In an effort to protect students' safety and emotional health, TTA strongly encourages filters or parental blockers on any student's personal device. Please read below for more information and background on this topic.
Social Media (Tik Tok, Snapchat, Instagram) and YouTube pose many dangers to adolescents. These apps condition children and adolescents to seek out serotonin/instant gratification from their devices rather than face strong or big feelings. This is addictive and the need for validation and social approval in this fake world of likes, competition, fake friends and consumerism is so damaging to childrens’ psyche. Consequences include social isolation, cyberbullying, changes in brain chemistry, anxiety, the need to keep “checking,” depression, body image issues, passive aggressive arguments, addiction, aggressive arguments, low self-esteem and more.
The danger of socializing with strangers cannot be overstated. Games like Minecraft, Roblox and even “educational” games require close supervision. Additionally, you cannot control what pops up on your child’s device on many platforms. Even in privacy settings, if a video is shared with one friend, that person can share the video with others who can continue to share it.
If you choose to give your child a phone, consider the following: Are you ready to talk about pornography, eating disorders, drugs, sexuality, consent, self-harm, excessive violence, social rejection, talking to strangers, sexual predators, catfishing…the list goes on and on. Exposure to these concepts before developmentally appropriate can cause real and lasting trauma.
If you do give your child a phone, do you have a contract set in place? Off limit apps? Do you have time limits, boundaries of where they can be on it? Open doors, lights on? Does the device live in their room or somewhere else?
Get an alarm clock so your child does not “need” it in their room. Remember, passwords are not secrets. Consider setting up unplugged time and time for tech. For screen time, it may be easier to say yes for Fridays/Sundays and none the rest of the week. See what works. If there is a struggle, discuss it and set up logical consequences.
Even if they are on a device for school, at home, children can ask when they can switch activities just as they would ask if they can go somewhere. iPads with WhatsApp and texting capabilities should still go through the parent phone. Unmonitored Google and YouTube can lead to anywhere.
The following website contains additional information about technology safety: https://neshersafety.com/#apps
There are other ways to connect socially-phone calls or Facetime in an open area. In person play dates are great too! Help your child come up with other activities-outdoor time, projects, etc
This is not because we don’t trust our children. We cannot trust apps and access and are mindful of age, brain development and developmental stages.
