4 ms·

I am here to report as a parent of children that I have been able to keep them off of social media by not getting them phones, controlling the Internet in the h

by bentt 3y ago

I am here to report as a parent of children that I have been able to keep them off of social media by not getting them phones, controlling the Internet in the house, and paying close attention.

munificent 3y ago
How has it impacted their social life? My experience with my kids (middle and high school age) is that online is "where" most kids socialize today and if I don't let my kids go there, I am socially isolating them.
- bentt 3y ago
  We allow my son to be online via his computers. He has a Macbook and a desktop PC. He's on Discord and a Slack. He can iMessage friends via his Macbook. The thing about a phone is that there's a data plan and it's out of your sight a lot. But to be fair, my son is mostly fine with sticking to these channels for talking to friends. So, it is particular to the kid. It doesn't hurt that we live in a tight nit community where he can walk to friends' houses, school, etc. My daughter is younger and probably will want to get a phone more than he does, when she is old enough.
zamadatix 3y ago
My (non-technically inclined) nephew age 14 managed to get caught with an old Wii u from a friend and was using it to browser the net at 3am via the friend's (neighbor) Wi-Fi. I don't think paying close attention, as much as it should be done, is really the be and end all answer for everyone to know their kid is never on social media or sites they shouldn't be on. Beyond this example unless you're home schooling them in remote isolation with regular prison level searches there are going to be other ways your kids do things you wouldn't like them to. If you are talking about that kind of setup I'm more worried about that in society than Facebook. That doesn't mean parents should not pay attention or give them easy access but I'm not sure the proud proclamation is really solving or responding to the conversation at hand. Most likely, IMO, it's a problem without a single golden solution.
- bentt 3y ago
  My point really is that people get their kids' phones because they think they have to, but that's the root of the problem. We don't prevent our kids from being online - what we prevent them from doing is being online on their own, away from the house, with the internet in their pocket all the time. They each have computers.

by bentt 3y ago

I am here to report as a parent of children that I have been able to keep them off of social media by not getting them phones, controlling the Internet in the house, and paying close attention.

munificent 3y ago

How has it impacted their social life? My experience with my kids (middle and high school age) is that online is "where" most kids socialize today and if I don't let my kids go there, I am socially isolating them.

bentt 3y ago
We allow my son to be online via his computers. He has a Macbook and a desktop PC. He's on Discord and a Slack. He can iMessage friends via his Macbook. The thing about a phone is that there's a data plan and it's out of your sight a lot. But to be fair, my son is mostly fine with sticking to these channels for talking to friends. So, it is particular to the kid. It doesn't hurt that we live in a tight nit community where he can walk to friends' houses, school, etc. My daughter is younger and probably will want to get a phone more than he does, when she is old enough.

zamadatix 3y ago

My (non-technically inclined) nephew age 14 managed to get caught with an old Wii u from a friend and was using it to browser the net at 3am via the friend's (neighbor) Wi-Fi. I don't think paying close attention, as much as it should be done, is really the be and end all answer for everyone to know their kid is never on social media or sites they shouldn't be on. Beyond this example unless you're home schooling them in remote isolation with regular prison level searches there are going to be other ways your kids do things you wouldn't like them to. If you are talking about that kind of setup I'm more worried about that in society than Facebook. That doesn't mean parents should not pay attention or give them easy access but I'm not sure the proud proclamation is really solving or responding to the conversation at hand. Most likely, IMO, it's a problem without a single golden solution.

bentt 3y ago
My point really is that people get their kids' phones because they think they have to, but that's the root of the problem. We don't prevent our kids from being online - what we prevent them from doing is being online on their own, away from the house, with the internet in their pocket all the time. They each have computers.