Being a parent in the digital age can be a real struggle. The internet has become the modern playground, with screen time being treated as a necessity by children. Every day, new challenges present themselves to parents, like apps such as Yik Yak and cyber bullying.
A typical Kiwi family now has five devices on average connected to the internet. A staggering two-thirds of five to ten year olds use the internet daily. Vodafone NZ is seeing a 7% growth in data usage month on month, with young people clocking up hours online streaming music, watching YouTube videos, and catching up on TV shows.
While it has increased global connectivity, the rise of technology has brought with it a rise of technology-related problems. “Our research shows that families are desperate to simplify their lives, but at the same time they’re grappling with the role technology plays in their family and how they can keep their kids safe. We want to help families through these dilemmas,” says Matt Williams, Vodafone’s Consumer Director.
Recent research by Vodafone NZ has discovered that 41% of parents feel they’re not getting enough support to teach kids about the internet. It’s a problem the company has sought to answer.
One initiative is the launch of digi-parenting.co.nz, an online hub to help parents make sense of the digital world. In partnership with The Parenting Place and NetSafe, the digi-parenting hub aims to offer parents the tools to ensure their kids enjoy the internet in a safe way.
Dave Atkinson, The Parenting Place Youth Specialist, has played an active role in the site’s development. “On the hub, we explore questions like how to protect kids online, what sites are suitable for kids and what acronyms like POS (Parent Over Shoulder) mean,” he says.
The site includes practical advice on negotiating tricky areas with your children like the number of hours of screen time they are allowed. Dave from The Parenting Place suggests drawing up a digital contract can help.
Over half of all teens feel more confident expressing themselves over the phone rather than face-to-face, so it’s important that parents are able to connect with their kids in a digital space. Taking an active approach to technology can help to alleviate problems before they arise and foster a closer relationship with your children.
For more, visit digi-parenting.co.nz
