12 Technology Tips For Middle School Parents

Set them up for success

Kids are more exposed to technology when they get to Middle School. Whether its more time on Chromebooks, new personal devices or friends with more access and know how—its just more.

Here are 12 tips to help keep them safe and set them up for success.

1. Understand your child’s device activity by looking at usage history

• How much time do they spend per day in front of screens?

• When are they using devices?

• What are they spending that time doing? 

• If your child has a device with apps, what apps have they downloaded?

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

2. Set up parental controls on any device that your child uses including smartwatches, phones, tablets, home computers & video game consoles. Focus on:

• App restrictions- limit the time on distracting apps. If you look at usage data you will be able to see where the problem areas are

• Browser restrictions- consider limiting search results so your child doesn’t stumble on content they shouldn’t see

• Communication restrictions- considering limiting communication only to contacts they know and manually approving anyone new

• Time settings - set up Downtime starting 30 mins before bedtime and Focus Time (during homework) Windows

3. Have a plan for managing non-school use of Chromebooks at home. Remember that if your child is on a Chromebook at home they may have unrestricted internet access.

4. Mute or disable notifications for noisy apps during school, study and sleep windows. Some kids get hundreds of notifications a day! Make sure notifications aren’t interrupting homework and sleep.

5. Talk to your child about texting etiquette. Coach them if they are new to texting. The first time a kid texts another kid—they will have no idea what they are doing and things like sarcasm or even how quickly or often to respond are new things to learn.

6. Keep track of old phones. Kids have been known to reactivate old phones so they can get online.

7. IF your child is on social media, talk to them about appropriate online behavior. The anonymity of the virtual world can lead good kids to do and say things they shouldn’t. Talk to you child about cyberbullying.

8. IF your child is on Snapchat, learn how it works. Ask your child to show you their My Eyes Only camera roll. Disable the Snapmap. Set up the parental controls

9. IF your child uses an Apple watch, disable Siri and block Safari & Chrome. Kids can get to the internet through Siri. Kids can get anywhere on the internet through Applewatch browsers.

10. IF your child uses an iPhone, disable Airdrop, spot check their NOTES App for secret messaging and update parental settings to disallow the creation of a second Apple ID. Kids have been known to send pictures through airdrop, and shared notes.

11. Discuss technology with your child openly and notoriously. Explain why you are taking steps to keep them safe and what those steps are. Kids will benefit from hearing why you are concerned not just THAT you are concerned.

12. Consider creating a family technology contract for the school year. Put your expectations of What, When and How much screen time is allowed in writing and have your child sign off.

Paying subscribers get my Technology Contract Template to fill out and sign with your kids.