“It’s a balancing act… but this can be tricky.”
You answered mostly "circles" at the test : "Which type of connected parent are you?"
Do you generally supervise and support your children online, and feel that their experiences are positive? Congratulations, we know how hard this can be. The tricky part is not to create the right balance but to maintain it.
To help you keep up the good work, Orange offers a host of information and advice, In France via the Bien vivre le digital website, in Spain via the Por un uso Love de la tecnologia website and in Romania via the Pentru Maine platform. You can also take advantage of parent support groups and workshops in Orange shops across Europe (France, Spain, Poland, Romania and Slovakia), where you can pick up some handy tips and advice.
Here are three tips that can help you maintain this precious, but tricky balance:
- Show your child that real relationships take precedence over virtual relationships. Offer alternatives to online entertainment such as sports, reading and outdoor activities.
- Find the right “edutainment” balance between education and entertainment: help kids understand the difference between simple entertainment (playing with the cat, a game, watching a movie) and edutainment content. For example, you can use a tablet to aid their schoolwork thanks to reading/writing, language, maths or geography apps… or download an e-book to read together.
- If you haven’t already done so, you can also help protect young ones by setting up parental controls such as Kids Ready in Spain or Safe Starter For Your Kid in Poland.
Bonus tip: Why not download the parent’s guide: “Children and screens: psychologists answer parents’ questions”? You’ll find a lot of helpful advice for identifying and managing the various risks when it comes to children and their use of technology.