Technology, Tween and Teens - Some Tips for Pareents

by Rebecca Yutzy, Middle School Team Coordinator

At EMS we work hard to ensure that students have access to the digital tools they'll need at school while also ensuring their online safety. Many important topics regarding responsible technology use are covered in our Middle School Digital Literacy and Digital Projects classes. One resource we use in our digital curricula is commonsensemedia.org which also has some great resources for parents. We encourage you to review this site to continue having conversations regarding appropriate use and online safety as well.

We seek to partner with families on all aspects of your child's education at EMS. For technology, we will be exploring ways for students to teach you things they've learned in digital citizenship classes so that learning may continue and  be reinforced at home. We also plan to hold a parent forum this year that focuses on online safety and digital citizenship. 

Over the years I've collected some great ideas and tips from students, parents and teachers. I hope you will find these useful as you continue conversations about technology at home:

• In our middle school, some students do have cell phones, iPods, or tablets, but certainly not the majority. Many EMS families choose not to purchase devices for their children, or choose to wait until the student is in high school and or able to pay for his/her plan. Follow what's right for your family and child; not what others may be doing. 
• As students learn to navigate technology, parents should reserve the right to keep a copy of all login and password information and check their children's texts, browsing histories and social media messaging to ensure appropriate use. Access to technology is a privilege. We suggest you talk openly with your child about your rights and theirs as well as what consequences will occur when your family's expectations aren't met.
• Most social media sites have a minimum age requirement for use. We highly encourage parents abiding by these rules and becoming familiar with each platform's privacy and reporting policies, should you decide that social media is something that is important to your family. 
• Group chats and messaging can be popular and helpful ways for multiple friends to communicate simultaneously. Due to their instantaneous nature however, negative conversations can escalate quickly, making interactions hard to stop before feelings or misunderstandings occur. Talk to your child about thinking before they text or react and encourage face to face conversation as much as possible. 
• Kik, Snapchat and Instagram are currently quite popular messaging tools for adolescents. Like any social media platform however, they can also be dangerous platforms riddled with inappropriate content and users. Review your child's contacts on these apps and ensure that they know the people they are messaging and that the messages their friends send are appropriate. 
• What's popular to use among teens changes as frequently as technology does. Here is a great listing from Common Sense Media about what the current app trends are.
• Parental Control apps are useful to many families as they navigate technology together. There are a number of choices available depending on what you want to control and how much you time you invest. Linked here is a good overview the different types of parental controls as well as their pros and cons. This link has a substantial list of parental control apps as well as types of online activity they can help you monitor. 
• We have found that excessive texting (texting repeatedly for hours and/or late into the night or early morning) and inappropriate use of social media apps are two of the most significant, yet sometimes overlooked, concerns our students face in using technology. Your oversight and partnership with us to ensure appropriate use is critical.

As you review our Student Handbook with your child, please note the updated middle school policy for personal electronic devices (page 14). As a reminder, students in grades 6-8 will  keep their phones and other electronic devices off and in their backpacks during school hours, unless permitted by a teacher. Students will be allowed a couple of minutes before lunch to check phones and communicate with parents regarding schedule changes. Our Front Office staff is happy to deliver important family messages to students as needed. Simply call 236-6000 and your message will be delivered that day. Students may also use the phone in the front office to contact parents as needed.

Concerns?

We value your partnership and feedback! If you notice an unhealthy interaction between students, please contact Principal Phil Landes at landesp@emhs.net or 236-6013. If you have any questions or want additional support throughout this school year, please don't hesitate to contact me or any faculty or staff member via email or phone. 

We hope these tips and links start helpful dialogues for your family!