Staying in contact with real friends you know is essential & devices facilitated this. Where we need to be careful is when our #teens & #tweens start socialising online with people they don't know. This was already an issue, but amplified by the pandemic - #strangerdanger

Working together as a community is the only way to help improve the digital environment, make it a more positive place to spend time and reduce the fear of letting our children spend time there. #staycybersafe #digitalawareness #Community

#onlinegaming hours surged during COVID unsurprisingly - a lot of access through gaming consoles, desktops & mobiles. Some are finding real issues reducing their hours - #addiction has kicked in & getting our children back is scary & difficult - #talktosomeone 💪 💪 #help

The earlier we can start conversations with our children the better. The sooner we put parameters & guidelines in place the less likely we get rebellion & kick back at #tween & #teen age. The behaviour is set & learned rather than needing to be changed. Change is hard!

The main issue with this is that the #algorithm is learning from all their actions. If they are only searching 'minecraft' and watching minecraft videos, their 'newsfeed' of content will be awfully narrow & focused. Show them. Search cute dogs & see how the algorithm changes #YT

This one is sad as it shows that mum & dad have been sucked into the #digital abyss but expect their #teens, with developing brains to manage the amount of time they spend #online. Time for parents to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Role model what you want to see in them

Of course #parents feel they are distracted. Our teens agree!!! The #devices, #platforms, games & notifications are designed that way. They want your eyeballs for as long as possible as that increases ad revenue. Let's look at ways of integrating positive use of the tech #balance

It would appear that we are closer to agreeing than not. Our #children know they want a break but can't make themselves do it. Time for mum & dad to step in and help them #balance - together it can be done. They teach us, we guide them methodology. Working together as a #family

Arguments over #device use are common. We do it in our house! It's between mum & dad over their usage not the #children. We are trying to model appropriate behaviour & have to walk the walk! It's not enough to just say do it because I say so. They call us out on the #hypocrisy

Less than 6 minutes before the need to do something else kicks in. The inability to focus is horrific. But #students can't take all the blame. The way that social #platforms are designed is to grab attention & keep it. Having access to it should come with a #hazard #warning

There are benefits to online gaming but the phenomenon that was/is #Fortnite opened the #digital doors to strangers accessing our children en masse. Do you know how your #children can play online games safely? Turn off chat, local private servers only, no headphones #itswork

#Fortnite, #PubG, #Minecraft, #Roblox - all popular platforms for our children. They all come with a threat of inappropriate content, language & harassment especially if they are playing on a shared online server. #parents need to setup the devices so they can play safer

These stats really highlight the reliance our teens have on their devices. Anxiety is worrying but being alone and bored is when #imagination kicks in. Our children aren't being given time to let their imagination run wild & flourish. On demand isn't the only way. #digitaldetox

Yes, yes & yes. There are many positives to come from technology. We tend to focus on the negatives, but our #children are part of the digital #economy. The device offers them unlimited #knowledge & connection. It just needs to be managed by parents whilst they are still children

This is a fantastic guide that should help so many people - as long as they know about it #usefulresource #cybersafety #digitaltattoo #gesseducation

Even the news learns about the news from #social these days, so no surprise our children do. We have to help them decipher what's 'true' and what's not. But more importantly #educate them on how the tech works and skews their view based on their actions online #knowledgeiskey

Our world has changed. It's changed so drastically in such a short period of time that many #parents of #millennials and Gen z'ers are struggling. They are struggling with the speed at which things have moved on, how fast their children are adapting and how they aren't!

Looking forward to an engaging conversation with these guys on the webinar - talking all things online safety, digital awareness and digital wellbeing #StaySafeOnline #digitalwelbeing #cybersafety

#Notifications are the killer of focus. Turn them off, on your phones & on your children's, especially when at #school or studying at home. This generation of 'always on' & immediate gratification struggle to focus. Not surprising with all the #distractions firing at them all day

Looking forward to joining Olly Lewis, @sajid_gulzar and Mark Anderson for a webinar from NetSupport looking at Online Safety in the Middle East on 6/11. You can sign up to join us here: eventbrite.co.uk/e/online-safet… #OnlineSafety #EdTech