Corpus Christi School Newsletter 

E-Learning News

"The New Normal"

Young children owning their own mobile devices “is the new normal.” That’s the conclusion of the Royal Melbourne Children’s Hospital, following an Australian Child Health (ACH) poll that found two-thirds of primary school kids and more than a third of pre-schoolers own their own mobile device.

 

The ACH poll found two-thirds of primary school kids and 36% of preschoolers now own their own mobile device. As for Australian teens - if yours tells you “everyone else” has one, turns out that may literally be true. Only nine percent of Aussie children aged 14-17 do not have a smartphone, a 2016  Roy Morgan survey found.

 

Foster’s fellow cyber expert Dr. Kristy Goodwin, a child development specialist, urges parents to consider children’s social and emotional development as a first priority - not chronological age.

 

Making the call

Before making a purchase of any new device for your child, experts advise parents to:

  1. Assess your child’s emotional maturity. If they’re not ready to understand privacy, empathy and cyber safety risks, they’re probably not ready for a smartphone. If they’re not brilliant at looking after their belongings yet, they’re probably not ready for a smartphone OR a laptop. Consider a tablet instead.
  2. Consider a smartphone at a somewhat younger age - around 10 to 11. This can be a critical period for children to accept parent-managed access without question or complaint.
  3. Make the gift of a new device a teaching-and-learning experience about digital citizenship, safety and wellbeing.
  4. Set up firm rules about how, what, when and where the device can be used. A written contract that sets out your expectations, and your child's responsibilities, is the best first step. Family Zone has created a great  one you can print at home. Download it here.
  5. No matter what device you choose, be sure to put strong parental controls in place to filter inappropriate content, restrict social media and games, and set bedtimes and playtimes. Or - if you’re purchasing a smartphone - consider the FZ ONE, the only “real” smartphone for kids with Family Zone controls built right in.

Adapted from https://www.familyzone.com/

 

Merry Christmas!

E Learning Coordinator

Zachary Lane