more! We'd appreciate it if you checked it out.
Tip #3: Have Conversations
Talk to your child/ren about why they want to see/read a particular thing. This will help you get to know them better and provides an opportunity for great discussions. Your kids will be relieved to find that you are interested in them, not attacking them. Talk to them after the viewing. What did they like/dislike? Who was their favorite character and why? These and other questions will grant you a valuable discussion with your kid/s.
Tip #4: Don't Get Your Kid a Device
Yes, I know this sounds controversial, but news flash: kids DO NOT need them! Internet predators specifically track kids, and if one has an Internet-connected appliance, it's ten to one that they will encounter unsavory material on it. If you must communicate with your kid, get them something without Internet, like a Gabb product. Find them here:
https://gabbwireless.com/ (not a sponsor—yet)
Then again, it all depends on your kid's maturity level. Just be sure to go over some ground rules with them and keep communications open.
Tip #5: Customize!
Nobody knows your family like you do. Therefore, you should do your research and customize for your child(ren).
So, that's it, five tips for taming the technology monster. Do you have tips of your own? Leave them in the comments to help other readers! As always, thank you for reading and see you next time.
Epilogue: Good Tech Ground Rules
1: If you find anything bad, tell Mom/Dad. This one will let you go all "mama/papa bear" on the company that is spreading evil around the WWW. If possible, teach your kids to contact the offending platform too, so they get experience in defending the good.
2: Only browse the Internet in a public place. This will save you the trouble of shouting, "What are you doing?" around the house only to receive "Nothing" for an answer. You can simply look over their little shoulders and find out exactly what they are doing.
3: Monitor your screen time. There are so many things to do, both as a kid and an adult, and spending all your free time on technology is not a good use of it. If little Jane and John learn to moderate early, they will spend happier hours away from the screen.
4. Don't do anything with people you do not know. This includes meeting, talking, and yes, even social media. Every day, horrific stories appear in the news about a kid/teen who came in contact with someone online who seemed nice, but double-crossed and exploited them in various ways. Teach your kids how to detect scammers and predators and to never post any kind of personal information.
Tip for parents: don't make your kid feel bad for just using the 'net. It is the primary source of information in this day and age. As long as they are not looking up unsavory material or otherwise behaving badly, it will only cause unnecessary guilt. The child could also end up using it anyway for perfectly innocuous things and not telling you because he/she does not want you to get mad.
References for more tech stuff:
https://www.rd.com/technology/ Yes, as a matter of fact, this is "Reader's Digest." It actually provides some very valuable tech tips. For teen girls with a smartphone, type in the key words they caught their stalker for a cautionary tale of online 'friendships'.
Hope these tips will help you manage the technology and media of your current or future family! As always, thanks for reading!
-The Hamnimator