Digital Smarts - What Tech Usage Rules Would Kids Make for Parents?
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Researchers at the University of Washington and University of Michigan recently surveyed parents and their children between the ages of 10 and 17 about their household's most important technology rules and expectations. Interestingly, twice as many children as parents expressed concerns about family members oversharing personal information about them on Facebook and other social media without permission. Children also called out parents on issues like not texting while driving or sitting at a traffic light. According to the children surveyed, parents need to practice what they preach when it comes to rules like staying off the internet while at meals and giving them their full attention when talking to them rather than glancing at their phone. Overall, children found it easier to follow household technology rules when families had developed them collectively and when parents lived by them as well. The research also suggests that when parents found that a particular app or social media site was too difficult for their kids to disengage from, the simplest solution (and most respected by kids) was to just make it off-limits.