Digital Parenting I

Authoritative

This is the ideal parenting style – It’s the perfect balance between setting boundaries for your child and giving them space to grow

How is this beneficial in building my child’s digital resilience?
You act as a guide and support by telling them you’ve been on this earth a little longer and have the experience to help them tackle their online issues
You are willing to listen to your child’s views and validate their feelings
You give your child a sense of containment and ensure your child feels a sense of security to allow them to take risks
You are giving them the control to navigate their own online world but ensuring they are also safe by having the right safeguards in place
A child of an authoritative parent feels as though they have the respect of their parents but also respects their parents

Authoritarian
This is a ‘my way or the hard way’ style of parenting and Why this may be challenging?

It can be damaging as you are minimising a child’s opportunity to deal with technology and also minimising feelings about their flexibility and their determination
What could I do differently?
Spend more time listening to your child
Validate them for what they’re doing
Allow them to have more say in the way their lives are run

Permissive
This is when you want to be your child’s best friend and Why this may be challenging?

A child’s self-esteem is dependent on boundaries and expectations. If they don’t have any boundaries or consistency, this can be problematic as they won’t feel a sense of containment and they don’t have the ability to self-parent
What could I do differently?
Practice setting boundaries and implementing rules
Openly talk to your child about your expectations of online behaviour, what they’re getting up to online, who they’re talking to and explain why you’re establishing rules
Don’t be afraid of not being liked by your child, you need to be a parent and keep them safe online

Neglectful
You completely leave your child and not bothered what they are doing with their own devices Why this may be challenging?

Without parent supervision, it can encourage a child to solely depend on themselves and be more susceptible to experience online risks.
What could I do differently?
Create time for your child and their online world
Get involved and find out what they are doing online
Have regular conversations, If you are struggling to parent your child, you may need to seek help such as talking to psychiatrist or a class teacher or a social worker

Effect on Behaviour

Constant use of a device and features like auto-play on platforms can be habit forming and encourage children be spend longer screen times
Speech or language delay
Attention deficits
Learning problems
Childhood depression

Effect on the Brain

Longer Screens can have a drug-like effect (Smartphone Addiction) on the children’s brains which can make them more anxious.
It can make children more forgetful (less ability for multi-tasking) as they rely on things like Google, GPS and calendar alerts to look up information, even finds them hard to memorise the phone numbers of the family members.

Effect on Sleep

Blue light from phones will trick the brain into thinking its still daylight making them challenging to sleep

Benefits of Screen Time

Gives children access to a variety of information to shape their knowledge
Technology takes away physical barriers to social connections to make our children less isolated
Exposure to technology has proven to improve children’s learning and development skills
Online games and activities enhance teamwork and creativity
Children have better motor skills
Improved cognitive skills
More fun for kids
Better Competition skills