👀Do you have a way to see what your child does on the internet at school?
🤯My child’s school provides access to @securlyinc which is a program that (among other things) gives caregivers the ability to see, AND potentially control what their child can do on the internet on a school owned device.
💪I don’t look at all of the info it provides, but once a week I get an overview email which I scan. Recently, some things in that overview caught my eye, so I clicked through to the app to see the more granular, detailed information.
🤔While nothing was particularly concerning, there were things that made me think “hmmmm....we should probably talk about this”.
🧠It led to some very productive digital literacy conversations. My child had NO idea that anyone at school, let alone me, could see what they did on their device or searched for.
🫢For many kids this can easily bring up feelings of embarrassment; use this as a connection opportunity (if you think your child would be open to it). I shared with my child the things I did (or may have done) online or using a computer as a child, such as typing something into a computer that I would never say out loud as a way of expressing the feeling safely. Other times I may have searched for something simply to see what would come up.
🥴But for many millennial (and older) caregivers, we were able to do those things without anyone being able to see it. Even from a young age, we can educate our children on the ways that using the internet on a school or public device, like a friend’s phone or a public library computer, can impact who can see it versus using devices at home.
🙌🏻If you DO have access to a program like Securly, consider using it as a way of showing intersest in your child’s technology use and not just as a way of monitoring it. I can check in with my child about their research project they’re doing online, for example. And if you do not have access to this kind of program, we can still have these conversations so that kids know how to navigate the internet in different environments.
