Technology and Screen Time Resources

Child holding a tablet 

10 Ways to Use the Internet Safely and Responsibly
(from Uknowkids.com)

1. Think before you post
2. Respect other people online; avoid gossip
3. Ask for permission before you meet online friends in person
4. Don't feed cyberbullies--block the sender, ignore mean messages, file a
report with the website or the police
5. Speak up if you see someone getting bullied
6. Clean up your profile; eliminate your page of everything too personal,
embarrassing and illegal
7. Use the privacy settings
8. Monitor what others post about you
9. Keep adults in the loop--tell them when you add new sites, new friends or
see something suspicious or harmful
10. Use your voice for good--use social media to do something productive for you or for a cause

Informational Websites

° Common Sense Media (www.commonsensemedia.org) General information as well as customizable device contract and independent reviews of apps, movies, video games, etc.
° Family Online Safety Institute (www.fosi.org/) Good digital parenting--tips, tools and rules to confidently navigate the online world with your kids; Policy and research--in depth reports on challenging online safety issues, laws and regulations.
° http://www.raisingdigitalnatives.com great TED talk titled, "Empathy is the App." Blog articles are very helpful
° www.cyberwise.org
° www.netsmartz.org
° The Center for Internet Addiction (www.netaddiction.com) information on a variety of internet addictions (gaming, gambling, porn, facebook, general internet)
° www.connectsafely.org
° Safesmartsocial.com/ videos describing vine, twitter, whatsapp, Instagram, ask.fm, snapchat, whisper, yik-yak, etc.
° www.ikeepsafe.org
U know kids shares a parent APP to help parents monitor their children's smartphone use (see their texts, pictures sent and received, location, call history, etc.) www.uknowkids.com

Instructional How-To Videos

° http://www.howcast.com/categories/2-Tech/ Videos include "How to Use Twitter," "How to Use Facebook" and "How to Use an iPhone."
° www.APlatformForGood.org/parents/tpt Videos include "Reporting Problems," "Parental Controls" and "Privacy Settings."
° Safesmartsocial.com/ videos describing vine, twitter, whatsapp, Instagram, ask.fm, snapchat, whisper, yik-yak, etc.

Website HELP Centers

° www.Facebook.com/help Learn how to manage your child’s account and report problems.
° http://about.twitter.com/en_us/safety.html Find out how to use Twitter and protect your child’s privacy
° http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201304 Understand how restrictions (parental controls) work on your apple products (iphone, ipad, ipod touch).
° https://support.google.com/youtube Read about YouTube’s safety policies and how to report inappropriate content.
° www.Google.com/GoodToKnow/familysafety Browse through videos and articles for advice on using Google’s safety tools and how to manage your family’s safety online.
° help.Instagram.com Learn about the basics of this popular app and get tips for parents.
° A parents guide to Snapchat Understand how to use the app and what to do if your child is using it inappropriately.
° help.Kik.com Read about the app and how to report problems.
° https://support.Skype.com Browse articles about securing your child’s account and managing their privacy settings.
° https://help.Pinterest.com Find out how to use Pinterest and secure your child’s account.
° help.MeetMe.com Get answers to your questions about controlling who sees your child’s profile and how to report problems.
° www.ClubPenguin.com/help Read about this popular game’s rules and safety features.

Parental Controls/Monitoring Software and Apps

° www.netnanny.com/
° www.teensafe.com/ parents can see sent, received and deleted text and iMessages, made and received phone calls, current smartphone location, Web browsing and search history, Messages sent through Whatsapp and Kik Messenger, Instagram posts and followers, Facebook messages, friends, posts and more.
° www.mamabearapp.com/ lets parents know where their kids are, see their social media, and know how fast they are driving
° www.qustodio.com/ see how your child uses the Internet, to set responsible time limits, to block dangerous or inappropriate content, and to monitor for signs of cyberbullying and online predators.
° www.mymobilewatchdog.com/ Monitor all of your child’s smartphone use from the parent dashboard. Use the Parent Dashboard to view text and picture messages, contact history, find a lost phone, block websites, turn off apps during homework time automatically, and much more
° https://www.uknowkids.com/
° http://www.webwatcher.com/
° http://netsanity.net/

Related Links:
AAP Publications Screen Time Recommendations
10 Apps Teens are Using that Parents Need to Know
MOMO-Online-Safety-Guide-for-Parents-FEB-2019.pdf

The Family Support Center does not endorse any organizations or individuals outside of the Spencerport Central School District. These resources are for informational purposes and should be pursued based on the consumer's own criteria.